About the Book

"Aaker on Branding" presents in a compact form the twenty essential principles of branding that will lead to the creation of strong brands. Culled from the six David Aaker brand books and related publications, these principles provide the broad understanding of brands, brand strategy, brand portfolios, and brand building that all business, marketing, and brand strategists should know.

"Aaker on Branding" is a source for how you create and maintain strong brands and synergetic brand portfolios. It provides a checklist of strategies, perspectives, tools, and concepts that represents not only what you should know but also what action options should be on the table. When followed, these principles will lead to strong, enduring brands that both support business strategies going forward and create coherent and effective brand families.

Those now interested in and involved with branding are faced with information overload, not only from the Aaker books but from others as well. It is hard to know what to read and which elements to adapt. There are a lot of good ideas out there but also some that are inferior, need updating, or are subject to being misinterpreted and misapplied. And there are some ideas that, while plausible, are simply wrong if not dangerous especially if taken literally.

"Aaker on Branding"offers a sense of topic priorities and a roadmap to David Aaker's books, thinking, and contributions. As it structures the larger literature of the brand field, it also advances the theory of branding and the practice of brand management and, by extension, the practice of business management.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Why This Book?                

Part I.  Recognize That Brands Are Assets
1.    Brands Are Assets that Drive Strategy    
2.    Brands Assets Have Real Value     

Part II.  Have a Compelling Brand Vision  
3.    Create a Brand Vision                  
4.    A Brand Personality Connects                
5.    The Organization and Its Higher-Purpose Differentiate     
6.    Get Beyond Functional Benefits                   
7.    Create “Must Haves” Rendering Competitors Irrelevant    
8.    To Own an Innovation, Brand It                  
9.    From Positioning the Brand to Framing the Subcategory    
    
Part III.  Bring the Brand to Life  
10.    Where do Brand-Building Ideas Come From?
11.    Focus on Customer’s Sweet Spots     
12.    Digital—A Critical Brand-Building Tool
13.    Consistency Wins    
14.    Internal Branding: A Key Ingredient    

Part IV.  Maintain Relevance  
15.    Three Threats to Brand Relevance                
16.    Energize Your Brand!                

Part V.  Manage Your Brand Portfolio  
17.    You Need a Brand Portfolio Strategy            
18.    Brand Extensions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly    
19.    Vertical Brand Extensions Have Risks and Rewards
20.    Silo Organizations Inhibit Brand Building     

Epilogue: Ten Branding Challenges                

Endnotes
Acknowledgments
Note on Author
Index