Established brands can grow – here’s the proof

Despite some referring to it as a ‘black swan’ event, brand growth among established brands is far from rare. New research shows enough brands do grow to make it a realistic target – if approached correctly.

Marketers want to grow their brand or business. It’s usually not easy, but they might also get the impression that achieving market share growth is very unlikely.

We read stories that growth is harder to sustain now, that few brands grow – or that brands need to be meaningfully different to have a reasonable chance of growth. Indeed, it’s been said lately that brand growth is so rare as to be a ‘black swan’ event.

On the flip-side, top management can be very impatient for growth – they are under pressure from boards and investors. This means ambitious revenue targets. Coty recently announced bold growth objectives, for example, PepsiCo is renowned for assertive revenue targets and the new Nestlé CEO wants brisk revenue growth, while also cutting costs.

Goals like these are not confined to consumer goods – an example is global professional services firm WSP, which is aiming for 50% revenue growth over 10 years.

Read the full article in Marketing Week.