From Publishers Weekly
Kapferer's innovative theories on brand equity and development expand the boundaries of marketing theory. He hypothesizes that "the primary capital of many businesses is their brands," which "identify, guarantee, structure, and stabilize supply." In a global marketplace, he notes, brands are the only truly international language, "the real capital of business." Kapferer, a French management professor, crafts elaborate theories and practical ideas regarding brand awareness, global branding, multibrands and brand territories. While his coverage of generics is paltry, his extensive analyses of branding strategies and his case studies (GE, Black & Decker, Proctor & Gamble) are extraordinary, as are his procedures on calculating the value of a brand. Kapferer's candid observations about brand extension, demarcation and management ("brand portfolios must be drastically reduced . . . brand management should not seek to be democratic") should trigger debate in management circles and academia.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
What's in a brand? After all, consumers know that Pledge by any other name would clean as brightly. Au contraire, argues French marketing expert Kapferer, brands have particular reputations in the minds of consumers that have been built up painstakingly over time and should be altered only with great care. Kapferer here considers how different companies, from consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble to heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, approach product branding: the key is the consistent communication of the brand's core image and what it represents, regardless of changes in the marketplace. Though Kapferer provides useful insights into managing and valuing a brand portfolio and strategies for international marketing, the text is a little overworked, and some of the interpretations of particular brand images are fanciful. Sometimes a good cigar is just a good cigar. Recommended for business collections.
Edward Buller, "Natural History," American Museum of Natural History
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Edward Buller, "Natural History," American Museum of Natural History
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
