Our thinking appears in marketing articles and publications around the world

In this interview published in M&K, the leading Swiss marketing communications journal, Roland Bernhard addresses some of the most challenging topics marketers face today. Roland talks about customer experience, innovation and marketing accountability and explains how commanding these topics help marketers gain a competitive advantage, even in difficult times. *Please note, this article is in German.

James P. Catty’s latest book, Guide to Fair Value under IFRS, includes a chapter on “Trademarks and Brands” written by Prophet Academic Partner Roger Sinclair, PhD. The guide explains the concept of fair value in implementing IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), and its differences with U.S. GAAP. It provides detailed guidance as to how fair value is to be determined, and fills numerous gaps in common understanding of IFRS requirements.

When thousands of people lost their jobs during the Great Depression, many of them started riding the rails across the country in search of work and food. Hobos, as they were called, had been hopping trains since the 1870s, working as migrant laborers wherever they could find a job. They often traveled by themselves, leading to the inevitable problem of knowing what to expect when arriving in an unfamiliar place. Some cities might be welcoming while others might be less hospitable. A farmer might feed those who worked his fields while others might turn you into the police. A secret language of signs was developed that informed hobos about what awaited them. To the casual observer, the signs were gibberish or graffiti; but to the hobo, they could mean the difference between a hot meal and a night in jail. And therein lies a key question for today’s companies to ask themselves:

In many companies marketing and accounting follow totally separate paths. Accounting is the process of managing income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Marketing is the customer-focused function. This separation is artificial because the two functions in reality are indivisible.

Aneysha Pearce explains why the Commonwealth Games fiasco has left the reputation of India’s government and the country in general in serious jeopardy.

In this article, we discuss three strategies to help companies integrate corporate social responsibility with brand-building efforts.

In this Q&A with Guy Kawasaki, David Aaker explains how to use branding as a weapon against your competition.

For some time now, marketers have talked about methods to measure the economic effectiveness of their programs and have looked for financial metrics suitable to report their activities to the board. A recent survey by the Columbus Business School indicates their success has been limited. Only 30% of the CMOs interviewed use financial metrics for reporting, and 57% of CMOs use no measure of Return on Marketing Investment to evaluate their achievements.

A critique of Britain's customer service within the context of how it may impact brands on a global scale.*

Technology companies must consider their customers' needs in designing "solutions strategies." This article outlines four key questions that must be addressed to ensure that the brand meets customers' needs.

While it is tempting to cut resources, slow down product launches, and refocus only on the core, companies that continue their commitment to innovation are more likely to reap great rewards.

This book combines the thought leadership of the school's highly regarded marketing faculty with perspectives of senior business executives with years of experience in brand building. It includes a chapter written by Scott Davis titled "Building a Brand-Driven Organization."

A commentary on the challenges of branding in the financial services sector. Advertising may increase awareness, however, it is the delivery of excellent customer experience that truly makes a positive impact on a company's brand.

Roger Sinclair outlines that Portfolio management is a key ingredient in enterprise value in and that inefficient portfolio units drag down the rest. The Prophet Brand Valuation Tool offers sensitive and unique facilities for this management function.

Marianne Caponnetto is a case in point: Change agents can come from anywhere in the organization. At Scholastic, the leading children’s book publisher and education technology company, she’s enabling change from the boardroom after having earned her stripes driving the change imperative in sales and marketing leadership positions at DoubleClick, IBM, and Dow Jones &Co. 

In this article, Roger argues that accountants and marketers are more similar than we think.  

From financial services to pharma to energy, B2B companies are embracing marketing. With intense competitive pressures, they have to identify sources of profitable growth, promise a better solution to customers, and ensure efficient and effective delivery on that promise.

This article was co-authored with our client, UBS, and has been translated into English from the original German text. It illustrates how active touchpoint management can help in converting prospects to clients, extending relationships to existing clients and therefore driving business results.

Senior management is placing increased pressure on marketers to justify their budgets, and is continually looking for the bottom-line benefit of brand-building investments. At the same time, current tracking tools offer limited value. By delving into the next generation of brand tracking, marketers can improve both business performance and ease senior management's concerns.

Prophet conducted a study among 90 global corporations to explore best practices in branding today. The study found that only a small majority (53%) has a long-term brand strategy in place, and of that number only 40% are “very” satisfied with it.