Knowing why brand building succeeds is great, but sometimes knowing why it fails is even better. 

When Apixio Chief Marketing Officer Mark Scott proposed the topic “Why brand building often fails” for our discussion, I was intrigued. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communication, Mark has had a front-row seat to some spectacular fails – some of them his own – and has analyzed what went wrong and how it could have been prevented. 

What we discussed:

• The rookie marketing mistake of focusing on form over function – the icing before the cake
• How focusing on customer experience and consistency can give your brand a solid foundation to build on
• The two brand building mistakes Mark made that taught him some important lessons about internal marketing and financial implications of rebranding
• His four main reasons why startups fail at brand building, including a lack of focus and biased hiring decisions
• Six ways to build a more effective brand strategy, including having a clear vision and the ability to measure your progress