Although the challenges in branding can be immense and difficult, branding is not necessarily rocket science. I should know. I am not a rocket scientist—but my dad was. He was a physicist in the Air Force for 20 years, working on various rocket fuels. Always interested in what I did, he once asked what the book was all about. I explained the concept of brand equity and how the book addressed how to build, measure, and manage it. He listened, paused, and remarked, “That’s very interesting but, uh, that’s not exactly rocket science.”

He’s right. Branding is not rocket science. In fact, it is an art and a science. There’s always a creativity and originality component involved with marketing. Even if someone were to follow all the guidelines in this book—and all the guidelines were properly specified—the success or failure of a brand strategy would still depend largely on how, exactly, this strategy would be implemented.

Nevertheless, good marketing is all about improving the odds for success. My hope is that this book adds to the scientific aspect of branding, illuminating the subject and providing guidance to those who make brand-related decisions.