Brands are living organisms. Like any organism, they get sick – and sometimes die. And like any organism, the symptoms often mask the cause.

So with that cheery little analogy in mind, here are the Top 5 Brand Ailments and How to Cure Them:

1. Symptom: Not enough people know who we are.

Cause: Brand Awareness. This is the #1 problem facing most smaller brands. They can’t afford massive ad buys – and they aren’t doing something interesting enough to generate word-of-mouth.

Cures: The first step is to re-assess your product offering. If it isn’t generating buzz, then maybe it just isn’t all that interesting or different. If you think an ad buy would help, then consider co-branding – or if you represent a manufacturer, hit them up for some ad money. If you are going to do an ad buy, do an ad buy. In most case, anything less than $10,000 – $15,000 over a period of 2 months (at least in a smaller market) is not enough. Finally, be extremely cautious about letting the media company (TV, radio, print, etc) develop the campaign and creative. Find a good ad agency and have them do the creative and the media buy. Your goal isn’t to spend money on advertising. Your goal is to solve the problem (brand awareness). So do it right or don’t do it at all.

2. Symptom: We don’t know who we are.

Cause: Identity Crisis This is the Radon of brands: Most brands are unaware that they have it. And when they figure it out, it’s often too late. An Identity Crisis is horribly expensive because it leads to a never-ending stream of new logos, new slogans, new campaigns – and endless committees and meetings. All in an effort to “find yourself”. It often leads to other issues like “Karaoke Syndrome”: pretending to be another brand that is more original and cool than you. Or “Comb-Over Syndrome”: in complete denial about what you are really dealing with.

Cure: The first step is understanding that all brands have a personality. This is typically dominated by the founder/lead executive, but includes the collective personalities and spirits of the employees, customers, and influencers. The second step is to define self-worth. What are you the best at? What problems can you solve that no other company can? Finally, you’ve got to find your purpose. In organizations, this is Strategic Intent. It is the answer to this question: WHY ARE WE IN BUSINESS?

3. Symptom: Crappy logo, website, sales material, store front, lobby area, personal/employee appearance et al.

Cause: First impressions As I have mentioned before, all brands are in high definition. So you simply MUST look good. It’s that simple.

Cure: This reminds me of the old joke about the guy who went to the doctor complaining that when he lifted his arm that it hurt. The doctor replied “Then don’t do that”. To put it bluntly, you can’t suck at any of these. And you can’t fix it with a snappy new slogan.

4. Symptom: Stale, dated brand with an aging audience.

Cause: Irrelevance Brand regeneration is absolutely essential for a brand to sustain itself from generation to generation (think Disney, Coke, and Harley). With the fragmentation of media, the over-commoditization of everyday products, and the rise of tech brands, having an established brand is no longer a guarantee of long-term stability.

Cure: Relevance requires youthfulness. Not necessarily intentionally marketing to a younger audience – but looking, feeling, and acting young, fresh and up-to-date. If you are an older brand, you get the benefit of creating “Nostalgic Relevance” – the blend of heritage and modernness. Unless your product is for a very specific age demographic (children or elderly), a safe bet is to aim for 30 – 35. To do this, you need to pay close attention to first impressions, technology, and language – along with being authentic and having a product actually worth buying.

5. Symptom: “Shiny Object Syndrome” – a reactive approach to marketing.

Cause: An Identity Crisis or panic over lack of Brand Awareness can be leading causes for this issue. However, I believe the #1 problem is lack of planning. More specifically, not having a strategy. This causes companies to flit from tactic to tactic – often playing “me too” with competitors using similar tactics. This is most prevalent in digital marketing: social media, Groupon-type tools, SEO, etc.

Cure: If the cause is a lack of planning, how about having a branding/marketing plan? Here is a handy-dandy guide to planning: 1) Assessment – what issues and opportunities are we facing? 2) Strategic intent – why are we doing this? 3) Differentiation – what makes us truly different? 4) Message – what are we going to say and who are we going to say it to? 5) Resources & Tools – what tools do we need and what is our budget? 6) Action plan – what are we going to do and who is going to do it? 7) Execute & Measure – Are we following the plan and is it creating the desired results?

Do some of these hit home for your business or personal brand? Then it’s time to turn and cough.