Three Threats to Brand Relevance

"Threats to brand relevance are always lurking around the corner. Your brand is virtually never immune from the risk of fading instead of being energized or being damaged instead of strengthened."—David Aaker

From branding guru David Aaker comes Three Threats to Brand Relevance, a provocative new offering in the Jossey-Bass Short Format series. In Three Threats Aaker reveals that the key to an organization's sustained growth is to learn what it takes to bring "big" innovation to market and create barriers to competitors. Aaker also shows how well-established companies can avoid becoming irrelevant in the face of the continuing parade of marketing dynamics led by others. Building on his full-length book Brand Relevance, Aaker offers a guide for confronting the three threats if they emerge and shows how to put in place the strategies that will keep the threats at bay.

Threat #1: A decline in category or subcategory relevance. Customers simply no longer want to buy what you are making, despite the fact you are offering a quality product and some customers love it.

Threat #2: The loss of energy relevance. Without energy the brand simply does not come to mind as other more visible brands and a decline in energy can create a perception that it is locked in the past, suitable for an older generation.

Threat #3: The emergence of a "reason-not-to-buy." The brand may have a perceived quality problem or be associated with a firm policy that is not acceptable.

Whether your brand is just breaking into the marketplace or has a long held place in the hearts of its consumers, any forward-thinking company can implement Aaker's proven methods and strategies as part of their organization's ongoing review of brand strategy with the help of this succinct and to-the-point resource.

About the Jossey-Bass Short Format Series
Written by thought leaders and experts in their fields, pieces in the Jossey-Bass Short Format Series provide busy, on-the-go professionals, managers and leaders around the world with must-have, just-in-time information in a concise and actionable format.