The Truth About Best Branding Practices (Collection): (Truth About)

150 powerful bite-size techniques for creating high-value brands – and keeping them strong!   Three full books of bite-size, actionable guidance on branding and marketing! Discover how to build great brands, and keep them great... ensure branding consistency everywhere from your packaging to your salesforce… promote and leverage brand loyalty… embed deep customer motivations into your brands… create cultures that can support authentic brand messages… and much more!   From world-renowned leaders and experts, including Brian D. Till, Donna Heckler, Michael R. Solomon, and William S. Kane

Table of Contents:
A. The Truth About Creating Brands People Love TRUTH 1 Managing brands is not common sense TRUTH 2 No one loves your brand as much as you love it TRUTH 3 The brand is not owned by marketing; everyone owns it TRUTH 4 Making more by doing less TRUTH 5 Does your brand keep its promise? TRUTH 6 Price is the communication of the value of your brand TRUTH 7 Brand personality is the emotional connection with your brand TRUTH 8 Does your sales force know the difference between a product and a brand? TRUTH 9 Beware of the discounting minefield TRUTH 10 Packaging protects your product; great packaging protects your brand TRUTH 11 Brand management is association management TRUTH 12 The retail experience is the brand experience TRUTH 13 Corporate ego: Danger ahead TRUTH 14 Brand metrics: Best measure of success? TRUTH 15 Customer complaints are a treasure TRUTH 16 Brand stewardship begins at home TRUTH 17 Market share doesn’t matter TRUTH 18 Avoid the most common segmentation mistake TRUTH 19 Public relations and damage control: The defining moment TRUTH 20 Focus equals simplicity TRUTH 21 Marketing is courtship, not combat TRUTH 22 Don’t sacrifice brand focus for sales TRUTH 23 The medium is not the message; the message is the message TRUTH 24 Brand development and the small business TRUTH 25 Imitation is an ineffective form of flattery TRUTH 26 Positioning lives in the mind of your target customer TRUTH 27 The value of brand loyalty TRUTH 28 Quality is not an effective branding message TRUTH 29 Effective use of celebrity endorsers: The fit’s the thing TRUTH 30 Brand-building consumer promotion TRUTH 31 Advertising built for the long run TRUTH 32 A service brand is a personal brand TRUTH 33 Is your brand the best at something? If so, be satisfied TRUTH 34 Great positionings are enduring TRUTH 35 Effective branding begins with the name TRUTH 36 Your brand makes your company powerful, not the other way around TRUTH 37 Be consistent but not complacent TRUTH 38 Is your brand different? If not, why will someone buy it? TRUTH 39 The three M’s of taglines: Meaningful, motivating, and memorable TRUTH 40 Customer service is the touch point of your brand TRUTH 41 Smaller targets are easier to hit TRUTH 42 Beware of the allure of brand extensions TRUTH 43 Keep advertising simple, but not simplistic TRUTH 44 It’s a long walk from the focus group room to the cash register TRUTH 45 Repositioning can be a fool’s chase TRUTH 46 With advertising, don’t expect too much TRUTH 47 Don’t let testing override judgment TRUTH 48 Effective advertising is 90% what you say, 10% how you say it TRUTH 49 Compromise can destroy a brand TRUTH 50 Don’t let the pizazz outshine the brand TRUTH 51 There are no commodity products, only commodity   B. The Truth About What Customers Want TRUTH 1 Your customers want a relationship, not a one-night stand TRUTH 2 Design it, and they will come TRUTH 3 Sensory marketing–smells like profits TRUTH 4 Pardon me, is that a breast in your Coke? TRUTH 5 One man’s goose… TRUTH 6 Throw ‘em a bone, and they’ll no longer roam TRUTH 7 Stay in their minds–if you can TRUTH 8 These are the good old days TRUTH 9 Why ask why? TRUTH 10 He who dies with the most toys wins TRUTH 11 Your customers are looking for greener pastures TRUTH 12 “Because I’m worth it” TRUTH 13 Love me, love my avatar TRUTH 14 You really are what you wear TRUTH 15 Real men don’t eat quiche (but they do moisturize) TRUTH 16 Girls just want to have fun TRUTH 17 Queer eye for the spending guy TRUTH 18 Yesterday’s chubby is today’s voluptuous TRUTH 19 Men want to sleep with their cars TRUTH 20 Your PC is trying to kill you TRUTH 21 Birds of a feather buy together TRUTH 22 Sell wine spritzers to squash players TRUTH 23 They think your product sucks–but that’s not a bad thing TRUTH 24 When to sell the steak, when to sell the sizzle TRUTH 25 People are dumber than robots (lazier, too) TRUTH 26 Your customers have your brand on the brain TRUTH 27 Let their mouseclicks do the walking TRUTH 28 Nothing shouts quality like leather from Poland TRUTH 29 Consider investing in a drive-thru mortuary TRUTH 30 Go to the Gemba. TRUTH 31 Your customers want to be like Mike (or someone like him) TRUTH 32 Go tribal TRUTH 33 People like to do their own thing–so long as it’s everyone else’s thing too TRUTH 34 Catch a buzz TRUTH 35 Go with the flow–get shopmobbed today TRUTH 36 Find the market maven, and the rest is gravy TRUTH 37 Hundreds of housewives can predict your company’s future TRUTH 38 Know who wears the pants in the family TRUTH 39 Youth is wasted on the young TRUTH 40 Make millions on Millennials TRUTH 41 Grownups don’t grow up anymore TRUTH 42 Dollar stores make good cents