Branding: Comment - Go back to market basics to forecast future of your brand

Speaking at a conference recently, I took the opportunity to ask members of the audience who among them knew the size of the market in which they operated. In other words, were they aware of the number of potential purchasers of their product? In an audience of close to 200, nobody raised a hand. Okay, perhaps there were a few shy people who did know, but the fact is most companies are unaware of this basic piece of information. Even more companies are unaware of how many potential customers they will have in five or 10 years from now. So how can brands hope to flourish without even the most basic of data? What does it take to give a brand a long and healthy life?