Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name

By David A. Aaker

Aaker provides a clear and well-defined structure of the relationship between a brand and its symbol and slogan, as well as each of the five underlying assets. Aaker uses real-life examples to underscore the importance of brand equity: the fascinating Ivory soap story; the transformation of Datsun to Nissan; the decline of Schlitz beer; the making of the Ford Taurus; and others. Finally, citing examples from many other companies, Aaker demonstrates how to avoid the temptation to place short-term performance before the health of the brand, and instead, to manage brands strategically by creating, developing, and exploiting each of the five assets in turn.