Building Strong Brands (Hardcover)

by David A. Aaker (Author) "In the 1870s, a photographer's outfit included not only a large camera but also a sturdy tripod, glass plates, a big plate holder, a dark..." (more)
Key Phrases: strategic brand analysis, endorser role, fixation trap, Healthy Choice, United States, General Motors (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Aaker (marketing, Univ. of California- Berkeley) has written a sequel to his Managing Brand Equity (Free Pr., 1991). In this latest offering he tells how to deal with the fragmentation of markets by building brand identity, creating brand personality, and managing a brand system. With extensive case studies and illustrations of companies' ads, he emphasizes positioning a brand personality to match that of the consumer being targeted. Kingsford, known for its charcoal, tried to move into a line of foods but failed, unable to shake its charcoal image. Healthy Choice created the perception that healthy foods can taste good. Saturn developed from a new company in an old industry and had to "sell the company, not the car." Aaker's well-written book is for specialists in the field of marketing. Recommended for large business collections.
Joel Jones, Kansas Cty. P.L., Mo.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Although the author's credentials (he's a University of California at Berkeley business professor) might seem to exclude average readers, that is, those outside the marketing profession, there's a great deal of interesting general information packed into these pages. Far from being an ethereal dissertation on brands, brand equity, and brand identity, Aaker's book presents case examples to which anyone can relate. It is edifying to peruse the sections on past brand strategies and on the making of the Saturn automobile brand, among other topics. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (December 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 002900151X
• ISBN-13: 978-0029001516
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,293 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smart and thorough, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

The single most useful book I've found on brand development. Aaker presents a thorough, but easy to read exploration of the many branding complexities. Giving the reader a framework of inter-related concepts, he gels the essence of each point with useful examples. You immediately understand the idea and move comfortably on to the next - quite an accomplishment for such a complex subject.

If I have one frustration, it's that even with his flowcharts and figures, I suspect there is a comprehensive diagram to be had which would tie all the branding issues and dimensions into a single profile. After reading the book I found myself trying to flowchart it all to better see the relationships involved. It would have been helpful if the author had done it for us.

Even so, I value the book highly and it will become a central reference for my entire staff.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Academic Drivel, July 13, 2000

By A Customer

I found this book to be poorly organized, over-articulated mush. As someone who has worked on several extremely successful brands including Sony and the "Virginia is for Lovers" campaign, I would be shocked to see that this book had received high marks from anyone who actually worked in advertising, marketing or brand management. Yes, Aaker has some decent insights into brand management in his case studies -- hindsight is 20/20. Unfortunately, they're difficult to find, since his writing is extremely repetitive and verbose. One gets the impression he is more interested in communicating how intelligent he is, than actual information on brand equity. There are a few bits of good information buried in the middle of the book, but it is not worth the long, painful journey to get to them. Read it only if you are having trouble falling asleep.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rehashed, Recycled. Nothing new here., November 11, 2004

By	jojo "jojo" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This book is more of the same rehashed, recycled, repurposed content from the authors. Much of this material is available in any basic marketing text. In fact, this book reads strikingly similar to just about any training manual on the basics of branding. If you've worked at any of the big agencies: McCann, JWT, Y&R, you learn the contents of this book on your first day in about a hour. All the cases cited in this book are stale and extremely weak. The "editorial reviews" listed above are shill quotes from clients who are cited as "cases" in the book.
Remember this before you buy: the author, and the firm for whom he works, use this book as nothing more than a lead-generation tool--it's called "thought leadership", a nebulous term used by company to propagate its own way of thinking. Save your money. Don't become a victim of Prophet's propoganda. Buy something with substance like Jean Noel Kapferer.