Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant

By David Aaker

Success in dynamic markets involves creating offerings so innovative that they create new categories or subcategories — making competitors irrelevant. This groundbreaking book shows how brands such as Prius, Whole Foods Market, SalesForce.com, Zipcar, Wheaties Fuel, Muji, Asahi Beer, GE, and Apple have turned away from destructive brand preference competition to focus on winning the brand relevance war.

With powerful case studies, David shows how it is done from concept generation and evaluation to defining and managing the image of the new categories and subcategories to creating barriers to competitors. Brand relevance is also a threat to established companies and he shows how brands can avoid going into decline by becoming irrelevant. Brands that can create and manage new categories or subcategories making competitors irrelevant will prosper while others will be mired in debilitating marketplace battles or will be losing relevance and market position.

Brand Relevance was recently listed by Ad Age as one of the "Ten Marketing Books You Should Have Read" in 2011, as well as by strategy+business as one of the "Best Business Books of 2011." Aaker's work was also listed by 800 CEO READ on the "2011 Business Book Awards: The Short List," as one of the top 5 marketing books of year.

Aaker has nailed it (again)!! The long-term viability of a business is inextricably linked to gaining a brand relevance advantage through new category and subcategory development and unique positioning
—Joe Tripodi, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Coca-Cola

Most of our work as brand builders is reactionary, chasing each other’s ideas. The result is a marketplace of sameness. David Aaker gives us fresh principles and real ideas to change that, to be truly innovative, to raise our game
—Jim Stengel, Former CMO, P&G

Brand Relevance shows how finding a higher purpose, a characteristic of great companies, can affect which brands customers perceive as relevant.
—Tony Hsieh, Author, Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com

To learn how we can help with brand issues you may be facing, click here.

Comments

I look forward to reading the book. Mr. Aaker seems to talk more about the product and product relevance. What about communications relevancy? How do you render competitors irrelevant via communications?

— Added by Andrew Montgomery on January 17, 2011

Yes the book is about the impact of innovative offerings making competing brands not relevant. But the execution involves communication to manage the image and preference toward the new categories. Also, it turns out that communication, especially social media communication, is more effective when there is something new and interesting to say. That is the case when an offering is truly innovative "consider this a new category or subcategory" as opposed to "our brand is better" kind of communication.

— Added by David Aaker on January 18, 2011

And don't forget the importance of product/service name selection, as well as trademark protection. After all, when Kraft was sold years ago, the single greatest asset of the company was its trademark.

— Added by Mitchell Crain on January 30, 2011

I agree. One of the differences of Brand Relevance:Making Competitors Irrelevant from Blue Ocean and other books advocating creating new categories is that the importance of managing the image of the category (or subcategory) and linking to a strong brand is emphasized. You need a brand to support innovation if it is to be an enduring advantage.

— Added by David Aaker on February 3, 2011

I'm really looking forward to reading this book, Mr. Aaker. Your books are great! I just wish there was an audiobook version of it, so I could listen to it while I go for some jogging.

— Added by Filipe Frota on April 8, 2011

Absolutely great. Yet another relevant and very practical insight from the guru himself. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading this book, David sir. You've always been a guiding force and source of inspiration for people like me. I'm certainly going to recommend the book to all my students.

— Added by Dr Tripti on September 14, 2011

Sounds like another very good book on branding. Probably the first to link so clearly innovation and branding - something I have learnt in my managing and consulting career to be really key. What I wonder is why with all these books and teachings it remains so difficult for many companies to practice such ideas. Anybody has an answer?

— Added by Renzo Rizzo on May 23, 2012

Renzo, I think the major reasons are that the large business units in a firm that control the budgets are focused on incredmental innovation and that organizations are not set up to support major innovations. See my last chapter on the innovative innovation in Brand Relevance.

— Added by David Aaker on May 24, 2012

Join the conversation and add your comment:

The fine print: All comments are reviewed before they are published, so your comment may not show up right away. We reserve the right to edit and remove comments at any time for any reason. Unprofessional language and spam will be rejected.