Brand Leadership [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Don't get me wrong. The guy's a genius and the world of marketing is much the better for having him (and Joachimsthaler) around. However, in Management Communications at Business School they teach you to know your audience. There's a reason most business books are 160-220 pages. Business leaders don't have time to spend 12-15 hours reading texts. Aaker ignores this fact when offering the 330-page "Brand Leadership."

That being said it's a great book for the frameworks and approaches it provides. Aaker truly is one of the elite few that really rises above the clutter in offering marketing insights to today's manager. Unfortunately like Michael Porter with Strategy, he feels that this level of insight affords the right to pontificate beyond the attention span of most managers.

His theories on brand identity, brand architecture, and brand equity are invaluable though and for this reason the book is well worth the money and time. Particularly outstanding is the chapter on Brand Architecture which provides a stark contrast to the "focus" theories of Ries & Trout.

Shortcuts:

Chapter 6 -- Discusses Nike-Adidas market dynamics. Least interesting chapter in the book.

Chapter 7 -- Addresses sponsorships and is fairly interesting and useful for today's marketing manager. If you really enjoy Chapter's 1-5 then give 7 a go as well.

Chapter 8 -- If you recognize the names Fast Company, Business 2.0, Red Herring, or The Industry Standard, this chapter on the role of webs in building brands is not neccesary.

Chapter 9 -- Pretty good chapter on building brands beyond advertising, but only if you have a couple hours to spare. By the end of the book this chapter felt like miles 16-25 of a marathon.

Chapter 10 -- Read "The Lure of Global Brands" from the 12/99 Harvard Business Review as a substitute. More condensed and effective.

Five star (and then some) book if edited down to 200 pages.

Brand Leadership advances the previous works (eg. Managing Brand Equity- 1991; Building Strong Brands - 1996) and includes key guidelines for Branding on the Web. I find the book to be very organized and concise. It is also highly accessible and user friendly. It is quite an accomplishment and an ESSENTIAL read for those most serious and aspiring towards excellence in branding and holistic marketing.

I thought the book in particular:

1. Demonstrates that marketing is, or should be, a practice of many inter-related disciplines (or sub-disciplines if you will) and processes.

2. It articulates that the marketing discipline as a whole, can not be achieved by giving someone a "quick and dirty" template to read. It is a science as well as an art that requires experience, knowledge and judgement. The fast track to excellence in marketing does not exist via a quick technique. Marketing is a system, a holistic management process consisting of many distinct disciplines.

3. Gives an excellent map of the Brand-Relationship Spectrum.

4. Provides much needed balance and insight on addressing Branding on the Web. So concise. So accurate. So relevant.

5. Gives a wonderful and insightful view into contemporary sponsorship.

I would add that what is so relevant about the book, which is characteristic of the series particularly within the last two of the brand trilogy, is that it discusses where firms run into problems. Knowing what to avoid is as important as knowing what one needs to do. It is essential for keeping execution and strategy in alignment.

Brand Leadership is based on solid experience and research in the field. The book will go a long way in helping those managers who are wise enough to learn from it.

Highly recommend you purchase all of the books in the trilogy, as they strongly complement and support each other.