The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and S

"The saying 'You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression' holds true for brand management. Kapferer (HEC School of Management, France) notes the importance of building brand equity from the start. 'A brand does in fact act as a genetic programme, ' Kapferer states. 'What is done at birth exerts a long-lasting influence of market perceptions.' Each early step, from creating the product prototype and bringing it to market to shaping its identity, lays the groundwork for what the brand will become. But even a strong brand such as Coca-Cola cannot coast on its reputation alone. Kapferer discusses how safeguarding brand equity in today's business environment is more challenging than ever because companies have to contend with retailer brands, global competition, and the Internet. The payoffs can be enormous, though, with Coca-Cola's brand valued at $69 billion, Microsoft's at $64 billion, and IBM's, $51 billion. In addition to the branding process, this new edition (1st ed., Strategic Brand Management, CH, Sep'94, 32-0404) also covers other aspects of brand management: brand extension, name changes, brand revitalization, and global brand management. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students; marketing faculty, researchers, and practitioners."--P. G. Kishel, Cypress College in CHOICE