Stand Out!

Stand Out!
Building Brilliant Brands
for the World We Live In

Brian McGurk
Stand Out!: Building Brilliant Brands for the World We Live In
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To begin with…..
Standout is everything for brands and particularly so for new-to-market
brands.

A brand is essentially a relationship of relevant and unique added value for

the customer.

Branding is not a science; it is not an art; it is a process.

 For my wife Shirley and children Andrew, Kathryn, Sarah, and Niall.
For your care, counsel, and constancy. This is the shout-out you so heartily
deserve having been conscripted unwittingly as stalwart supporters, sense
checkers, and sounding boards along the way.
Thank you. Love you. This is for you.
 Abstract
“Stand Out!” is a book about branding and its evolution, practice, and
power in today’s digital age. It presents the “why-do” and the “how-to”
along with a passionate philosophy on transforming business through
brand-centered change. It spells out a sequential, easily understandable,
proven brand-building process. It is a key reference text for anyone in-
terested in brand development, leadership, innovation, and sustainable
business growth. Reader understanding and enjoyment are enhanced by
ample presentation of supporting tables, charts, case examples, expert
tips, real-life experiences and pull-out quotes, as well as a helpful “word
wizard” glossary at the end of each chapter explaining business terms and
expressions used.
This book democratizes branding: It makes branding—its history, the-
ory, and practice—easily accessible and actionable. “Stand Out!” ­replaces
the mystique of brand strategy with the magic of brand transformation….
it makes it exciting and fun and puts that power directly into the hands
of the business masses. It is a practical handbook for getting started with
branding or for strengthening an existing brand management system. It
gives the reader the confidence, permission, and skills to get branding now!

Keywords
brand development; brand equity; brand experience; brand performance;
brand forum; brand proposition; brand strategy; brand values; branding;
branding process; business transformation; creativity; design; destination
branding; digital branding; digital marketing; emotional values; em-
ployee engagement; employer branding; graphic design; identity design;
market research; marketing; marketing communications; millennials; or-
ganizational values; place branding; qualitative research; website design
 Contents
Foreword................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgments..................................................................................xiii
Introduction.......................................................................................... xv
Chapter 1 The Origin and Nature of Branding...................................1
Where Did Branding Come from?.................................1
What’s the Buzz?............................................................3
The Nature of Branding.................................................5
Chapter 2 What Are You Thinking?..................................................11
Who Do We Think of?................................................11
Can We or Can’t We? Will We or Won’t We?...............14
Who Do You Think You Are?......................................19
What Do You Think You’re Worth?.............................23
Chapter 3 Building Brilliant Brands..................................................35
The How-To from the Get-Go....................................35
Brand Transformation is a Structured Process..........36
A Word about Money.............................................42
Mandatory Modern Marketing Media....................43
Living the Brand Experience...................................44
Putting Design in its Rightful Place........................45
Doing Branding in the Digital Age.........................47
How Do You Know They Get It?............................56
Tools of the Trade—Research and Insights...................60
Tools of the Trade—Creativity and Innovation............63
Building a Brilliant Brand Book..................................74
Building a Brilliant Website.........................................76
Chapter 4 Branding in the World We Live in...................................91
The Age of Dynamism.................................................91
Brand Experience—A Two-Way Commercial Force.....94
Be a Brand Expeditionary............................................98
Aspiration and Inspiration—The Importance
of Purpose..............................................................100
x CONTENTS

The Power of Branding—Magnetism or

Hypnotism?...........................................................104
From Nations to Destinations—The Branding
of Places.................................................................107
Chapter 5 A Final Thought: The Beauty of Branding......................117
The Beauty of Branding is Not Skin Deep.................117
Bibliography........................................................................................123
Word Wizard: Grand Summary............................................................125
About the Author.................................................................................137
Index..................................................................................................139
 Foreword
It has been a total delight for me to read Brian McGurk’s engaging and
revealing book on building brilliant brands for the world we live in.
Drawing from the author’s 30 years’ career as a brand and marketing
practitioner, Stand Out! allows readers access to the latest innovative ap-
proaches, real-life case examples, and new brand models and reveals the
how-to and why-do of brilliant branding in today’s digitized world.
Stand Out! is a page-turner; it transcends the heavy reading so typi-
cal of the business book genre and does so with energy and zeal. It takes
the reader skipping easily and enjoyably through great detail and insight-
ful processes, reflecting the author’s passion and belief in this fascinating
business discipline. Unpicking the intricate nature of branding for the
digital age, the author sets out credibly to bring not only branding to
business but also brands to the masses.
In the face of today’s dynamic marketplace, Stand Out! delivers what
it promises and more. It challenges and guides brand planners and practi-
tioners to stay fully relevant, ready, and resourced to deliver an outstand-
ing, world-class brand experience.
Stand Out! demonstrates why and how brand power can command
lifelong customer loyalty in the face of the economic highs and lows,
disruptive trends, and new competitive strategies of our digital age. In
doing so, the author makes the case persuasively that branding is today,
more than ever, an essential strategy for achieving and sustaining profit-
able business success.

