How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know

Brings science to marketing with practical findings that have been replicated, explained and generalised into 'laws' we can rely on. Provides insight for all business professionals to market their brands effectively. Author from University of South Australia.

This book provides evidence-based answers to the key questions asked by marketers every day. Tackling issues such as how brands grow, how advertising really works, what price promotions really do and how loyalty programs really affect loyalty, How Brands Grow presents decades of research in a style that is written for marketing professionals to grow their brands. It is the first book to present these laws in context and to explore their meaning and application. The most distinctive element to this book is that the laws presented are tried and tested; they have been found to hold over varied conditions, time and countries. This is contra to most marketing texts and indeed, much information provides evidence that much modern marketing theory is far from soundly based.

More than anything else, however, I'm just plain envious. It's a book I wish I had the intelligence to write... Reading Sharp's critique of the cult of differentiation made me smile. And I laughed out loud at his characterisation of supposedly committed consumers as "uncaring cognitive misers". UK Marketing Week ...marketers need to move beyond the psycho-babble and read this book... or be left hopelessly behind. Joseph Tripodi, The Coca-Cola Company Until every marketer applies these learnings, there will be a competitive advantage for those who do. Mitch Barnes, The Nielsen Company. A scientific journey that reveals and explains with great rigour the Laws of Growth. Bruce McColl Mars Incorporated This book puts marketing's myth-makers, of which there are many, in their proper place. Thomas Bayne, MountainView Learning A truly thought-provoking book. Timothy Keiningham, IPSOS Loyalty The evidence in this book should make any marketer think hard about how they manage their brands. Kevin Brennan, General Manager Snacks and Marketing Director, Kellogg UK This book should be required reading on any marketing course. Colin McDonald, the 'father' of Single-Source analysis and author of Tracking Advertising & Monitoring Brands There is competitive advantage here for those who understand and follow this book's lessons. Jack Wakshlag, Chief Research Officer, Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.

1. Evidence-based marketing

2. How brands grow

3. How to grow your customer base

4. Which buyers matter most?

5. Our buyers are different

6. Who do you really compete with?

7. Passionate consumer commitment

8. Differentiation vs. Distinctiveness

9. How advertising really works

10. What price promotions really do

11. How loyalty programs affect loyalty

12. The Big Story: Competing for sales with mental & physical availability
EPILOGUE