brand erosion

None of these issues - declining quality, budget materials, possible brand erosion - may matter much to those who buy the C230.

"This is a $2 billion company, and we don't want it messed around with, and situations like this gradually lead to brand erosion."

If you do have a brand, a brand like Forbes, say, you don't notice the brand erosion... until it's too late.

They eventually suffered serious brand erosion in the early 1990s with the introduction of various "upscale" brands such as Kettle Chips and Miss Vickie's.