The enemies of brand consistency lurk everywhere. Worst are “old friends.” These are the people inside the organization who are so tired of their own messaging, they assume everyone else is too. Old friends will agree to any new brand message ideas that come along, just to get away from their same old brand position or incessant jingle. They’re the people at Coca-Cola who are sick and tired of giving (or receiving) another red T-shirt, or the folks at Energizer who’d just as soon blow up that bunny as hear his incessantly beating drums.
Marketing magazine
February 25, 2008