How do you solve a problem like... reversing brand decline?

As part of our Deep Dive series on fast-growth brands, The Drum’s Hannah Bowler dissected the new brand strategy of furniture website Made.com. Jude Whyte, director of brand creative at Made.com, told us her mission is to bring back the “standout energy” it possessed previously in order to see off rivals.

“We have to prove to our customers again that we have more extraordinary things to show them,” she said. “Everyone has become an interior designer now and feels relatively confident in their choices. Made needs to inject more unexpected ideas.”

Helping a brand refresh or reset its image after a period of establishment, or even stagnation, is a classic problem marketers and agencies try to crack every day. But before the operation can begin, there needs to be a full examination of a brand. So, we asked our expert readers how they approach that problem.

How do you solve a problem like... reversing brand decline?

Jacob Lovewell, senior experience strategist, RAPP

If you’ve got a declining brand on your hands then it’s very easy to panic and possibly press the ejector seat button. But if you can force yourself to hit refresh rather than reset, you’ve got an opportunity to get back to who you really are. Use this as a chance to be the brand you started out to be: but it doesn’t count for squat unless every touchpoint and experience matches. Made’s push to be more playful is all fun and games, but unless it comes alive in every interaction (both physical and digital) it could fall flat.

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