When you think back to your youth or even last year, do you wonder what happened to some of the brands you used to hear about and perhaps enjoy? What happened to Like Cola, Circuit City or Atari?

So many brands we grew up with have become nothing but a case study in brand failure or something to reminisce about with friends and family. In an interesting article by 24/7 Wall St., Jon Ogg discusses 10 brands that will disappear in 2010. With brands constantly coming and going, how do you make sure your brand doesn’t disappear?

Keep your brand visible Promotional products, giveaways and imprinted gifts are important ways to make your brand visible to your customers, prospects and the public in general. Promotional products can offer one of the best returns on investment and are an important part of any marketing program.

Social Media is also an important part of visibility. Make sure you have a presence on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and you keep active on those mediums. If you put your brand out there and don’t keep up your presence, it can work against you.

Keep your brand consistent Keeping your brand consistent over all channels strengthens your brand identity within your industry and in the minds of your customers. You want your brand to be recognizable in every market.

Meet and exceed your own brand promises It only takes one failure to cause lasting damage to your brand. Make changes when necessary to reflect the shifts in customer needs.

Pay attention to customer needs Your brand is only as good as your customers perceive it to be. Take ownership of your brand, pay attention to customer needs and bring it to them. Continually make improvements when customers and new trends in the market encourage you to.

Your people are your brand Almost half of your customer’s perception of your brand comes as a result of an experience with someone from your company. It is important to make sure employees have the ability to communicate effectively, persuasively and in-line with your company’s brand values.