Brands offer tangible and intangible benefits to the companies who manufacture them, the retailers 
who sell them, and the consumers who buy them. Examples of strong brands given in the text include 
not only products and services, but also people, places, and sports, art, and entertainment industries. 
The chapter describes some of the past and present challenges faced by brands (such as those noted 
above), and states that the purpose of the book is to set forth principles, models and frameworks that 
will help guide managers through these challenges as they plan and execute brand strategies.   
 
The chapter details the three main factors that contribute to brand equity: the initial choices for the 
brand elements or identities making up the brand; the way the brand is integrated into the supporting 
marketing program; and the associations indirectly transferred to the brand by linking the brand to 
some other entity (e.g., the company, country of origin, channel of distribution, or another brand). 
Several strategic imperatives for effective brand equity management are introduced in the chapter, 
namely the brand hierarchy, the brand-product matrix, and policies regarding the strengthening of the 
brand over time and over geographical boundaries.   
 

In this chapter, the strategic brand management process is described. The strategic brand management 

process involves four main steps: identifying and establishing brand positioning and values, planning 

and implementing brand marketing programs, measuring and interpreting brand performance, and 

growing and sustaining brand equity.   

 

Brand Focus 1.0 discusses the history of  branding. It traces the development of  brands from marks of  

identification on stone age pottery to national manufacturer brands in the Industrial Revolution to mass 

marketed brands.   
Science of Branding 
1-1: Understanding Business-to-Business Branding 

1-2: High-Tech Branding 

1-3: Understanding Market Leadership 

 
Branding Briefs 
1-1: Coca-Cola’s Branding Lesson 

1-2: Diamond Industry Creates New Niches to Increase Sales

 

1-3: Flying High with the SWA Brand

 

1-4: Branding the Wal-Mart Way 

1-5: Building the Amazon Brand 
1-6: Building a Brand Winner with Manchester United 
1-7: Ad Campaigns Entice Visitors with a Glimpse of  Freedom, Fun 
1-8: Branding a Cause: World Wildlife Federation