Dealing with brand drift

I am sure you have seen it before. A product which once sold at a premium gets marked down substantially, leaving you wondering about the actual validity of the premium you used to pay. Other examples of this are skimpflation (lower quality elements for the same price) and shrinkflation (smaller pack sizes for the same price). The upshot is that you question the sincerity of the brand or switch to another brand or prodect.
The price of a product is an indicator of its quality and the honesty of its brand intent.
Brand drift occurs when a company’s public image slowly shifts away from its original purpose. This gradual slide may seem harmless, but over time it can erode customer trust and weaken competitive standing. Many organizations struggle to even notice the change until they confront falling sales and baffled stakeholders. A proactive approach can spot warning signals in time to halt the drift before damage becomes irreversible.
The example involves consumer goods and campaigns focused on affordability. Customers grow confused by the mismatch between messages and offerings. Sales plateau, and social-media discussions question the brand’s authenticity. The gap becomes recognizable with sharp declines in brand recall and loyalty among core customers.
Three strategic drivers underlie most instances of brand drift. First, leadership transitions can introduce new priorities without clear communication to employees and customers. Second, product diversification often distracts teams from staying true to core messages. Third, reliance on third-party agencies without sufficient oversight can lead to creative executions that stray from values. Any one of these factors alone has the power to set a drift in motion, motivating or masking incremental shifts beyond intended scope.
Rapid revenue growth can push marketing teams to chase trends rather than reinforce brand purpose. Weak governance may leave brand decisions fragmented across regional offices or product lines. Competitive pressure can tempt companies to stretch their identity to attract new segments. Each of these pressures amplifies the risk of inconsistency in visual assets, messaging tone, or customer experience.
Reversing brand drift requires disciplined remedies. A comprehensive brand audit serves as the starting point. This compares actual customer perceptions against intended brand positioning and highlights misalignments. Next, refreshed brand guidelines must be developed and circulated across all channels and departments. Those guidelines should define visual standards, tone of voice, and decision rules to resolve future ambiguities. Employee training programs reinforce correct application of brand principles in everyday tasks.
Leaders should also establish a cross-functional council tasked with ongoing oversight. That body meets regularly to review new marketing initiatives and content for compliance with brand standards. Customer feedback loops provide real-time insight on whether communications resonate as intended. Periodic scorecards measure consistency across touchpoints and trigger corrective actions if slippage is detected. These steps keep brand health visible and build accountability over time.
Proactive engagement with audiences can restore trust after the drift has taken root. Communicating the brand’s refreshed purpose and values in a transparent narrative helps stakeholders understand why changes are necessary. By aligning product road maps and marketing plans around guiding principles, companies can reclaim coherence. In doing so they strengthen loyalty, differentiate from competitors and position themselves for sustainable growth.
The brand and its marketing are under continuous pressure to deliver volumes and turnover. Although it is possible to amend the product and its commercial outcomes, it is rarely advisable given that the original underpinning of the product is destabilized.
The brand and product are an equilibrium. Think hard before you alter the original underpinning of success.