David A. Aaker

"In this book from the world's premier brand expert and author of the seminal work Building Strong Brands, David Aaker shows managers how to construct a brand portfolio strategy that will support a company's business strategy and create relevance, differentiation, energy, leverage, and clarity. Building on case studies of world-class brands such as Dell, Disney, Microsoft, Sony, Dove, Intel, CitiGroup, and PowerBar, Aaker demonstrates how powerful, cohesive brand strategies have enabled managers to revitalize brands, support business growth, and create discipline in confused, bloated portfolios of master brands, subbrands, endorser brands, co-brands, and brand extensions."--BOOK JACKET.

As industries turn increasingly hostile, it is clear that strong brand-building skills are needed to survive and prosper. In David Aaker's book, Managing Brand Equity, managers discovered the value of a brand as a strategic asset and a company's primary source of competitve advantage. Now, in this compelling new work, Aaker uses real brand-building cases from Saturn, General Electric, Kodak, Healthy Choice, McDonald's, and others to demonstrate how strong brands have been created and managed.

Using vivid case studies, Developing Business Strategies helps you to move beyond reactive problem solving toward the development and realization of sound strategic objectives for your company. Providing both the framework and the tools necessary to make strategy development and strategy review efforts effective, this book shows you how to: conduct a structured external and internal analysis of a business with confidence; develop sustainable competitive advantages by creating assets, competencies, and strategies; make strategic investment decisions to generate growth; organize to support strategies; and compete strategically in hostile, growth, and global contexts.

"Substantial market trends and transformational innovations are creating markets and making others irrelevant. The result is a major threat for nearly every business and a significant opportunity for a few. This book will be the first marketing strategy book to develop and leverage the concept of brand relevance. To remain relevant, a firm can create a new category or subcategory-- such as iPod, Cirque du Soleil, and eBay did-- where competitors are eliminated. Or a firm can redefine an existing category or subcategory by creating or elevating an offering feature or characteristic--as Prius created a subcategory defined by gas mileage and technology, or Westin did with its Heavenly Bed. In either case, a firm can create or own a new business arena or submarket in which some or all competitors are not relevant. Instead of being the best, the goal is to be the only--making competitors irrelevant"--