Write Your Brand’s Obituary
Denise Lee Yohn, HBR Blog Network
What would happen if your company ceased to exist?
Would journalists write headlines heralding your past
achievements, or would their stories simply add you to a
list of bygones? Would analysts express disappointment
or would they point to indicators that made your death
predictable? Would employees wonder how it could have
ended, or would they have known it was inevitable? Would
customers mourn your passing, or would the demise of your
brand go unnoticed?
Thousands of companies come and go every year, barely
leaving a trace of their existence. Even many large
corporations are easily forgotten — like those in the airline
industry. Remember TWA? Once the largest domestic airline,
TWA introduced many ground-breaking developments and
embodied the glamour of air travel. But hit by the pressures
of de-regulation, the airline suffered through bankruptcies
and was eventually acquired by American Airlines, which
quickly discarded the brand name. In my home town of St.
Louis, TWA went from dominating the airport to a fleeting
memory in just a decade. By the end, the value of the TWA
brand had diminished only to the route it flew – which were
easily replaced.
Compare that to what would happen if Southwest closed
its doors. Or Singapore Airlines. Or Virgin America. These
companies have built powerful brands that would be seriously
missed if they ceased operations. Who would give us the
freedom and fun that Southwest is known for? Who would
pamper us and attend to our every need like Singapore
does? Who would design the travel experience with Virgin
America’s combination of service and style?
How do you build the kind of brand that would be missed?
How do you carve out such a distinctive position and create
such a powerful emotional connection? You drill down to
the core of your existence to identify the essential, enduring
value of your brand – and then you design and run your
business to execute relentlessly on that core brand essence.
When what you stand for is clearly expressed and delivered
in everything you do, every day, you make an indelible mark
on people’s hearts and minds.
Being crystal clear about your brand essence is critical. Some
organizations enjoy that clarity, but for those that don’t, there
are several ways to achieve it. One is an exercise I often use
with my clients: writing a Brand Obituary.
It’s not the most pleasant thought, but it focuses the mind to
imagine what it would be like if indeed your brand ceased
to exist.
In this exercise, it helps to think of your brand as though it
were a person — the type of person the brand would be if
it came to life today. I ask my clients to think of their brand
in its totality, as all that the brand entails — and on its best
days, when it’s executing with excellence.
Pretend that you are a reporter for a local newspaper who
must write the obituary for this person, your brand, who just
passed away today. This invented scenario can help you
uncover the true nature of your brand.
Here are some questions to answer in
the obituary:
• What was the brand’s biggest accomplishment in life?
What will it be remembered for?
• Who did the brand leave behind? What did the brand
leave unaccomplished? Who will mourn or miss the
brand, and why?
• What lessons can be learned from the brand’s life? What
can be learned in the wake of its death?
• Now that the brand is gone, what will take its place?
Once you’ve completed the column, write a headline to
capture the essence of the obituary – that headline, in turn,
often captures the essence of your brand.
I often instruct members of the executive team, or a crossfunctional group, to write their obituaries individually and
then share them with the group in a working session. As the
columns are shared aloud, there is usually some discomfort
(talking about the brand’s demise is understandably not
a desirable activity), but there are always moments of
revelation. Common themes emerge and people start to see
their purpose, their core beliefs, and what sets the brand
apart with great clarity. From that point, the brand essence is
just a few pen strokes away.
Positive thinking is powerful and envisioning success is a
popular exercise among athletes and executives alike. But
sometimes taking the opposite approach can be just as
important. By imagining a future without your brand, you
can create one in which it thrives and makes an impression
that is exceptional, sustainable, and memorable.