Strong brands are a valuable, but illusive asset. Therefore, they should be protected and nurtured at all costs. So why then do some companies engage in activities that seem to proactively destroy their brand? I don’t know either, but it happens all the time.  

A few days ago I received a phone call from Charter Communications, owned by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen.

After the telemarketer informed me she was calling from Charter, she then asked, "Do you have cable television?" She was somewhat perplexed by my response, "You’re the cable company, don’t you know?"

For the past three years I’ve had a Charter cable modem. Even subscribed to Charter’s cable television service several years ago, but eventually switch to DirecTV. I don’t doubt they outsource their telemarketing activities, but you’d think Mr. Allen would at least have access to some software that would allow him to do a little data mining.

It is this inattention to detail that kills brands.

With a little effort Charter might have generated a little more business and actually improved their brand by presenting me an offer or incentive. The telemarketing script could have gone something like, "Mr. Young we would like to reward you for being a loyal cable modem subscriber by offering you a bundled package for a reduced price."

But they didn’t even attempt to do this. So I am left with the feeling that they’re not a very "smart" company and/or they can’t even use basic Web 1.0 technology. Not a great experience to create since their tagline is "A Wired World Company."