This term is coined by Kevin Lane Keller, marketing professor, Tuck school, and branding expert. He compares the changes in the brand to the cuts on the human body. Human body can suffer a few cuts, heal them, and become normal. But if the same body  suffers a 1000 little cuts, it may never recover fully. The same is true for the brands. Small changes, limited in number, do not affect the brand much, but too much tinkering damages a brand. Strong brands avoid this. Starbucks almost succumbed to this syndrome, by  entering into unrelated areas. But the founding CEO set matters right. Nike too did initiate many things but survived, as it stuck to its core value ‘authentic athletic performance.’ It is the safety zone . The safety zone can be expanded in phases.