I have been gratified by the acceptance of the first three editions of Strategic Brand Management. It has been translated and adapted in numerous languages and countries, adopted by many top universities, and used by scores of marketing executives around the world. The success of the text is in large part due to the help and support of others whom I would like to acknowledge and thank.

The Prentice Hall team on the fourth edition was a huge help in the revision—many thanks to Stephanie Wall, Erin Gardner, Kierra Bloom, Ann Pulido, and Stacy Greene. Elisa Adams superbly edited the text with a very keen and helpful eye. Keri Miksza tracked down permissions and provided an impressive array of ads and photos from which to choose. Katie Dougherty, Duncan Hall, and Alex Tarnoff offered much research assistance and support for the text. Lowey Sichol has joined me as co-author of the Best Practices in Branding casebook and has applied her marketing experience and wisdom to craft a set of informative, intriguing cases. John Lin has been a steady long-time contributor about what is happening in the tech world. Alison Pearson provided her usual superb administrative assistance in a number of areas.

I have learned much about branding in my work with industry participants, who have unique perspectives on what is working and not working (and why) in the marketplace. Our discussions have enriched my appreciation for the challenges in building, measuring, and managing brand equity and the factors affecting the success and failure of brand strategies.

I have benefited from the wisdom of my colleagues at the institutions where I have held academic positions: Dartmouth College, Duke University, the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, the Australian Graduate School of Management, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Over the years, the doctoral students I advised have helped in my branding pursuits in a variety of useful ways, including Sheri Bridges, Christie Brown, Jennifer Aaker, Meg Campbell, and Sanjay Sood. I have also learned much from my research partners and from the marketing field as a whole that has recognized the importance of branding in their research studies and programs. Their work provides much insight and inspiration.

Finally, special thanks go to my wife, Punam Anand Keller, and two daughters, Carolyn and Allison, for their never-ending patience, understanding, and support.