What is a Frankenstein brand?

If your brand is a mishmash of disjointed parts, don’t be surprised if it scares people away. Has your brand become a monster while you were too busy running your business?

Frankenstein is a well-known monster created from mismatched body parts. The Frankenstein monster wants to be loved but doesn’t know he is a monster. He creates havoc and scares everyone away and everywhere he goes without knowing why. 

Similarly, a Frankenstein brand is made from botched-up and mismatched and inconsistent elements which don’t fit well together. This makes for a very unappealing brand turning away everyone.

In Maria Shelley’s classic horror book, the Frankenstein monster ends up killing his creator. In the same way, a Frankenstein brand can badly hurt the business that created it. 

For most small businesses, the priority is often generating revenue. Unfortunately, branding is often an afterthought, and monsters will slowly come to life when important things are left unattended. 

Nobody will tell you you have a Frankenstein brand. They’ll walk away from you without saying why. 

How will you grow if your brand repels potential clients instead of giving a positive first impression and building trust?

Nobody will tell you you have a Frankenstein brand. They’ll walk away from you without saying why. 

How do you become a Frankenstein brand?

Often, you can become a Frankenstein brand without even knowing it. 

It happens in the same way as in the famous Frankenstein story. The Frankenstein monster isn’t aware that he’s a monster and doesn’t understand why everyone rejects him.

So does a well-meaning founder create a Frankenstein brand for their business? 

Becoming a Frankenstein brand usually happens gradually over some time. It’s like sinking in quicksands. We often don’t even realise what is happening until it’s too late. 

Most founders start their businesses with a strong vision. Unfortunately, they often struggle to articulate it compellingly to others.

Instead of focusing on expressing the essence of their vision in a crystal-clear and consistent brand message, most founders keep changing the script. They feel they must convey all the great things they have to offer all at once.

Their brand communicates different value propositions simultaneously and has a different look and feel across their various marketing channels. It’s a mishmash of multiple parts that don’t work well together.

Every new marketing campaign becomes a testing ground for this week’s ‘big idea’ as there is no sound brand strategy underlying all marketing activities.

Sooner than later, their brand becomes totally inconsistent, and a new Frankenstein brand is born. 

You're probably thinking: so what? "Just because we never got around to ‘nailing’ our brand, we’ve become a monster?"

Isn't that a bit of a stretch? "We’re very good at what we do, and even if we don’t communicate it as well as we could, this can’t be the main reason why we don’t grow as fast as we’d like."

Well…

It’s hard to overstate how badly brand inconsistency can damage a business’s image, sales pipeline and reputation. 

The harsh reality is that you don’t need to be spitting blood to scare people away from doing business with you. 

An inconsistent brand confuses people. And confusion is the opposite of trust. 

And a confused mind doesn’t buy. 

The cost of these missed opportunities can be hard to assess, but the cost of business failure isn’t. The cost of not hitting revenue targets at the end of the quarter is very real.

An inconsistent brand confuses people. And confusion is the opposite of trust. 

Why brand inconsistency is a deadly sin

As human beings, we are hard-wired to seek consistency. Consistency reassures us that things will go well in the future based on consistent past experiences. 

It's the same in business. We all value a consistent customer experience. A consistently positive experience with a business will keep us coming back as we're confident in their ability to meet our expectations every time. 

Think about it, what do we all do when we have to appoint a new supplier? We would ask as many people as possible who've previously engaged with them if they had a positive experience. We are more likely to choose a business offering consistently positive experiences over one that isn't. 

When a business has an inconsistent brand, what does it say about its ability to consistently deliver to a high standard?

It doesn't matter how consistent, expert, and highly professional your business is at what it does if the way your brand says the complete opposite. 

One cannot underestimate how powerful brand consistency is. Brand consistency creates familiarity and trust with everyone who comes across our business before we even know their name. 

Did you know that it takes 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember your brand?

This is why brand consistency is vital to cut through the online noise, stand out from competitors and be remembered positively.

At a time when many businesses face constant disruption and economic uncertainty, we seek consistency more than ever. 

Think about it.

Did you know that it takes 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember your brand?

How brand consistency boosts revenue and profit margins

Decades of data have shown how brand consistency positively impacts the bottom line.  

According to research by Forbes, presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%. 

Many people don’t realise that in a digital-first world, buyers make 70% of a buying decision before you even know their name. 

If that surprises you, let’s consider a reasonably expensive private purchase such as a new car.

We start by noticing cars we like in the street, consciously or not. We then ask colleagues, friends, family, and anyone who recently bought a car if they’re happy with their purchase.

We also end up spending far too time online, watching videos and reading expert car reviews. Once all this homework is done, we usually shortlist 2–3 cars from different makes fitting our needs and budget.

It is only when we decide to contact the local car dealership of our chosen brand to arrange a test drive that they know our name and that we’re interested in buying one of their cars. 

When 70% of a purchase decision has been made.

The same goes for your business. The more expensive your solution, the more potential clients will check you out and do their homework before any connection or conversation takes place. 

Any inconsistency will create hesitation or even raise suspicion. And it’s really tough to recover from it.

Buyers make 70% of a buying decision before you even know their name. 

Discover how to successfully rebrand with clarity and confidence

Are you thinking about rebranding but need clarity on how to get started​?

You are not alone! For many business leaders rebranding is a daunting prospect. Rebranding is a big undertaking; getting it wrong could seriously hurt your business.

But when you have a proven step-by-step process, you can rebrand with clarity and confidence.

“Rebranding Without Tears” is the ultimate rebranding guide for ambitious businesses. 

This guide will show you what to do and in which order to rebrand your business without stress.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• The biggest rebranding mistakes to avoid 

• The proven step-by-step B.E.C.O.M.E system

• A simpler way to rebrand for busy business owners

Discover how to successfully rebrand and take your business to the next level.