TRUTH 43 The rich are different TRUTH 44 Out with the ketchup, in with the salsa TRUTH 45 Look for fly-fishing born-again environmentalist jazz-loving Harry Potter freaks TRUTH 46 Ronald McDonald is related to Luke Skywalker TRUTH 47 Sign a caveman to endorse your product TRUTH 48 Make your brand a fortress brand–and make mine a Guinness TRUTH 49 Turn a (pet) rock into gold TRUTH 50 Think globally, act locally   C. The Truth About Thriving in Change Part I The Truth About Staying or Going TRUTH 1 Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react TRUTH 2 If your values don’t agree, it’s probably time to flee TRUTH 3 Service awards aren’t what they used to be TRUTH 4 Teaching long division doesn’t work on a Blackberry Part II The Truth About What You should Pack TRUTH 5 It’s not what you’ve got; it’s what you need TRUTH 6 To manage change, you must lead change TRUTH 7 You can’t do without a “can-do” attitude TRUTH 8 If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything Part III The Truth About Those Early Days TRUTH 9 Run before you walk TRUTH 10 Keep your boss your biggest fan TRUTH 11 There are only three ways to introduce change TRUTH 12 Build the case: It’s a challenge and an opportunity TRUTH 13 Teach others how to treat you Part IV The Truth About Planning TRUTH 14 If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t get there TRUTH 15 To realize the future, you must create it TRUTH 16 Convert aspiration to invitation TRUTH 17 Having organizational values matters; living them means more TRUTH 18 Make the change agenda everyone’s agenda Part V The Truth About Communications TRUTH 19 We listen with our eyes TRUTH 20 Email is the tool of the devil TRUTH 21 People can’t drink from a fire hose TRUTH 22 Conversion is for missionaries and crusaders Part VI The Truth About Matching People with Purpose TRUTH 23 Organizational structure: Look in from the outside TRUTH 24 Build your team around your “A” players TRUTH 25 Candidate screening: Let the facts speak for themselves TRUTH 26 Avoid the ten potential “placement pitfalls” TRUTH 27 Don’t surround yourself with yourself TRUTH 28 Why you need to get staffing right TRUTH 29 If you must “right-size,” do it the right way Part VII The Truth About Managing Performance TRUTH 30 One style does not fit all TRUTH 31 You can influence without authority TRUTH 32 You can’t work the plan if you don’t plan the work TRUTH 33 There’s no excuse for excuses TRUTH 34 Know what buttons to push Part VIII The Truth About Creating Your Cultural Framework TRUTH 35 Calm waters make for easier sailing TRUTH 36 Trust is a currency not easily earned, but easily spent TRUTH 37 If you’re out of sight, you’re probably out of touch TRUTH 38 Teams aren’t a necessary evil TRUTH 39 Your way may not be the best way TRUTH 40 The whole is greater than the sum of the parts TRUTH 41 Embrace–don’t run from–the questions TRUTH 42 Decision making: The fastest don’t always finish first TRUTH 43 Exceptions: Can’t live with them; can’t live without them TRUTH 44 Employee discipline: Ask the more meaningful question Part IX The Truth About Recognition and Reward TRUTH 45 Make every employee feel like your only employee TRUTH 46 A little formal recognition goes a long way Part X The Truth About Sustenance TRUTH 47 Your best investment is in… YOU TRUTH 48 Your title is manager; your job is teacher TRUTH 49 Trying to be all things to all people is a slippery slope

About the Author :
Michael R. Solomon, Ph.D. is Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Consumer Research in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He is also Professor of Consumer Behaviour at the Manchester School of Business, The University of Manchester, U.K. Professor Solomon’s primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle issues, branding strategy, symbolic aspects of products, psychology of fashion, decoration, and image, services marketing, and the development of visually oriented online research methodologies. Professor Solomon has been recognized as one of the 15 most widely cited scholars in the academic behavioral sciences and fashion literature and as one of the 10 most productive scholars in the field of advertising and marketing communications. His textbook, Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, published by Prentice Hall, is widely used in universities throughout North America, Europe, and Australia and is now in its eighth edition.    In addition to his academic activities, Professor Solomon is a frequent contributor to mass media. His feature articles have appeared in magazines such as Psychology Today, Gentleman’s Quarterly, and Savvy. He has been quoted in numerous national magazines and newspapers, including Allure, Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Mirabella, Newsweek, The New York Times, Self, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. He frequently appears on television and radio to comment on consumer behavior issues, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, Channel One, Inside Edition, Newsweek on the Air, The Wall Street Journal Radio Network, the Entrepreneur Sales and Marketing show, the WOR Radio Network, and National Public Radio. Professor Solomon provides input as a marketing consultant to a variety of organizations on issues related to consumer behavior, branding, services marketing, retailing, and advertising. He frequently speaks to business organizations around the world about new trends in consumer behavior.    