Kellogg School of Management. - Kellogg on Branding in a Hyper-Connected World

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

ISBN 9781119533184 (Hardcover)

ISBN 9781119533283 (ePDF)

ISBN 9781119533290 (ePub)

In an age of hypercompetition, commoditization, globalization, and rapid technological obsolescence, marketers are struggling to find new conceptual bases on which to design and deliver their marketing programs.

Philip Kotler, Professor Emeritus of Marketing, Northwestern|Kellogg

It has been 14 years since our previous edition of Kelloggs tome on branding. The quote above is from Phil Kotlers foreword to that edition. And it was written pre-iPhone, pre-Uber, pre-Twitter, pre-Alexa, pre-Instagram, and pre-Snapchat, as well as before the explosive strides in artificial intelligence and machine learning. To state the obvious: the world that Kotler described so presciently in 2005 has only become ever more challenging and bewildering for those responsible for building and managing brands.

That is why this book is essential. It is designed to help managers accelerate the growth of brands in this hyper-connected world. It is the best thinking from the most acclaimed marketing and branding school in the country; it is supplemented with wisdom from cutting-edge practitioners from companies such as Ulta, Google, John Deere, and McDonalds.

You will become a better brand builder by reading this book and putting the perspectives and frameworks to work in your business, in your research, or in your classroom. Marketing leaders will find ideas that help them create new markets and differentiate their brands from their competitors. Academics will find sparks that inspire research and guide them as they prepare the next generation of CMOs in their classrooms.

This book arrives not a moment too soon. Branding and marketing has grown in influence and importance for companies since our last edition; a recent study by Deloitte and the CMO Council revealed that CMOs are increasingly responsible for enterprise-level growth and revenue management versus communications management. And the stakes keep getting higher: since 2005, global marketing spending has increased 45 percent to approximately $585.5 billion. Yet, still too many brands are struggling to grow. Witness the sluggish growth of mature brands in categories such as food, beverage, and beauty as small, founder-led brands capture the momentum.

A word of advice on how to leverage the knowledge in this book to full advantage: treat it like a sumptuous buffet. Our book has four parts and 24 chapters, and every chapter is loaded with calories. Consume a chapter or two at a time, and let it settle. Make notes on what struck you, and how you might apply it, share it, test it. And if you approach a buffet as I do (desserts first!), you can go directly to what interests you the most. You do not need to read these chapters in sequence.

Now, get to work. The world is better when we have curious, courageous brand builders who are ready and willing to take on this very important task.

Jim Stengel

The world of branding has changed dramatically in the past decade, and the pace of change only seems to be accelerating. A key force driving both change and complexity is the overwhelming access to people, products, and information. In todays world, we are hyper-connected.

Consumers have an almost infinite range of products and services quite literally at their fingertips, and these options can be delivered, if not instantly, then close to it. Brand managers can connect directly with their customers, track their decision journey, and in many cases make the sale without the assistance of traditional intermediaries. The opportunities are endless for both consumers and managers, and the breadth of options has the potential to be overwhelming.

Although some argue that brands are becoming less important, we believe the oppositethat branding is becoming even more important. Brands provide differentiation, create loyalty, and even foster a sense of identity. Without a powerful, distinctive brand, firms have to rely purely on product-based differentiation, and this can be difficult to maintain.

Our goal in writing and editing this book is to help business leaders navigate this evolving landscape. We do so by drawing upon the perspectives of Kelloggs world-renowned marketing faculty, as well as those of senior executives who put theory into practice as they build and manage brands on a day-to-day basis.

This book is the latest in a series of marketing books from Kellogg, stretching back to 2001 with the publication of Kellogg on Marketing. Four additional books followed: Kellogg on Integrated Marketing (2003), Kellogg on Branding (2005), Kellogg on Advertising and Media (2008), and the second edition of Kellogg on Marketing (2010). These books reflect the collective wisdom of the Kellogg marketing faculty. Thousands of executives have turned to them for perspectives, frameworks, and tools when creating marketing plans and building brands.

Our introduction highlights the power and challenge of branding. The four sections that follow it focus on themes of strategy, implementation, methods, and practical applications.