Monday, 25 July 2011

Closing the book on brands

One of the benefits of strong brands is their seeming permanence.

We think they’ll be around forever.

But last week we reached the final chapter for one of the world’s global brands.

Borders.

Not only did the doors close on its last Australian store but in the US the 399-shop chain also began liquidation.

It’s a reminder of how fast even big brands can go bad.

We may now think of Borders with the same cynicism we have for Starbucks. But I remember the public’s excitement when Borders launched in Australia in the late 90s.

…a bookshop…a big bookshop…BIGGER than anything we’d seen before…with the latest overseas magazines even…and CDs you could scan and listen to…a bookshop that stays open until midnight…with armchairs…search kiosks…a coffee shop…where you can take a book to read…

It was like a library but better – you could buy the books.

The fact is Borders was truly revolutionary for Australia bookshops (a fact I’m sure the 300 retailers at this weekend’s annual bookseller conference failed to celebrate).

But Borders isn’t the first big brand to disappear from our lives.

In Australia, Bankcard, Ansett and, most recently, Colorado spring quickly to mind. And I know there are many more stories. Good. Bad. Gripping. Roaming. Starting. Ending.

What chapter are you up to in your brand’s story?

Stephen Flewell-Smith
Business & Creative Director
THE DM GROUP