Brands can follow one of three patterns to escape the gravity of hyper-mature categories. Reverse brands, breakaways, and hostile brands can all energize brand loyalty by breaking with the herd. True differentiation is a mindset and a commitment to engage with consumers as real people. Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon In the second half of Different Youngme Moon provides her antidote ...

As product categories mature, there is a tendency for all offerings to resemble one another. Traditional marketing techniques and competitive pressure result in a homogenous set of products. To break free of this cycle, companies must invest in their differences rather than attempting to match competitor’s strengths. Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon Although many business books have been ...

Differentiation within segments based on the four P’s is limited and easily replicated; strategic segments offer a more defensible position because they involve a more extensive value network. Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO’s Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation by Nirmalya Kumar Value networks are a key theme in Marketing As Strategy. Kumar describes value networks as “the orchestration of ...

Marketing is uniquely situated to help companies achieve business goals. To do this, the CMO must rise above tactical metrics and the four P’s. Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO’s Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation by Nirmalya Kumar   In Marketing As Strategy Nirmalya Kumar exhorts marketers to step up, use marketing as a strategic lever, and move beyond the traditional four P’s. ...

Why People Buy by Louis Cheskin Many of Louis Cheskin’s motivation research themes come together in his evaluation of the 1958 Ford Edsel market launch. He predicted the failure of the car that the Ford Motor Company put all its marketing muscle behind. Sensitivity to social and cultural forces, the need for unconscious level market research, and emphasis on a ...

Why People Buy: Motivation Research and Its Successful Application by Louis Cheskin Louis Cheskin wrote books about color, market research, advertising, package design, and product development during the 1950’s. He was a fervent advocate of diligent and objective research with a focus on unconscious testing for the purpose of discovering deep motivations. Acknowledging the irrational elements of human behavior, he ...

How To Predict What People Will Buy by Lois Cheskin   Louis Cheskin (1907-1981) was a marketing pioneer, one of the first people to bring social science to bear on marketing activities. He was an authority on color and art and brought discoveries from Gestalt psychology and psychoanalysis into market research. Cheskin was adamant about testing and used sophisticated techniques to ...

Companies can no longer “go it alone”–vertical integration and direct control over distribution channels, once winning strategies, now must be replaced with a partnership and joint value creation focus. Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships: Gaining Competitive Advantage through Collaboration and Partnering by Richard Gibbs and Andrew Humphries Strategic Alliances and Marketing Partnerships seeks to answer two key questions: Why are some ...