Roisin Isaacs
Channel 4 Secret Millionaire
London
June 1, 2020
 Acknowledgments
To my many clients, colleagues, and consulting collaborators over the
years, it has been a great pleasure and privilege to work with you and to
learn from you. Together we have created and built great brands. I thank
you all.
To Róisín Griffiths and Janet French, my gallant “beta” readers and
fellow travelers, thank you for volunteering, for your generous time and
expert counsel, and for improving the text beyond measure.
Likewise a huge thank you to Cal Kerr and Miguel Horta Pardal for
your professional support with the design of charts and diagrams, tables
and models.
 Introduction
I had no intention of writing a book—that was until my wife, my sister,
and a business colleague pressed me to do so, all separately and indepen-
dently of each other and, curiously, all within the same three-week period
in late 2017.
I got the message!
As it happened, I had recently completed three decades of business
consulting—mostly self-employed—the initial 10 years spent in market-
ing and the latter 20 in branding. As you will see if you read the book, this
does not mean I was or am a designer. I am not. But then you don’t need
to be a designer to be in branding. That alone is something of a surprise
for many people. In fact, as this book demonstrates, design is simply one
element of the branding process and merely one building block—as vital
as it is—for creating or developing a powerful, profitable brand.
So, I invented a new word: I’m a brander!
This book lifts the lid on the world of the brander and the art, science,
and practice of branding for today’s digital age. Digital has really churned
things up in the last decade and thrown down many a gauntlet to pro-
fessional marketers, executive managers, business leaders, and company
owners on how to build and sustain new and existing brands in these
dynamic and disruptive times.
Above all, this book is a happy and joyful testimony of the opportuni-
ties that are possible and the success that is achievable through focusing
the energies, talent, and resources of an organization on the adventure
and advantage of building a brand.
The key thing is to “stand out!”
Differentiation cannot be left to chance. It must be meaningful,
­relevant, distinctive, competitive…. it must be transformative…. it must
be compelling. In Stand Out!, I set out the origin, purpose, and process
xvi INTRODUCTION

of branding and uncover tips, tools, and techniques learnt along the way
from decades of experience and professional practice in fantastic compa-
nies with wonderful people.

Brian McGurk
Dublin
May 13, 2020
 CHAPTER 1

The Origin and Nature

of Branding

Chapter Overview
There’s so much talk today about branding but often scant regard for its
origin, history, and unique characteristics. This, I’m sure, is because once
a marketing concept or name becomes part of the common speak of the
business vernacular, then we take it as read that everyone understands its
merit and meaning, its nature and nuances. Who is not guilty of using
business buzzwords and jargon that may be generally accepted by your
business fraternity but in similar measure may also be generally misun-
derstood? This, too often, is the case with branding, and sometimes the
exponent is as culpable as the entrepreneur, the professor as the practi-
tioner, the creative as the client. This chapter tackles the inertia that can
exist in coming to grips with the essential meaning, raison d’être, and
components of branding as a powerful business strategy; it aligns readers
with its underlying background and philosophy; and it sets the scene for
deeper exploration and fuller understanding of the power, practice, and
process of market-beating brand development in today’s world.

Where Did Branding Come from?

There’s a lot of talk about branding and along with that a lot of confu-
sion about what it actually means but first of all let’s look at where this
intriguing word originated from and what it means today. I always some-
how knew that the word branding came from the act of marking cattle
as an identifier of ownership, which I expected was a countermeasure
to cattle rustling. I thought that this was the brainchild of some large
cattle rancher in the U.S. Wild West and something that was important
2 STAND OUT!

to identify different livestock when herds were on the move. Well, I was
partially right. As Table 1.1 highlights, the act of marking livestock with
fire-heated irons to identify ownership has its origin way back in ancient
times, to 2700 BC to be precise, when the ancient Egyptians first heated
irons and pressed them against the hides of livestock to mark animals as a
proof of ownership. Interestingly, the actual word “branding” comes from
the old Norse/ancient Scandinavian term brandr, which means “to burn,”
which consequently led to the creation of the word “branding” to refer to
the use of branding irons to burn a mark onto the hide of livestock.

“Branding” comes from the old Norse/ancient Scandinavian term

“brandr,” which means “to burn.”

