Constant Rebranding is Ruining Your Sales Cycle

You may be intimately familiar with brands and their products for some lines but not everything is iconic. Companies rebrand products all the time in order to get rid of per performers or try to increase sales. In the world of enterprise IT does that mean it’s more difficult to figure out what you’ve bought? Or how best to support it? In this episode of the On-Premise IT Podcast, Zoe Rose, Eric Steward, and Josh Warcop discuss the challenges faced in constant rebranding and how your efforts to put on a fresh face may lead to hard feelings.

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In this episode of the On-Premise IT Podcast, the panel discusses the negative impact of constant rebranding in the IT industry. They highlight how the confusion caused by changing product names and lack of documentation creates challenges for users and customers. The panelists share their experiences with Cisco’s security products and the difficulty of identifying and understanding the specific functionalities of each product. They also discuss the frustration of dealing with outdated domains and the need to constantly relearn and adapt to new product names.

The conversation then shifts to the importance of market education and how the constant rebranding hinders the sales cycle. The panelists express concerns about not having enough time to learn about the products they are working with or supporting, which affects their ability to provide effective sales solutions. They emphasize the need for clear documentation and product comparisons to help users make informed purchasing decisions.

The panelists acknowledge the challenges of maintaining consistent branding and the potential confusion it can create. They mention examples like Cisco Catalyst switches, which can refer to access points or routers, and Apple’s macOS versions, which have undergone multiple name changes. While consistency can be beneficial, it can also lead to problems when expectations are not met. They discuss the balance between leveraging existing brand reputation and avoiding negative associations or becoming synonymous with subpar products.

The panel also explores the concept of genericized trademarks, where a brand name becomes synonymous with a specific product category. They highlight Palo Alto’s success in becoming synonymous with application-level firewalls and how this can both benefit and harm a company’s reputation. Finally, they discuss the challenge of leveraging acquired brands like Meraki to reshape perception and whether it’s a positive move for a company like Cisco. They debate the trade-offs between simplicity and the loss of complexity, emphasizing the importance of understanding the target market’s needs and skill levels.

Overall, the panel agrees that constant rebranding can have a detrimental effect on sales cycles and customer perception. They stress the significance of clear documentation, market education, and finding a balance between consistency and adaptability in branding strategies.

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