Let’s say that you were going to audition your employees for their starring role. Would you even know what kind of role you want them to play? What kind of a script would you give them to see if they could play the part?

Companies have refreshed their logos, taglines, etc. But to take something so basic and understood by their loyal fan base, and change it, even minutely, can be a costly and dangerous avenue to take when trying to refresh your brand.

You may not be familiar with the term but I can guarantee you’ve heard or used an example of one within the past few days. They are called Proprietary Eponyms. It’s when a brand name or trademark for a product is so widely used or recognized, it becomes used as the generic term for the product or services, rather than as a specific brand.

Brand authenticity has and always will be an important element in the world of marketing; especially in today’s society where people are analyzing everything they see on a day to day basis. When a company uses the term “authentic” to describe their product or service they want potential customers to feel that what they are offering is genuine and original. Naturally, consumers are attracted to this word because it relays the message that a brand is faithful to something other then just profits.

Picture this. You have created a relevant brand-centric tagline that your customers parrot, the marketplace recognizes and your competitors covet. You have reached the holy grail of marketing — you have embedded your marketing message into the minds of the consumer. Your research shows that believability and recall for your product and the associated tagline are incredibly high. This tagline and the fact that you keep the tagline’s promise catapults you to a leadership position in your product category. What should you do now?