This of course is where the words “brand mark” originate from—a

phrase that remains very much in use in present day marketing and design
terminology. Furthermore, the meaning of “brand” was later registered
in a dictionary in the year 1552 where it was defined as “an identifying
mark made by a hot iron.” Today, many of the oldest brands in existence
are to be found in the alcoholic drinks sector, originating in the 17th and
18th centuries. Seeing as alcoholic drinks are nonperishable, they could
be distributed across great distances and over a long drawn-out timescale.
As such, these products needed to carry a distinguishing name or symbol
so they could be identified with their owners, and attributed with their
owners’ quality standard and processes, even when being distributed far
from their original place of production. Consequently, among the oldest
brands today are Bushmills (1608), Twinings (1706), Guinness (1795),
Schweppes (1798), and Ballantine’s (1809).
What we see here is that the practice of branding was established for a
very practical reason—the identification of a product (livestock) as a proof
of ownership—and as the product was increasingly distributed farther

Table 1.1  The Origin of Branding

Date Notable Event
2700 BC The Ancient Egyptians invented branding irons.
1552 The word brand is mentioned in a dictionary.
1608 Through a 1608 license to distil, Old Bushmills Distillery in Ireland claims
to be the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.
 The Origin and Nature of Branding 3

afield it was necessary to identify the source, provenance, and ownership

of the product with the producer. As, over time, competitors came along
and increased in number, this also placed a greater imperative on owners
to “brand” their products—to give them a distinguishing mark. In this
way, “the brand mark” became identified with the owner–producer and
this declared and protected the owner’s interest in the product (in this case
livestock). But what do you do when there are many players offering the
same or similar produce and they each have the same approach to brand-
ing their livestock? That’s where branding—the branding iron approach—
becomes ineffective and a more sophisticated marking system is required
to distinguish products and services. And what about products that you
need to identify ownership in but by virtue of their nature or ingredient
you simply cannot brand with a hot iron? Enter the logo. Logo, logotype,
logo device, brand icon, brand mark—all these words denote a more so-
phisticated, nuanced, crafted, and therefore more differentiated, creative,
and powerful means of marking one’s ownership in a product or service—
a more indisputable and indelible means of branding your product.
All of a sudden, the branding iron has been replaced by the brand iden-
tity as the logo achieves visual differentiation in the market and attributes
the rights and qualities of the product or service to a specific owner, distrib-
utor, producer, or manufacturer. But this is where the point of inflection
comes. The modern understanding of the concept of brand is not restricted
to the basic functional attribute of the visual identification of a product or
service to identify a specific owner’s interest. “Brand” and “branding” have
come to encompass so much more than the functional—they have come
to stand for values, emotions, personality, and a value-adding proposition.
Where the original branding of animals was carried out to physically dif-
ferentiate livestock and to indicate ownership, the role of branding today
is to convey a unique competitive proposition and supporting points of
difference: what we call corporate or product values.

What’s the Buzz?

There’s a brilliant buzz about branding—and I don’t mean buzzwords—
I mean the real buzz that brands are generating everywhere. Everyone’s
“talking brands” and talking about branding. It’s as if there are no prod-
ucts anymore as everyone prefers to talk brands—they prefer to describe
4 STAND OUT!

their product as being a brand: people who run businesses like brands;
people who buy from businesses like brands. On the one hand, businesses
that own a true brand possess something which is established, desired,
identified with, and is in some way outstanding: This may be due to per-
formance or it may be due to price but whatever its source, it stands out
from the competing products on offer. Yet a product and a brand are
not the same thing. They are not merely interchangeable words, or they
shouldn’t be. As such, a brand is worth more than its constituent prod-
uct components, features, and benefits. It also possesses a higher level of
appeal among the customer audience. In short, customers prefer it to
any alternatives. This preference, loyalty, goodwill is worth money to a
business. It’s called brand equity. On the other hand, people (customers
or consumers) who buy a brand are buying trust. They believe that what
they know or perceive about this product is true and that they can trust
the product to deliver on their performance, quality, and value expecta-
tions. And this is the buzz about branding—that a brand is not just the
sum of the product and service components produced. It is not just the
physical attributes—not even if the product has smart packaging, a beau-
tiful logo and a cute tagline. No, the brand is not made up of just that.
The buzz about branding is that it brings us into the emotional di-
mension. A brand has emotional values. And because people identify with
these emotional values, people become strongly loyal and proud to be
identified with the brand’s customer cohort—other like-minded consum-
ers who buy into these values too. That’s why “75% of what makes a
brand great has nothing to do with the product or service delivered!” The
statistic (mine!) may be moot but the point is clear: that when you have
people who buy into a set of values that support a product or service,
then, and only then, have you created a brand. But these values may not
just be emotional in nature; some will also be resolutely functional. These
are the more rational, quantifiable points of difference that a product of-
fers, such as being faster, bigger, cheaper…, and while they are powerful,
they are usually quite easily copied by competitors. These are often key to
building a brand in the short term but are unlikely to provide a reliable
competitive advantage that is sustainable over time. But this is where the
buzz of a brand lies, in its functional and emotional values by which a
 The Origin and Nature of Branding 5

product or service is transformed from a set of merely physical attributes

into an emotional connectional experience: a felt experience; a human
experience. In A Framework of Brand Value in B2B Markets, Leek et al.
(2012) strongly emphasize that in a B2B context, brand value facilitates
the progression from goods and services value, which is predominantly
associated with functional benefits, to relationship value, which is closely
associated with emotional needs. These customers are not just satisfied
but also affirmed by engaging with a product to derive and enjoy its as-
sociated brand experience. The buzz about branding is this full, multidi-
mensional, value-based customer experience. The buzz from branding is
emotional, exciting, energizing, dynamic, and transformational.

