Brands laid bare

by Kevin Ford

The way we relate to brands has changed. Once, brand management was about doing things to people, and choices were made by brand managers not consumers. Now the focus has shifted towards the customer, empowering them to make choices and treating them as individuals rather than an amorphous mass. A consequence of this is increased interest in understanding people as a foundation for brand management. And this is where market research can come in. By drawing on market research to understand consumers, marketers can better understand how to manage their brand. Exploring a spectrum of 12 customer needs and drawing on first-hand research evidence, Kevin Ford provides a proven framework for understanding what people are really looking for from a brand - and delivering it.