Boy, if we ever see a situation where brands are going into a major flux, it’s in  health care . The question level is over the top with plenty of room for spin and din. The old and new will be doing a precarious dance….. or after all the noise, will it be just a few of the big brands that made the deals in DC still bigger than ever and no better?

Strategies for building brands are predominately situational . They vary on the business model and mission , altitude of overview, type of brand, status of the inherent brand builders, scale, and maturity. We’ve had some interesting start-up experiences where seasoned marketers having worked with mature brands applied strategies dependent on higher levels of brand equity and budget levels that just never got off the ground. We have also experienced the reverse where healthy mature brands with great potential languished from a locked in start-up point of view. As situational as it is, the question still remains if there are any higher level universal BB strategies that can service any situation. Maybe these four could be considered…

1 Identify and strengthen the inherent BB’s

2 Develop the best brand definition as possible and get it operational

3 Establish an effective brand exposure program

4 Create a functioning brand board that focuses on building brand equity

What do you think?