BUSINESS SPECTRUM BRAND SPECTRUM

Market
Business Economic Employee Customer positioning
activity/ value brand value and brand
functions output engagement perception experience
delivery

Figure 1.1  The relationship of a brand to the business enterprise

The model in Figure 1.1 sets out the integrated nature and reach
of brands within the overall internal–external business environment. It
shows how a brand interfaces and builds on from the primary production,
manufacturing, and functional activity (the business spectrum) required
to offer a product or service. The model illustrates that brand perception,
engagement, and experience (the brand spectrum) begin internally with
the employees of the organization. This identifies employee brand belief
as a key success factor for marketplace credibility and sustainable com-
petitive advantage.

The Nature of Branding

I say that branding is two words not one. So I often depict it visually as
“brand(ing).” Why so? Well, “brand” is the idea and “ing” is short for
communicating it. So often I have found that people are on different
planes when it comes to interpreting the meaning of branding. What
are people thinking when they utter the word branding? What are the
6 STAND OUT!

pictures in their heads? Classically, the first thought is “logo.” A brand

is a logo they say. A business owner may say “I have ten brands in my
­portfolio” when in fact he does not. He may indeed have some brands
or he may have none. People often like to use the word “brand” in-
stead of “product.” It sounds better, more market oriented, more pro-
fessional, more planned. But of course, a product does not constitute a
brand. A brand is much more than the product or service components
delivered.
In addition, branding to some folks means design, and of course this
in itself is not inaccurate since design is certainly a vital stream of brand
communication activity. But design, in the form of a graphic, product, or
digital design, is nevertheless just one area of brand communication albeit
so very essential and influential. So, branding is not only about design
but it is also about all and every form of market and in-company com-
munication channel, messaging, and imagery. I often say that branding is
essentially about two things: words and images. That’s in the design sense.
On reflection I would also add a third: channels. Now, with branding
being about words, images plus channels of communication, it encom-
passes not only the design but also the marketing of the brand. This raises
the specter of strategic planning and the need for a “brand strategy” that
directs messaging, imagery, and channel choices while being responsive to
competitive trends, changing customer needs, and new communications
technologies. In The Meaningful Brand: How Strong Brands Make More
Money (Hollis 2013), the nature and scope of branding is captured in the
discussion of the creation and marketing of a meaningful, experiential
brand; Hollis identifies clarity of purpose, effective delivery, resonance,
and differentiation as the key drivers of customer experience, with en-
hanced brand performance linked to positive financial outcomes.
So, we can see now that the nature of branding is way beyond com-
monly recited minimalist thinking such as “logo design” and brings us
into the realm of deep analysis and strategic definition work around the
brand proposition, functional and emotional values, and brand person-
ality attributes. The nature of branding is complex, and more so than
is commonly understood. It encompasses the tools of research, strategy,
design, copywriting, market communications, and in-company engage-
ment. It is born out of entrepreneurial passion, disruptive ideas, and
 The Origin and Nature of Branding 7

exciting innovation and is nurtured through skillful creativity, effective

storytelling, and disciplined brand management and communication.
The genius is in the detail? No, the genius is in the idea, followed by
devotion in the detail, and discipline in the customer experience delivery.
Brand(ing): ideas, devotion, discipline.

Key Takeaways
Branding has evolved over almost 5,000 years from functional differ-
entiator to emotional experience.
A brand is much more than the product or service components
delivered.
Let’s rehearse it one more time: A brand is much more than a logo!
Branding is not just about design. It’s about all and every form of
market and intracompany communication.
Customers are not only satisfied by brand consumption but become
part of a definable purchaser cohort—a community of brand loyal,
values-ascribing consumers.
The integrated nature and reach of brands encompasses the business
spectrum activity of primary functional production to the brand
spectrum added value of emotional engagement and experience.

The Word Wizard

Expression Explanation
Attributes Key characteristics, features, or qualities
Brand Uniqueness you know, want, and trust
Branding The visual expression of a brand’s innate idea, proposition, and
uniqueness
Brand equity The commercial value of a brand due to its power in the mar-
ketplace as a result of customer preference, loyalty, and good-
will toward the brand
Brand experience The full and combined benefits and effect in functional and
emotional terms of using or consuming a brand
Brand personality The style, attitude, and nature of how a brand behaves
Brand strategy The plan that guides what the brand is to stand for in order
to achieve relevance and competitive differentiation in the
market
(continued)
8 STAND OUT!

