Profit Brand

Book excerpt: Profit Brand presents a results-driven view of branding that any CEO or CFO would applaud. While branding strategies often concern themselves with "awareness," "visibility," "impact," and "image," author Nick Wreden shifts the focus to the bottom line. He offers a comprehensive metrics-based approach to branding that allows companies to link branding activities directly with profits. Wreden looks at the inefficiencies of traditional branding strategies that stress customer acquisition over customer retention. Customer loyalty, he argues, is the key to delivering profitability. With this in mind, he explores loyalty schemes, the need to own the customer experience, and the means of leveraging allies as brand ambassadors. He covers topics such as segmentation, optimization, pricing, and communication strategies and explores accountability systems such as six sigma, CRM, and scorecards. Citing examples from global brands such as IBM, Disney, Amex and KLM, the book highlights marketing practices both good and bad.