FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand for the Future (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Summary: The value of brands is well known..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Fusion Branding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future is highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand business -- Midwest Book Review

FusionBrands depend on everyday operational excellence, customer equity, and accountability, says brand futurist Wreden. The book is a wide-ranging overview -- Bookviews

Suffice it to say that FusionBranding should be at or near the top of every marketer's reading list. -- Internet.com, December 12,2002

The book is a wide-ranging overview and synthesis of the subject, describing ten core principles of building brands. -- Business Reader Review, October 2002

The book is bound to stimulate your thinking about new ways to communicate effectively.... -- Writers Room

This is a must-read for business students and entrepreneurs. It is cogent and complete. We rated this book four hearts. -- Heartland Review, October 2002

Use of the new technologies by customers and customer-to-customer communications have changed the rules of branding. -- Marketing Update, December 2002

While it has become fashionable in some circles to make extravagant claims and recklessly predict the future, Wreden is far -- Jonathan Jackson

Wreden forecasts how branding will evolve by 2005 and beyond, particularly for companies trying to sell to other businesses. -- DestinationCRM

Wreden uses a wealth of examples to illustrate his ideas, which makes this text all the more engaging and thought-provoking. -- Brand Republic, May 2003

Product Description

Why do more than 90% of new products fail? Why do so many branding efforts never create a blip on consumer and business radar screens?

The reason: Many companies – especially those selling to other businesses – are failing to brand today because they are using the one-way marketing tactics of the 1970s, such as "positioning."

That's the premise of a controversial new book, FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future, by brand futurist Nick Wreden. The book argues that companies need to start preparing now for the branding imperatives of the next decade, which will be substantially different from the marketing requirements of the past 30 years.

The imperatives will be based on a new "brandscape" that will incorporate dramatic advances in wireless and other technologies, new production and distribution capabilities, and expanded measurement capabilities. Techniques that worked well in the mass economy won't succeed in today's customer economy and the emerging demand economy of 2005 and beyond. Instead, building brands that customers will embrace requires an emphasis on customer equity, operational excellence and accountability that extends from the CEO to production workers at supplier firms. Most important, companies require the ability to do business on customer terms.

By distilling the successes of today's – and tomorrow's – top brands, FusionBranding helps companies avoid expensive mistakes caused by dated marketing myths. It also provides operational, merchandising and marketing road maps that ensure customers receive continuing economic and psychic value from brands. FusionBranding is based on 10 core principles that any company – not just large companies selling to consumers – can use to establish a perpetual brand.

Many of the 10 core principles of FusionBranding are drawn from studies of FedEx, Amazon.com, Staples, Harley-Davidson and other business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. But the book also takes a close look at an area ignored by a lot of branding studies – business-to-business (B2B) companies. That's important because the economy mainly consists of businesses who sell to other businesses, and branding is as important to them as it is to Nike and Coca-Cola, although they will never advertise on TV. As a result, the book looks closely at supply chain management (SCM), key technologies, organizational models and management of such constituencies as the media, employees and investors.

FusionBranding is not another marketing book based on personal experiences or dated practices. For example, many have focused on the Internet as a tool to establish 'e-brands,' even though it is often counterproductive from the customer's point of view. While the Internet does open new communications and sales channels, its true branding value lies in its ability to unite relationship enterprises and enable business on customer terms. Instead of ads, logos and slogans, companies building a 21st century brand must focus on reach, immediacy and personalization.

The book has endorsements from U.S. Sen. Max Cleland; Thomas Gad, author of 4-D Branding and Managing Brand Me; Michael Corcoran, Chief Communications Office at Information Builders Inc.; and Nick Morgan, editor of Harvard Management Communication Letter, a publication of Harvard Business School Publishing.