The Word Wizard

Expression Explanation
Customer cohort The type and grouping of customers who purchase the brand
and subscribe to its values
Emotional branding The intangible experience that a brand provides that connects
with customers at the nonphysical level
Engagement The extent to which a customer or an employee believes
in and gets involved with the brand both physically and
emotionally
Equity The difference between what something is worth (an asset)
and what is owed on it (debt and liabilities)
Functional Physical attributes and benefits
Goodwill The positive attitude toward the brand in the market; the ex-
tent to which it is held in high regard
Logotype The identifying mark or logo that attributes ownership,
provenance, and quality to a company, good, or service
Points of difference All and any ways in which the brand, its delivery, and con-
sumption experience is unique or different from competing
brands
Portfolio A catalogue or suite of brands, products, or services
Proposition What the brand stands for, believes about itself, and promises
to the customer
Provenance The place of origin that authenticates or supports a brand’s
quality claims
Tagline A copywritten line that is incorporated into a brand
identity to support and qualify a logo or a written brand
communication
Values What a brand or a business supports, promotes, and stands for
as its essential ethics, priorities, and points of difference in
both functional and emotional terms

Experience
What brands do you associate yourself with?: Does it matter, for
example, what brand of car you drive? Anybody love their car? Think
it’s important to your personal brand image? I believe that the brand
of motor car you drive is usually regarded as a very personal but pub-
lic statement; it says something about the driver. I remember­—at a
funeral no less—helping out a friend of mine whose car had broken
down. I jest not! It was a battered-up Volkswagen. It wouldn’t start.
 The Origin and Nature of Branding 9

He was in such a fluster that when I managed to get his car started, I
didn’t leave him to it but just remained in the driving seat so I could
drive him and it straight out of the cemetery! We had to crawl so
slowly through the departing throng, many of whom knew me well.
The car was hot; I lowered the window (at least it worked!); a top-
notch medical consultant whom I knew personally saw me driving this
archaic cruiser and leaned in through the window to say “Brian, what’s
this? Get yourself a big-man’s car­—you’ll never look back!” I shud-
dered with embarrassment as the car spluttered on. He, of course, had
no idea I was just lending a helping hand to a friend in need and that
this was not my own personal vehicle. Nonetheless, this “brand experi-
ence” did me absolutely no good whatsoever! (Or maybe did me a lot
of good but in a different way!) It was a chastening brand experience.

Expertise
“Brand” and “logo” are not the same thing: A brand is emotional; a
logo is visual. A brand has values; a logo has design.

Expertise
Think purpose before presentation: Don’t think so much about what
a brand does or should look like—its presentation. Think more about
what its underlying purpose and added value is or will be to the end
customer.

Expertise
What does your brand stand for?: When someone tells you that their
brand stands for “quality, service, and value”, take this as a sure sign
that they don’t actually know what their brand stands for at all! In my
experience, this is the default go-to definition of those that like to say
they have a brand (they may well have, of course) but yet have never
audited that brand, defined that brand, positioned that brand, or pur-
posefully communicated that brand. “Quality, service, and value”…
there’s nothing wrong with those three wonderful words except for one
thing: Everybody reaches for them like some sort of magic marketing
mantra—everybody, that is, who doesn’t understand their brand or
know if they actually have a brand! And when everyone is defaulting
10 STAND OUT!

to these as their own proprietary brand differential, well then, every-

one is claiming the same uniqueness, the same points of difference,
the same market experience. If branding is about one thing, it’s about
“standout.” And claiming that your brand stands for “quality, service,
and value” is simply to join the group, follow the crowd, or mimic
the meaningless! “Quality, service, and value”—three fantastic attri-
butes, but to get any brand standout and market distinctiveness out of
them, you’ve got to at least unpack them, slice them, and dice them,
and search for individual interpretation, unique relevance, competitive
difference, some meaning grounded in business and market reality.
Else, all that “quality, service, and value” bring to the business table
is a confident sound bite and a belief in sameness and commoditiza-
tion, which is, after all, the very opposite of what branding is about.
“Quality, service, and value?” … when you hear this glibly recited, you
know it’s time for someone to get real, and to get really close to what’s
uniquely great and outstanding about their brand … that is if they
actually have a brand!

