The concept of a naked brand, is the subject of a recent post by Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand.    Ms. Farmery proposes a theory that when the marketing and advertising elements are removed from a branded entity, the company beneath the brand is the brand in its naked state.   As Ms. Farmery notes,

Most people, most things can look good when “made -up in public”, however, the consumer will experience the brand in it’s nakedness – at home, at work, at play. The brand has to stand in its own right without the make up of conversational marketing, advertising, logo’s etc

The simple truth is that advertising and marketing are only a portion of the establishment of a strong brand.   A brand is only as strong as the results it can deliver.   You can have the best advertising and do all the right things with your marketing, but if you cannot deliver on the promises you’ve made, your brand has to fail.

So what can we take from this?   As much as you need to focus on marketing and branding your company to gain customers, these measures are not enough.  You need to be able to deliver on the promises of the marketing and to deliver an experience, service and/or product which satisfies the customer and makes him or her want to do business with you again.  Without that, your brand is little more than good advertising ideas.