BUILDING STRONG BRANDS

AS INDUSTRIES TURN INCREASINGLY HOSTILE, IT IS CLEAR THAT STRONG BRAND-BUILDING SKILLS ARE NEEDED TO SURVIVE AND PROSPER. IN DAVID AAKER'S PATHBREAKING BOOK, MANAGING BRAND EQUITY, MANAGERS DISCOVERED THE VALUE OF A BRAND AS A STRATEGIC ASSET AND A COMPANY'S PRIMARY SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. NOW, IN THIS COMPELLING NEW WORK, AAKER USES REAL BRAND-BUILDING CASES FROM SATURN, GENERAL ELECTRIC, KODAK, HEALTHY CHOICE, MCDONALD'S, AND OTHERS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW STRONG BRANDS HAVE BEEN CREATED AND MANAGED. A COMMON PITFALL OF BRAND STRATEGISTS IS TO FOCUS ON BRAND ATTRIBUTES. AAKER SHOWS HOW TO BREAK OUT OF THE BOX BY CONSIDERING EMOTIONAL AND SELF-EXPRESSIVE BENEFITS AND BY INTRODUCING THE BRAND-AS-PERSON, BRAND-AS-ORGANISATION, AND BRAND-AS-SYMBOL PERSPECTIVES. A SECOND PITFALL IS TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT INDIVIDUAL BRANDS ARE PART OF A LARGER SYSTEM CONSISTING OF MANY INTERTWINED AND OVERLAPPING BRANDS AND SUBBRANDS. AAKER SHOWS HOW TO MANAGE THE "BRAND SYSTEM" TO ACHIEVE CLARITY A