Chapters also feature a "FutureView," which looks at branding in 2005 and beyond, "Takeaways," in-depth questions that can help apply FusionBranding principles to your brands, and "Resources" that feature books and Web sites about FusionBranding principles. Finally, key vendors are listed. The book is complemented by an comprehensive Web site that offers information, resources, newsletters and continuing insights about the future of branding.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: Accountability Press (September 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971744203
• ISBN-13: 978-0971744202
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,055,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tough Talk for Tough Times, January 20, 2003

By	Linda L. Brennan "LLB" (Macon, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is very readable, insightful and candid. Wreden uses a wealth of timely examples to illustrate his ideas -- some of which are quite contrarian, making this book also thought-provoking. His understanding of the implications and potential of technology adds a unique perspective. Each chapter provides additional resources for the reader. "Takeaways" are challenging questions to consider for determining a plan of action for the future. Built around 10 core principles, his arguments are compelling -- even as they might be uncomfortable for some readers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good take on what's next, November 9, 2002

By	Ed Higgins (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

According to brand futurist Nick Wreden, marketing faces a mid-life crisis, characterized by the growing ineffectiveness of campaigns and anger at spam and telemarketing. FusionBranding: How To Forge Your Brand for the Future looks at why marketing and branding appear to have lost their way, and suggests how they can redefine their roles for continued relevance.

Wreden writes thatthe post-war world can be divided into three eras. The "Mass Economy," which extended from about 1950-1995, was the golden age of branding. The power of the mass media allowed companies to control information flow and "position" offerings. The increasing power of such mass retailers as Wal-Mart as well as information-sharing through the Internet ushered in the "Customer Economy" around 1995. The next era, projected to begin around 2005, is the "Demand Economy." The Demand Economy will be characterized by three forces - reach, immediacy and personalization. Reach requires that companies be able to reach - and be accessible to - customers around the clock. Immediacy takes responsiveness to the next level. And personalization is required for both communications and offerings.

Why are many brands are failing today and executives growing cynical about their marketing investments? The reason, says Wreden, is because companies are still using mass-economy tactics like "positioning" even though the customer economy has changed branding imperatives. Wreden compares it to "playing golf today with clubs from the 1970s." This results in marketing that both wastes resources and fails to achieve desired results.

Instead of dated market-economy tactics, Wreden suggests "Ten Core FusionBranding Principles" for branding in the customer and demand economies. These include "brands are created by organizations and supply chains, not marketing departments" and "products offer promises. Brands honor commitments."

These core principles are based on the book's three key themes: customer equity, operational excellence and accountability. Customer equity reflects the value of existing customers, operational excellence is everything required to do business on customer terms, and accountability is needed to avoid wasting re sources and ensure responsiveness.

FusionBranding takes on a lot of topics often ignored in branding books, which tend to focus on the creative aspects of advertising. These books look at business-to-consumer branding, even though the bulk of business conducted worldwide is business-to-business. Businesses that sell to other businesses also need to establish a brand, but don't have the budgets used to promote yet another toothpaste or other consumer item. For such businesses, FusionBranding covers the role of supply chains in branding as well as the technologies and processes required for responsive customer service and fulfillment.

Another important topic that's often ignored is pricing. Often, pricing is talked about in terms of a branding advantage - "brands enable higher pricing." But how much higher? What about brands based on value? Is it better to set a high price, with promotions that offer substantial discounts, or a lower price from the beginning. One insightful chapter on pricing discusses how to link pricing to branding while maximizing profitability.

FusionBranding also contains a lot of specific tips for those in the business. PR agencies must start to incorporate competitive intelligence and accommodate a new world where the Internet allows everyone to be a journalist. Advertising agencies must expand capabilities to help channel partners market more effectively.

