Grow Your Brand in Uncertain Times

The Perfect Time to Analyze Your Brand is When Times are Tough

Written by Robyn T. Braley

When economies are threatened by war, trade uncertainty,  natural disasters, pandemics, domestic unrest or changing customer needs, it's time to reassess and realign your brand. 

During the recent COVID lockdown, governments had to intervene in the economy to help companies survive. In a free enterprise-driven province like Alberta or a state like Texas, being forced to accept that reality spoke to the severity of the situation. 

Many companies made it through. They adapted, adjusted and carefully managed their operations as they find ways to survive by finding new markets. 

Other companies were not so lucky. One of my clients manufactured huge five-million-dollar processing units for the petroleum industry. Their market disappeared overnight. 

How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Brand

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Brands are built by delivering on promises to customers. Delivering on promises with continuity, consistency and predictability earns customer loyalty. It's at that point that a brand becomes sustainable.  

However, being predictable doesn't mean you are rigid and don’t adapt or respond to new opportunities or threats. Doing the same thing in the same way for too long can put you into a rut. And, a rut, as they say, is a grave with the ends kicked out. 


While a brand has meaning, it must also remain relevant year after year. As customer needs change, so must your company. Building your brand requires flexibility in order to stay relevant.

It's Not Always About the Logo

Your brand is what customers think it is! It's defined by how they feel about your company, product or service.

Our company, Unimark Creative, did marketing projects for an Alberta based drilling tool company. It was a startup in the true sense of the word. 

Two young men founded the company out of the back of an old half-ton truck. They stored  product on one side of a two-car garage. 

Forty years later the business had grown to become the dominant supplier within the Canadian and US drilling industry. The company was worth many millions of dollars.