Star Brands are a result of many smart and assertive brand choices backed up by a strong and successful business model. Building them requires careful planning and thoughtful execution consistently over many years. The people responsible for building Star Brands have mastered the balance of brand love and business fundamentals. Star Brands are not only loved, they are also profitable.
That said, not all Star Brands are the same. Each possesses a unique set of cultures and business practices — however, for all of their uniqueness, I do believe that all Star Brands possess certain core qualities, in varying degrees, which are:
Core Qualities of Star Brands
The Star Brand Model presented in this book is a simple yet powerful five-step process for building brands. My ultimate goal is to offer a strong foundation to those seeking to learn brand management principles to construct robust, effective and successful brands that deliver on a desired business goal. Following the Star Brand Model will not only help you inculcate the qualities of Star Brands within your organization, but it will provide a strategic outline for putting those qualities to work in the marketplace.
Learn how to define the market environment you will be operating in, including an assessment of the brand’s core strengths and weaknesses via a SWOT analysis. The goal of this first step is to articulate the current status of your brand and to begin to chart your brand-building trajectory.
Explore what your brand stands for and to what group of consumers it most appeals. You will learn how to define your brand equity and select the target audience for whom your brand is most relevant. This step is based on the principle that what your brand offers—your Equity—and the type of audience you choose—your Target—are highly interdependent.
Discover insights and benefits for your brand, and how to use these to generate new communication ideas. You will also learn how to write an advertising brief—the foundation for effective brand communication. I will also discuss the media world in general, as well as share enlightening case studies about credit cards, beauty products, and beer!
In this step you will learn how to define the ideal marketing mix by understanding and selecting core components of your brand’s marketing strategy. We will also learn how to quantify the impact this mix will have on potential sales and brand growth.
You will learn how to bring all the elements together into a solid business plan with a well-defined marketing mix. The marketing plan will also include the defined core elements of your brand from the previous steps as well as go-to-market choices for your product or service such as pricing, distribution, and promotion, including communication and media.
“A refreshing framework to build brands in today’s marketplace.”
~ Sarah Hofstetter, CEO, 360i
“A smart, pragmatic and empowering guide to marketing today”
~ Alain Groenendaal, CEO, Grey Latin America
“Can’t decide between entering a top business school or learning on-the-job from a successful marketer? Do both by reading this book.”
Paul Smith, Bestselling author of Lead with a Story
“An insider view for entrepreneurs of how to apply the principles of brand building.”
Dave Knox, The Brandery Co-Founder
“A tangible framework that brand managers will benefit from implementing on behalf of the brand they've been entrusted with.”
Armin Vit, Co-founder of UnderConsideration