Example
Brand talk may not mean what you think: A multioffice law firm
working in two different territories and national jurisdictions contacted
me for help with “creating a brand.” Their introductory written brief
stated they were (and I quote) “very aware of the importance of getting
the right brand created” and that they were “currently compiling ideas
for a website and building a brand.” On paper, their aim seemed very
clear and the scope of the job all-encompassing. After much Q&A, it
was even clearer that what they actually “wanted” (and just wanted to
pay for) was simply a review of their already drafted website “content”
and my recommendations for improving it to deliver brand impact.
And by web “content” it turned out they specifically meant web “copy-
content”—i.e., purely a review, verification, and development of their
own copywriting efforts to date. Clearly, “creating a brand” meant
something entirely different to this family law firm than it did to me.
Nevertheless, an exciting overhaul of “the story” was drafted, crafted,
and delivered to everyone’s great satisfaction, and in good time for the
launch of a new business website.
 Index
3M, 21
Advocacy, 12, 28, 36
Animation, 94
Apple, 63, 101
Aspiration/inspiration, 100–104
Attributes, 2–8, 26, 53, 103
B2B. See Business-to-business (B2B)
B2C. See Business-to-consumer (B2C)
Balance sheet, 20, 29, 119
Ballantine, 2
Behavior, 12, 17, 18, 19, 26, 27, 36,
48, 83–85, 97, 99, 118, 120
Beliefs, 12, 15, 18–20, 44, 58, 59,
61, 62, 65, 66, 83, 101–102,
107, 113
Benefits, 4, 5, 8, 18, 19, 21, 25, 55,
56, 65, 66, 71, 92, 99, 109
Brand alignment, 11–12, 85, 104
Brand ambassadors, 12
Brand architecture, 11, 20, 21, 28,
30, 41, 61, 104
systems, 22
Brand association, 71, 96, 113
Brand awareness, 12, 99, 118
Brand believers, 12, 14, 30, 38,
42, 104
Brand book, 74–76
Brand-centered/centric, 30, 55
Brand champions, 23, 30, 44, 104
Brand community, 104
Brand consulting process, 56
Brand design, 117
Brand development, 1, 11, 12, 16, 19,
37, 38, 43, 44, 46, 50, 57,
59, 60, 64, 94, 95, 104
Brand differential, 13, 30
Brand equity, 4, 7, 11, 13, 20, 28, 36,
75, 95, 96, 119
equation, 28
Brand essence, 27–28, 53, 75, 83,
105
Brand expeditionary, 98–99
Brand experience, 25, 44–45, 94–98,
102, 103
Brand fora, 71–72
Brand forum, 62, 71, 83
Brand growth, 84
Brand guidelines, 46, 74, 84
Brand identity guidelines, 74, 81
Brand identity system, 75, 104
Brand image analysis, 67, 68
Brand imagery, 6, 42, 44, 46
Brand innovation, 30, 31, 44, 64
Brand investment, 16, 17, 35, 43
Brand leadership, 29, 63, 91
Brand loyalty, 17, 28, 30, 36, 119
Brand management, 7, 20, 29
Brand mark, 2, 3, 28
Brand meaning, 19, 20, 99, 107, 110,
111
Brand name, 21, 107
Brand owner, 12, 20, 23, 28, 30, 36,
59, 75, 98, 106, 119
Brand ownership, 12
Brand performance, 5, 18–19, 24, 36,
51–52, 62, 102, 119
Brand personality, 27
Brand position, 19, 20, 24, 25, 30,
55, 109, 117–118, 120
Brand potential, 18, 19
Brand power, 13, 20, 24, 28, 38
equation, 28
Brand principles, 46, 84
Brand proposition, 6, 12, 19, 20, 21,
24, 27, 44, 46, 47, 53, 55,
56, 63, 66, 73, 77, 79, 91, 99,
100, 105, 110, 111, 113, 119
Brand purpose, 19, 102, 104
Brand relationship, 13–16, 21, 42,
108
140 INDEX
Brand reputation, 18
Brand roadshows, 62
Brand strategy, 6, 7, 16, 19, 26, 37,
42, 46, 48–49, 55, 63, 74,
75, 104, 108
Brand strength, 12, 20, 95
Brand transformation, 36–41
Brand truth, 20, 59, 95
Brand value stimulus board, 70–71
Brand values, 5, 11, 12, 23, 24, 27,
44, 53, 59, 61, 69, 70, 71,
75, 77, 78, 97, 100, 102,
112, 118
Brand workshops, 59, 84
Branding, 2, 5–7, 11, 36, 38, 42, 47–56,
79, 104–112, 117–119
journey, 37
process, 35, 37, 46, 56, 109
Branding tools, 6, 35, 46, 59
Brochure design, 11
Building a brand, 4, 98, 100
Bushmills, 2
Business culture, 12
Business purpose, 17
Business strategy, 1, 18
Business-to-business (B2B), 14, 30,
42, 43, 79
brand strategy, 104
markets, 5
Business-to-consumer (B2C), 14, 30,
42, 43, 79
brand strategy, 104
Business transformation, 36, 37
Channels, 6, 42, 46, 47, 92, 93
Coca-Cola, 21
Commercial challenges, 105
Commercial value, 7, 24, 29, 98
Commodity, 14–16, 43, 51, 98
Communication, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15–18,
29, 31, 35–37, 42, 43,
46–60, 62, 72, 74, 78,
83–85, 91–93, 96, 97, 100,
103, 104–109, 113, 117, 118
Communications campaign, 46
Company values, 100, 102
Competitive advantage, 4, 5, 27, 31,
84, 95, 102
Competitor brands, 3, 24, 77
Connectivity, 47, 51, 54, 92, 93
Consistency, 74, 100–101, 104
Copywriting, 6, 75, 118
Core values generation, 69–71
Corporate brands, 56, 97, 103, 104
Corporate values, 3, 97
Creative chemistry, 49
Creativity, 6–7, 15, 35, 57, 63–74,
77, 80, 118
Cross-company business goals, 103
Culture, 11–17, 18, 24, 30, 78, 100,
117, 118, 120
Customer cohort, 4, 8
Customer experience, 5, 6, 7, 18, 26,
44, 63, 93, 99, 102
goal, 53
Customer touchpoint, 44, 84, 102
Decision-making process, 14, 16
Design, 2, 6, 11, 35, 36, 37, 45–47,
58, 62, 63, 74, 75, 76, 77,
80, 81, 82, 91, 94, 96, 104,
105, 108, 109, 117
Destination branding, 14, 91,
109, 110
Digital, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54,
55, 74, 78, 79, 85, 93, 94,
104
Digital branding, 49–50, 53
Digital communication, 43, 46, 48,
50, 51, 52, 56, 92, 93
Digital design, 6
Digital marketing, 42, 48, 54, 93
Digital revolution, 48, 51, 91
Digital technologies, 104
Disney, 101
E-commerce, 78
Emotional experience, 25
Emotional proposition, 26
Emotional values, 4, 6, 24, 26,
53, 99
Emotions, 3, 105
Emotive photosets, 68
Employee motivation, 21–22,
43–44
Employer branding, 5, 12, 44, 62
 INDEX
141
Engagement, 5, 6, 8, 44–45,
57, 59–60, 62, 78,
92, 117
Entrepreneurs, 1, 6–7, 16, 19, 54,
56, 108
Environmental challenges, 15
Esteem, 106
Execution, 17, 46, 47, 85
Experience, 5–7, 11–13, 15, 18–19,
24–26, 35–37, 44–47, 52,
53, 55–58, 63, 69, 70, 71,
72, 75, 77, 78, 93, 94–98,
99, 102–106, 109, 111, 112,
117–119
Experiential appeal, 25
Facebook, 47, 54, 101
Fedex, 21
Film, 94
Financial value, 13
Functional proposition, 26
Functional values, 25, 31
Global brands, 101
Goals, 41, 43, 58, 60, 61, 64, 97, 99,
102, 103
Goodwill, 4, 8
Google, 101, 106
Graphic design, 45, 47
Guinness, 2
Hero’s journey, 72–73
Hierarchy, 12, 66, 96
Hoover, 106
The “i” generation, 43
Idea-generation sessions, 63
Ideas, 6, 7, 12, 26, 42, 46, 48, 56, 62,
63, 72, 83, 84, 106
Identity, 3, 8, 18, 20, 21, 40, 46, 74,
75, 80, 95, 104–106
Imagery, 6, 42, 44, 46, 69, 70, 77, 78,
79, 94, 105, 118
Information gathering, 57–58, 61, 80
Information technology, 53
Innovation, 6–7, 15, 31, 44, 48,
52–55, 63–74, 92, 98, 99,
105, 117
Insight development techniques,
65–67
Insight generation, 57
Interactive creativity workshops, 69
Interactive workshop, 69
Internal brand fora, 62
Internet, 51
iPhone, 101
Johnson & Johnson, 106
Leadership strategy, 98
Lifestyle, 17, 26–27, 36, 96,
97, 120
Live streaming, 93
Living the brand, 12, 35, 44–45
Logo, 3, 4, 6, 11, 76, 80, 84
Logo design, 6, 35, 45
Logotype, 3, 8, 75
Market opportunities, 16
Market positioning, 85, 93
Marketing, 1, 2, 6, 26, 35, 36, 42,
43–44, 45, 48, 50, 51, 52,
53, 54, 57, 60, 72, 85, 92,
93, 94, 103
Media, 35, 43–44, 46, 47, 74, 82–84,
92, 118
Messaging, 6, 12, 18, 29, 41, 42, 46,
51, 58, 71–72, 75, 77, 79,
105, 108
Methodologies, 61, 62, 64, 120
Microsoft, 101
Millennials, 47, 48, 85
Mitsubishi, 21
Modern marketing media,
43–44
Money, 42
Naming, 40
Nature of branding, 5–7, 49, 91, 117
Need states, 67–68, 85
Opportunities, 16, 18, 48, 49, 60, 61,
63, 64, 66, 76
Orbital brand culture, 13
Organizational values, 100,
102, 103
142 INDEX

