Brands and their market impact

Brands cannot be expected to last forever vs. there is no reason for a brand to ever become obsolete

This author suggests that with proper positioning within their target market brands can last for an indefinite period of time, with no discernable expiration date (Kotler & Keller, 2006). The reason that some brands die is faulty positioning and strategy.

Branding strategy must be future oriented, cohesive, authentic, credible, and relatable. Brands must have a long-term strategy and should reflect the company's mission.

Interestingly, the article provides Martha Stewart as an example of brand failure, given the woman's incarceration for obstruction of justice. Yet it would seem, given the released Stewart's success on a new television show and the continued viability of her magazine and media empire, that Martha Stewart, Inc. actually proves the author's point that no brand needs to die as an example of success. Martha Stewart the woman may be tarnished, but Martha Stewart, the perfect homemaking brand and empire lives on.

Martha Stewart Omnimedia the company is no longer even run by Martha Stewart, yet it is still solvent, because customers love the brand, the products and the associations of the name Martha Stewart. When a woman says that she wants to be like Martha Stewart, or even that she's no Martha Stewart, she is not referring to her likely trial date, but her ability to run a perfect home! Although some women love her or hate her, Martha Stewart as a brand has an emotional power and identity that transcends the life history of the woman herself. She is, like Betty Crocker or Aunt Jemina, more than a woman. According to the company fact sheet released to investors, Martha Stewart, the brand, now has an exclusive deal with Macy's, Inc., the department store behemoth and: "In November 2006, we published Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. The book, which the Washington Post described as "the ultimate housekeeping resource," enjoyed an enthusiastic reception and climbed high bestseller lists across the country" and Martha's legal difficulties are forgotten ("Company Fact Sheet," 2006, Martha Stewart Omnimedia Website).