Marketers and brand managers are responsible for building brands. Their success is often measured by an ability to develop forward motion or ‘momentum’ for the brand. Momentum can help deliver high brand awareness scores among target customers. It can also bring about positive publicity which supports paid marketing efforts.

Yet, few brand managers are trained to understand the behavior or physics of momentum. There is a wide-spread belief that forward momentum is always a positive and desirable state. There is also a belief that once the brand is in motion, it will stay in motion. Neither point is true.

Momentum is a force. And as a force, it will yield competitive advantage if it is managed. If it is not managed, it will inevitably lead to brand dilution.