P&G, 21 Schweppes, 2
Peer group, 25, 26–27, 31, 36, 47, Self-esteem, 36, 47, 96, 119
79, 86, 96 Service brands, 20, 28,
Perceptions, 5, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 58, 43, 55
59, 61, 62, 83, 96, 99, 106, Small and medium-sized enterprises
108, 110, 111, 112 (SME), 42–43
Performance, 3, 4, 6, 15, 17, 18, 19, Smartphone, 78, 81
24, 52, 62, 81, 82, 102, 119 Social media, 42, 43, 47, 48, 53, 59,
Personal relationships, 14, 27 78, 93–94, 104
Personality, 3, 6, 7, 26, 27, 43, 47, Social messaging, 42, 93
49, 53, 59, 67, 68, 69, 71, Staff motivation, 21–22, 43–44
74, 77, 78, 79, 99, 105, 106 Stakeholders, 11, 12, 16, 35, 44,
Philosophy, 1, 49, 50, 56, 77, 84 59, 61, 63, 71, 80, 84, 94,
Place branding, 112 98–99, 104–105, 114–120
Platforms, 43, 46, 47, 59, 93 Standout, 51, 53, 77, 96, 98, 106,
Points of difference, 3, 4, 8, 19, 108 107, 108
Portfolio, 6, 13, 18, 20, 21, 30, 31, Starbucks, 101
61, 62, 84, 102, 104 Steve jobs, 53
Preference, 4, 7, 23–24, 36, 112 Storytelling, 7, 12, 69, 71, 72
Principles, 11, 26, 31, 35, 46, 47, 49, Strategic planning, 6
57, 63, 84, 97 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
Product-based experience, 19 threats (SWOT), 61
Product brands, 21, 22, 86, 94, 102, Subbrands, 20, 21, 28, 30
105, 108
Product values, 3, 31 Tagline, 4, 8
Proposition, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17, Technologies/technology, 4, 47, 49,
19–28, 36, 44–47, 53–56, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 92,
59, 63, 66, 69, 71, 74, 75, 104, 107
77, 79, 91–93, 97–99, Tesla, 101
104–106, 110, 111, 112, Tone of voice, 27, 74–75, 86
117–119 Tourism, 109
Psychological, 25, 85, 120 Toyota, 101
Transformation, 5, 36–41, 52, 54, 63,
Qualitative research, 56–59, 86 98, 99
Quantitative research, 56 Twining, 2
Twitter, 54
Rational values, 26, 31, 53
Rebranding, 43, 44, 61, 62, 75, 86 Uber, 53, 55
Relevance, 7, 13, 15–19, 23, 24, 48, Unilever, 21
51, 53, 54, 56, 61, 72, 94, Unique selling proposition (USP),
95, 96, 105, 106, 118, 119 55
Research, 6, 35, 46, 56–63, 66, 69, USP. See Unique selling proposition
70, 112, 117 (USP)
Resonance, 6, 16, 17, 20, 31, 105,
106, 118, 119 Value curve, 15
Return-on-brand-investment, 17, 36, Value for money, 36, 101, 106,
42, 44, 107 114
 INDEX
143

