So You Think You Know Your Brand?
An internal, one-dimensional view of brand as something created by the marketing department cannot possibly maximize the impact of the brand on strategy or on the marketplace, argues the author. Leaders have to help their companies adopt a three-dimensional view of their brands in which the company's conversation across all levels and departments, and its conversation with customers and various other constituencies, help to dynamically co-create brand identity and strategy. To differentiate the company and garner competitive advantage, there must be a transition from mere brand consciousness to consistent brand articulation and brand behavior, both inside the company and on the street. This is what the author describes as leading with the "brand pillars."A brand pillar represents the impenetrable advantage of a brand in the marketplace because it is not expressed simply as a set of product or service attributes, but rather articulated in terms of the company's choices, priorities, strategies or operating advantages that impart value to the customer.
Featured Articles
Rethinking Consumer Boycotts
INTELLIGENCE: New developments, research and ideas in management
Finishing Off IT
Despite the commoditization of information technology, companies are growing increasingly dependent on it for strategic advantage.
Taking the High Road
Too many managers still view their workforces as costs to be controlled and cut. There is a better way, but it requires organizational and societal will.
The New Practice of Global Product Development
Many manufacturers have established product development activities in different countries around the world. Yet their senior managers often struggle to tie those decentralized organizations into a cohesive, unified operation that can efficiently drive growth and innovation. New empirical frameworks may help unlock practices with which managers can deploy well-coordinated global product development strategies.
Strategies for Preventing a Knowledge-Loss Crisis
Departing employees leave with more than what they know; they also take with them critical knowledge about who they know. That information needs to be a part of any knowledge-retention strategy.
Speaking in Tongues
When one company acquires another, executives have 10 distinct options for the corporate rebranding. Selecting the right strategy can set forth a compelling vision for the combined entity and send important signals to employees and the outside world.
The Transforming Power of Complementary Assets
Reaping the elusive productivity rewards of information technology requires that an organization must change the way it does business. Schneider National took that dictum to heart and became a trucking and logistics powerhouse.
The Underlying Structure of Continuous Change
Managing change does not mean dealing with chaos. In fact, continuous change is a predictable cycle with four phases, each requiring certain resources and a specific type of champion.
From Niches to Riches: Anatomy of the Long Tail
The Internet marketplace allows companies to produce and sell a far wider range of products than ever before. This profoundly changes both consumer behavior and business strategy.
Evolving From Value Chain to Value Grid
Breaking free of linear chain thinking and viewing value creation from a multidimensional grid perspective provides the greatest opportunities for innovation.
How Management Innovation Happens
Few companies understand how such innovation occurs -- and how to encourage it. To foster new management ideas and techniques, companies first need to understand the four typical stages in the management innovation process.