franchise marketing
Mind the Gap
By Michel Hogan We've all heard of the famous sign found in every London underground station entreating all who step from platform to train to "Mind the Gap!" Perhaps the sign should become a fixture in the offices of organizations around the world. Look around you. Much like that black hole between train and platform brands can disappear in the gap between intent and reality. The most common symptom of the gap is the practice of saying one thing and doing another –
and I don't just mean in the obvious ways. Customer service, product quality, employee relations and just about every marketing campaign out there are all common victims of the gap. But how about the ways a company uses technology, deals with partners and vendors, considers a merger or acquisition? Many brands have fallen into the gap by not understanding that their brand is more than the usual collection of communications tactics, marketing messages and customer perception. It is a fully-fledged expression of what they believe to be true and what their actions show to be true -
48 | Modern Franchise Magazine
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