Values, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, Visual expression, 7, 77

23–28, 44–46, 49, 53, 55, 59,
62, 63, 69–71, 74, 75, 77–79, Website, 42–43, 76–82, 86,
84, 85, 92, 97–106, 108 93, 94
Values stimulus boards, 70 Website design, 76, 77, 80
Video, 42, 43, 59, 78, 93, 94
Virgin, 21 YouTube, 47, 53, 93
Vision, 36, 44–45, 51, 57, 69, 74, 75,
91, 97, 98–101, 106, 113,
114, 117
 OTHER TITLES IN MARKETING COLLECTION
Naresh Malhotra, Editor
• Relationship Marketing Re-Imagined: Marketing’s Inevitable Shift from Exchanges to
Value Cocreating Relationships by Naresh Malhotra, Can Uslay and Ahmet Bayraktar
• Service Excellence: Creating Customer Experiences That Build Relationships
by Ruth N. Bolton
• Critical Thinking for Marketers, Volume I: Learn How to Think, Not What to Think
by David Dwight and David Soorholtz
• Critical Thinking for Marketers, Volume II: Learn How to Think, Not What to Think
by David Dwight and David Soorholtz
• Employee Ambassadorship: Optimizing Customer-Centric Behavior from the Inside-Out
and Outside-In by Michael W Lowenstein
• Social Media Marketing: Marketing Panacea or the Emperor’s New Digital Clothes?
by Alan Charlesworth
• Qualitative Marketing Research: Understanding How Behavioral Complexities Drive
Marketing Strategies by Rajagopal
• Decoding Customer Value at the Bottom of the Pyramid: An Urban India Marketing
Perspective by Ritu Srivastava

FORTHCOMING TITLES IN THIS COLLECTION

• Stand Out! The Secrets of Branding for a New Generation by Brian McGurk
• The Coming Ages of Robots: Implications for Consumer Behavior and Marketing
Strategy by George Pettinico and George R. Milne

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