Dr. Brian D. Till is the Steber Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Marketing Department at Saint Louis University. He holds a B.S. in Advertising and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. His Ph.D. is from the University of South Carolina. At Saint Louis University, he teaches primarily marketing strategy and advertising courses to M.B.A. students. His research is in the areas of celebrity endorsements, associative learning, and brand equity. He has published in Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Product & Brand Management, and Psychology & Marketing. Dr. Till serves on the editorial review boards of Journal of Advertising and Psychology & Marketing.   Prior to his university career, Dr. Till worked in brand management at Purina. He continues to serve as a marketing strategy and advertising consultant. Previous clients include Energizer, Monsanto, AT&T, Boa Construction, Charter Communication, Concordia Publishing House, Squeaky Clean Car Wash, and Medicine Shoppe International. He is active in the community, with recent nonprofit board appointments with the Stella Maris Child Center (where he recently completed four years as board president) and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri. Dr. Till is also a founding principal of the Brand Cartography Group, a market research firm that specializes in research designed to provide strategic insight into the structure of brands.   Donna Heckler is the Brand Strategy Lead for Monsanto, where she leads the company in its brand building and brand portfolio management. Ms Heckler has a B.A. in Zoology from DePauw University and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Indiana University.   Ms. Heckler has provided strategic brand guidance for a variety of firms. She has worked for Energizer Batteries to lead brand efforts both domestically and internationally. She led the brand marketing domestically and internationally for a division of Cardinal Health. She also led brand activities for Kimball Office.   Ms. Heckler had a brand strategy consulting firm for a number of years, where she supported such clients as The Clorox Company, Emerson Electric, Maritz, Inc., The American Red Cross, and Ralston Purina.   Ms. Heckler is actively involved in the community and supports a number of art institutions. She currently serves on the Alumni Board for the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is a board member for the Center for Brand Leadership and The International Institute of Greater St. Louis. She also sits on the Alumni Board for Indiana University.      William S. Kane is a highly accomplished human resources executive with experience in all aspects of global functional management. He has specific expertise in leading, planning, and executing the human capital strategy associated with profitable business transformations, including startups, large-scale mergers and acquisitions, and enterprise-wide stabilization and repositioning. Bill has held senior positions for a variety of multinational industrial leaders, such as International Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Electrolux/ Frigidaire, and FMC Corporation... companies with sales volumes ranging from $250 million to $17 billion, with more than 100,000 employees. He’s presently the vice president of human resources and general administration for Kyowa Pharmaceutical in Princeton, NJ.  Bill is an adjunct professor in the MAOB graduate-level certificate program in leadership studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University, as well as a frequent guest lecturer at Montclair State University and at Rutgers University. His professional memberships include the New Jersey Human Resources Planning Group (NJHRPG), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the national Academy of Management (AOM). He’s also a mentor in the nationally recognized leadership program for Women Unlimited and in the Beyond the Banks executive program at Rutgers College. Bill’s perspective on matters of corporate responsibility and human resources has been featured in USA Today, National Business Employment Weekly, and The Financial Times. He has also appeared at New Jersey gubernatorial press conferences, New Jersey congressional hearings, and at forums sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Labor and the New Jersey Network. Bill is currently studying for his Ph.D. in human and organization development at the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. As an extension of his academic efforts, Bill has collaborated with John Wooden, UCLA’s Coach Emeritus, and Andy Hill, authors of the best-selling book Be Quick But Don’t Hurry, to create and conduct management training seminars for corporate clients, civic groups, and students seeking to lead their teams toward optimized and sustained performance (www.woodenwayleadership.com). Bill holds three master’s degrees: an MA from Fielding in human and organization development, and an MBA in management and an MA in organizational psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers College. Bill is a resident of Westfield, New Jersey. He may be contacted at wmskane@aol.com.