Big brands, big trouble : lessons learned the hard way / Jack Trout.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Trout, Jack.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Brand name products.

Success in business.

Competition.

Physical Description:

x, 223 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Wiley, 2001.

Summary:

In today's supercompetitive marketplace, all it takes is one mistake to hand your business over to your competitors. And once it's gone, your chances of getting it back are very slim. What's worse is that there are not one or two but an entire army of competitors out there to take advantage of your misstep. It wasn't long ago when Levi's, AT&T, Crest, Xerox, and Firestone were all at the top of their game, dominating the market with hardly a threat in sight. What happened to undermine their standing, as well as those of other superbrands?

In this important and controversial new book, the "king of positioning" Jack Trout reveals the disastrous marketing and strategy blunders that led to the trouble at some of the most recognized superbrands. And he provides candid analyses as to how those mistakes could have been avoided. Scrutinizing many of the world's most renowned companies under the microscope, Big Brands, Big Trouble provides in-depth case studies that chronicle the events leading up to the fall from grace of such mega-names as Xerox, Levi's, Miller Brewing, Digital Equipment, Burger King, and many others.

This page-turner also presents a set of expert guidelines on how to build, protect, manage, and expand your company's brand while avoiding some of the most common brand-killing blunders that can hurl you from the pinnacle of success to a scramble to stay afloat. Writing in his signature straight-from-the-hip style, Trout reveals some of the most common misconceptions about carving a niche for yourself in the consumers' minds, including why benchmarking doesn't really work (Pepsi's Sierra Mist); marketing research can be misleading (Xerox); line extension just makes your message increasingly fuzzy (A1-Poultry Sauce); shooting for profits rather than market share will get you in trouble (General Motors); and many others.

By outlining the all-too-common marketing and strategy pitfalls, Big Brands, Big Trouble clearly demonstrates what can commonly go wrong and how to learn from the mistakes of others.

Contents:

The most popular mistakes and their high cost

General Motors: forgetting what made them successful

Xerox: predicting a future that never came

Digital equipment corporation: from number two to nowhere

AT&T: from monopoly to mess

Levi Strauss: ignoring competition is bad for your business

Crest Toothpaste: look, ma, no leadership

Burger King: always under new management

Firestone: dead brand driving

Miller Brewing: a "Miller" too far

Marks & Spencer: a bad case of "top-down" thinking

Trouble in the wind: brands with unresolved problems

An army of consultants: but no one to help

Boards of directors: but no one to help

Wall Street: nothing but trouble

Knowing your enemy can keep you out of trouble

The bigger they are, the harder to manage

Trouble begins and ends with the CEO.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0471414328

OCLC:

47823005