The last section is especially interesting. It discusses the three main branding challenges of the emerging Demand Economy - dynamic pricing, privacy and change management. It's debatable whether these issues will assume the importance Wreden says they will, but they definitely need to be kept in mind for long-range strategic planning. At any rate, the ideas, perspectives and strategies in FusionBranding can recharge any branding effort for today's - and more important, tomorrow's - markets.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Branding Book, December 8, 2002

By	Peter Hupalo (MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A brand identity that draws new customers and keeps current customers loyal is the holy grail of many businesses. Successful brands have tremendous value and create great wealth for their owners. But, why do some branded identities, such as Amazon and eBay, become so successful, while other companies pour millions into brands that fail?

"Fusion Branding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future" by Nick Wreden helps us understand how successful brands are created. Wreden argues past case studies of branding do not apply to the present economy, where less-trusting customers have better access to information and customers expect personalized treatment and quality service. Wreden says today's consumer will not accept being treated like the mass-market consumer of the past who was often overwhelmed by interrupt-based advertising.

Wreden writes: "A brand's power doesn't stem from the number of ads or press releases. It derives from an emotional, even mystical, attachment between a purchaser and a company. ... a brand is a multidimensional accumulation of positive experiences resulting from performance, usability, value and the recognition of peers. Brand building is based on what's always been important. Trust. Commitment. Loyalty. Respect. Satisfaction. In a word, a brand represents a bond."

Without operational excellence, customers don't respect a brand. Wreden says that companies must shift their focus from trying to "sell" to customers and examine the relationship from the customer's viewpoint. How can the company create real value for the customer? Branding moves a consumer from satisfaction to loyalty.

How serious companies are about being customer-focused can be observed by looking at how companies deal with product glitches. Comparing Inuit to Firestone, Wreden shows that brands can be strengthened when companies confront product glitches and absorb the costs to make things right, while failure to do so quickly erodes consumer trust and destroys the brand's value.

Wreden examines the role of personalization, self-service, and build-to-the-customer customization in the future economy. For example, some customers like to mix and match their own PC components when purchasing a PC. Some customers will want more RAM. Others will want less RAM, but, maybe, a higher-fidelity sound card. Wreden tells us this is one factor that has made Dell Computer so successful. Consumers can create their own PCs online and the PCs will be made to exactly match the customer's needs.

Wreden says the Internet is "...much more than a marketing medium. It is the key to enabling a relationship enterprise that allows business to be done on customer terms." We learn that while the Internet currently only accounts for one percent of the total U.S. sales, eighty-two percent of Internet shoppers gravitate to branded sites. So, branding is very important in determining which commercial websites become successful.

On-demand personalization will extend far beyond PCs in the future. For example, Wreden tell us about the jeans maker Levi Strauss: "At some stores, a body scanner can measure customers for a pair of exact-fitting jeans. However, it takes ten days to deliver the finished jeans, and they cost about one-third more than off-the-shelf jeans. In the demand economy, customers will be able to get the same pair of personalized jeans, but they will be delivered within one day and cost about the same."

To achieve on-demand efficiency will require that companies have excellent supply chain operations. Wreden writes: "An effective supply chain is the sine qua non of the demand economy. Integrated, orchestrated supply chains will be the basis for competition, and the primary determinant of the brand's ability to rapidly satisfy specific customer requirements. Supply chains must shift from a production-centric, 'push' model, where products are pushed through the supply chain based on production, to a customer-centered 'pull' model, where production is guided by actual customer demand, not forecasts."

Wreden says wireless technology will greatly enhance the ability of companies to immediately respond to customer needs. Wreden writes, "'Smart Dust' -tiny wireless sensors-will tag everyday objects for tracking and information transfer.... Already, there are ... garbage-can scanners which scan discarded items and place immediate orders for replenishment."

In addition to consumer branding, "Fusion Branding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future" discusses business-to-business branding which is often neglected. The book includes excellent discussions of customer relationship management, pricing, privacy, emotional drivers that influence customers, and the importance of accountability within a business.

I highly recommend "Fusion Branding: How To Forge Your Brand For The Future" to anyone who wants to understand business, marketing, and branding. The book is a great addition to the serious business library.