The Side Note

Country Music Television is about to air, for the third season, a show called “Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team.” The title pretty well explains the plot of the reality show. Last fall I saw an episode that I will never forget. They cut one of the girls who made it to the training camp because her, err, derrier did not look good enough in the tiny little uniform.

At first I was shocked.

But then I thought about it.

Click here to view the 2009 promo

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (DCC) is a brand. A very well-know, well-crafted, well-managed brand. The coaches know that every detail of the brand is important. And let me remind you that for the DCC, their uniforms (and their kickline, of course) are key to the brand image. The uniforms are not forgiving. So in their effort to uphold the brand, I applaud the standards set and maintained by the decision makers in Dallas.

I recently had a conversation with a client about the importance of protecting their franchise’s brand. Over the last year, I have seen franchise owners breaking brand standards in both big and small ways. I have witnessed everything – skewed logos on Web sites, print ads out of sync with the national campaign, outdoor signage in  non-brand colors, franchise owners refusing to participate in a national campaigns and even non-corporate business cards. These brand-rogues are not OK. They are never OK.

Eroding the brand hurts your business. It hurts the ability of the national office to sell more franchises. And it hurts your reputation as a business owner. Protecting the brand in everything that consumers see or hear about your company is important to managing your reputation and building a strong position in your industry.

If you are a franchisee, I would like to remind you that you purchased a brand, not just a business model. Uphold your investment to the highest standards.

If you are a franchisor, I encourage you to begin slapping penalties and fees on franchises that break brand standards. It’s time to take back control of your image and your reputation.

I am currently working with someone that is the brand manager for a Fortune 500 company. Her job is to enforce the brand. She has this position because her company spent time and money in developing a brand that is powerful, makes a statement and that people recognize. I think all franchises should have an enforcer. Have your agency play this role if you don’t have the bandwidth internally to manage this. Because if you don’t have your brand integrity, you don’t have anything.