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As we look forward with confidence that this new edition significantly benefits
students and managers, we look back to how this book became a well established
core text in many business schools internationally and amongst a lot of
managers. It seems not that long ago when we embarked on this project, yet as
our publisher attests, the first edition of this book appeared in 1992. That was
the year when the European Union offered the potential for developing brands
that could cross frontiers without too much hindrance. Cries were heard about
identities being lost as corporations sought to consider how more standardised
approaches could be followed in their brand strategies. Yet today we see a loosetight
approach being followed that helps different communities to celebrate
their diversity, but at the same time allows them to conform to societal norms.
Successful brands did not adopt the “one shape fits all” mantra. Rather, they
evolved using a loose-tight approach. They are tight in so far as there are a core set
of brand values that are not transgressed, yet loose since country managers have
the latitude to enact the brand values in a manner more suited to their country.
The changing environment makes this new edition even more relevant. Having
a good foundation in the principles of brand management is essential if
resources are to be wisely used to grow brand value. One only needs to look at
league tables to appreciate the significant financial value of brands. It is
becoming more common to see organisations monitoring brand equity and
brand value and then to assess how different brand strategies are contributing
to changes in brand equity and brand value .
A passive view about the role of customers in branding used to be the norm. In
other words customers were viewed as the end of the value chain consuming
the value of brands. Brand managers who believe in this notion are cutting their
brands’ life expectancies. Customers are part of real or virtual communities and
they expect to be able to shape the nature of brands. The result is that customers
are increasingly both co-creators of brands and brand publics. The internet not
only levels the playing fields between large corporates and SMEs, but also
empowers customers to make brands better fit their needs. |
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 UNIX Filesystems: Evolution, Design, and ImplementationA comprehensive look at the principles, functionality, and implementations of UNIX and Linux® filesystems
Every aspect of a network–storage, file transfers, backup–depends on the filesystem for structure, functionality, and integrity. Surprisingly, UNIX–the operating system of choice for mission-critical networks–has... |  | Explorations in Information Space: Knowledge, Actor, and FirmsAs humankind seeks to extend its spatiotemporal reach both on and beyond its planet, it is constantly being forced by a recalcitrant nature to renegotiate the terms of its covenant with her. In some cases, the bargaining gets tough and nature takes offence, gradually revealing her anger with the terms that humanity seeks to impose on her through... | | Capturing New Markets: How Smart Companies Create Opportunities Others Don't
Hero of Alexandria had a great idea. In the first century ad, Hero’s design of the fi rst steam engine was ingenious and workable. Indeed, classical scholars have argued that it could have been combined with other inventions of the era to create a steam locomotive and railroad, transforming commerce and military affairs in the ancient... |
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