How to use brands to gain and sustain competitive advantage Companies today face a dilemma in marketing. The tried-and-true formulas to create sales and market share behind brands are becoming irrelevant and losing traction with consumers. In this book, Gerzema and LeBar offer credible evidence--drawn from a detailed analysis of a decade's worth of brand and financial data using Y&R's Brand Asset Valuator (BAV), the largest database of brands in the world--that business is riding on yet another bubble that is ready to burst--a brand bubble. While most managers still see metrics like trust and awareness as the backbone of how brands are built, Gerzema asserts they're dead wrong--these metrics do not add to increased asset value. In fact, by following them, they actually hasten the declining value of their brands. Using a five-stage model, The Brand Bubble reveals how today's successful brands--and tomorrow's--have an insatiable appetite for creativity and change. These brands offer consumers a palpable sense of movement and direction thanks to a powerful "energized differentiation." Gerzema reveals how brands with energized differentiation achieve better financial performance than traditional brands have. Plus, Gerzema helps readers develop energized differentiation in their own brands, creating consumer-centric and sustainable organizations.

Explains how soap bubbles are formed and what can be done with them.

In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

In Strategy that Works, Ian Mann discusses – and debunks – a number of popular theories of strategy before presenting his unique approach based on many profound insights that have never before been gathered together in one place to form a coherent theory and method. He explains the difference between strategy and mere analysis parading as strategy; he shows how to build scenarios for uncertain futures; he provides key questions that will help guide one to develop an effective strategy; and he demonstrates how important it is that the strategy becomes the organisation’s culture. Clear, insightful and entertaining, Strategy that Works makes strategy accessible to managers at all levels, in all sizes and types of organisations. Ian Mann is one of South Africa’s top business consultants, and he is well known from his newspaper columns, his radio and TV appearances, and his training seminars.

Do you see branding as the key to the success of your business but aren't sure where to start? This book, written by enthusiastic experts, will help you to maximise your brand, even in a downturn. All aspects of branding are covered including brand creation and protection. Fascinating case studies of famous brands, including the disaster stories, nail their advice in the real world. All aspects of branding are covered including: - what is a brand and why it is heart, soul and core of a business - brands in a recession, including the success stories - methods to value a brand - brand focus - brand creation and structure - brand audience and brand vision -importance of creativity - brand implementation - personal branding - brand protection- trademark, intellectual property - brand delivery Throughout the book the authors include their own extensive experiences and guidance. A multitude of fascinating case studies include Harley Davidson, IKEA, Aldi, Lego, Cadbury and the Apple iPod plus the disaster stories such as Woolworths and MFI are given throughout the book to nail the advice given in the real world. Even examples of branding behaviour such as Susan Boyle, banks and MPS are analysed! NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of computing. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

This book is the definitive resource for understanding the phenomena and process of personal brand management as it becomes increasingly valued in a global economy. By providing a research-based, theoretical framework, the author distills the concept of personal branding as it is applicable to individuals throughout all stages of career development as well as across industries and disciplines. Extensively researched with numerous case studies, this book clearly outlines the strategic process of evaluating the economic value of a personal brand to manage and scale it accordingly. The author, an expert in the field of personal brand strategy and management, argues that a business is what a person or organization does, but the brand is what people expect from that person or organization. The two must align, and the book’s conceptual framework explains the theory and practice behind personal branding to accomplish this synergism. The consequence of the digital age is unprecedented visibility for individuals and businesses. As they engage with one another in more and more virtual spaces, the need for understanding and managing the evolving complexity of this ‘personal’ engagement is an economic reality. For this reason, the framework in this title provides insight and perspective on all phases of a brand in its recursive life cycle both on and offline. By providing clarity and structure to the topic as well as practical theory for its application, this title is the ultimate primer on personal branding in theory and practice.