If you are a detergent brand that promises superior stain removal to the consumer and claims to remove dry stains. Do you actually do it; the consumer will find out and that will decide your fate.

When the consumer uses your product – it either delivers what it promised or it doesn’t – that is the second moment of truth. This fate of your brand is not decided in the boardroom; it gets decided in the consumer’s bathroom.

Good consumer goods companies test their product umpteen times on concept and use before launch. They test the consumer purchase intent pre and post use; they live the life of a consumer to actually understand the conditions their product will be used in; their homes, kitchens and bathrooms; the water they use.

Gillette claims to be the best a man can get – and every time you pick up a newly launched Gillette razor; it simply is the best you have ever used. Good brands make an equity statement and then deliver it again and again. That gets engrained in consumer’s mind. Think of any great brand – Ipod, Nike, Gillette or Google; and think about the core equity they drive and the usage interaction with them and you will immediately realize what gives them their iconic status.

Winning the Second moment of truth is what drives fundamental demand for your product. If the basic demand is in place; all else will follow. Credit: Flickr