Preface

Why Branding Is Even More Important Today

This book is about changing people’s attitudes and behavior. It deals with the fundamentals of communication and persuasion, and also with messaging that can change how people think. I wrote this book to help managers re-discover critical principles of marketing that are so often lost or misunderstood in today’s world of fast-paced communications and information clutter. And the core of marketing is branding.

The role of marketing in business continues to fluctuate along with the moods of the economy, advances in technology, and the ever-changing fickleness of consumers. “Mad Men” reminds us of the dominance of ad agencies between the 1950s and 1970s, especially the prevalent use of print advertising. Fast forward to today, and it is obvious how much the world of mass marketing has transformed to one-on-one, interactive communications in this current age of the internet. Competition in most industries is more intense than ever. We live in a world of product clutter, overloaded with information from so many sources, plus technological innovations dramatically changing our behavior and lifestyles, especially the younger generations (Z and Y). Anyone under 30 today can multitask and adapt with such speed and efficiency that still astounds older adults.

Most business managers don’t really understand “branding.” They usually think this discipline starts with a new, catchy name and then they become fixated with all the media and digital options that exist today. What is lacking in both B2B and B2C circles is the strategic side of branding—that is, the creativity, customer research, and competitive assessments, matched against a realistic examination of a company’s strengths and ability to deliver on promises. This involves more thorough research and due diligence than ever. Understanding your customers more fully is essential to determine the optimal positioning for creating “content” or a message that will truly resonate with them. This must include a credible benefit or promise to the target customer (i.e., its “added value”) to make a brand genuinely relevant and stand out in today’s overcrowded, fast-paced world. (Note: The terms “consumers,” used mainly in packaged-goods marketing, and “customers,” traditionally referring to the trade in consumer marketing and more universally used in B2B marketing, are used interchangeably in this book to minimize confusion and focus attention on the main applications of these basic branding principles.)

This book on the “Basics of Branding” reflects my personal experience of over 40 years in all aspects of marketing (B2C, B2B, global, and especially in new business development) and my teaching a course on “Positioning and Brand Development” at NYU since 1999. It is designed to refocus the attention of all business managers on these fundamental building blocks for successful brand development and successful marketing. It emphasizes the core principles that will enable people to view and use branding as a tool for a variety of purposes (e.g., corporate and product branding, personal branding, global branding, country branding). It also addresses the challenge of transforming a strategic idea that is often viewed as theoretical, especially in the B2B world, to relevant content, simple messaging, and actionable programs for sales people. The book is basic, practical, and single-mindedly clear, almost like a handbook that will forever be indispensible as a reference guide.