Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant

Brand guru Aaker (Building Strong Brands) explains how companies can keep their brand relevant through innovation and the creation of new categories or subcategories that they can "own" in the minds of consumers. While plenty of books emphasize the need for constant innovation, Aaker dives deeper; customers determine brand relevance and companies as diverse as Japanese beer maker Asahi, Xerox, IKEA, Zappos, and Apple have each carved out a unique market niche, a niche that must be protected through the creation of barriers for competitors, Aaker argues. Postmortem evaluations of epic failures like the Segway, Nabisco’s Snackwells product line, and Apple’s Newton digital assistant will help brand managers avoid costly and high-profile marketing missteps. Those familiar with the author’s work will recognize his textbook approach. His clear prose and honest assessments will resonate with small business owners or brand managers and should be required reading for anyone with a vested interest in keeping their company on the tip of their consumers’ tongues. (Jan.)