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Rating: 
Summary: Something totally new!
Review: "I am absolutely amazed at what I have learned from David Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler! I wanted to thank them for the clarity of the book and the user friendliness. This book is a new perspective on understanding what a brand should stand for, how brands and sub-brands should co-exist and how to communicate the brand to consumers. This is something totally new!"
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful!
Review: David A. Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler flex their marketing muscles in this exhaustive treatise on global brand creation. But although the authors clearly know an enormous amount about building the perfect branding campaign, their book suffers from a patina of academia that makes it read like a textbook. The book has a multitude of marketing insights to offer and it cites plenty of real-life business examples, so we at getAbstract think you'll gain much by sticking with it if you are in marketing or public relations. But the next time the authors expound on their methods for making products memorable, accessible and likeable, we hope they spare a tender thought for their own worthy book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I would say most, if not all, college marketing text are more readable than "Brand Leadership". Written by two professors of well-known business schools, this is a classic case of trying to make a science out of a hazy subject like branding. This book is laden with inordinate amount of theories, frameworks, models and worse still, jargon. If you can handle all that, fine. But it certainly kills my interest in the study of brand management. Instead of teaching in a straightforward and comprehensible manner, the authors did just the reverse - turning an interesting and relatively intuitive topic into something dry, complicated and unwieldy. If you want real, practical marketing stuff, go for the books by Al Ries and Jack Trout, definitely more fun and easier to read.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I would say most, if not all, college marketing text are more readable than "Brand Leadership". Written by two professors of well-known business schools, this is a classic case of trying to make a science out of a hazy subject like branding. This book is laden with inordinate amount of theories, frameworks, models and worse still, jargon. If you can handle all that, fine. But it certainly kills my interest in the study of brand management. Instead of teaching in a straightforward and comprehensible manner, the authors did just the reverse - turning an interesting and relatively intuitive topic into something dry, complicated and unwieldy. If you want real, practical marketing stuff, go for the books by Al Ries and Jack Trout, definitely more fun and easier to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Latest Aaker how-to manual hobbled by marketing-speak
Review: I'll save you some effort. Read the first five chapters of this book and stop. Aaker is the king of brand equity and successful strategies for organizing and developing brands but he also has a knack for being a bit long-winded. Don't get me wrong. The guy's a genius and the world of marketing is much the better for having him (and Joachimsthaler) around. However, in Management Communications at Business School they teach you to know your audience. There's a reason most business books are 160-220 pages. Business leaders don't have time to spend 12-15 hours reading texts. Aaker ignores this fact when offering the 330-page "Brand Leadership." That being said it's a great book for the frameworks and approaches it provides. Aaker truly is one of the elite few that really rises above the clutter in offering marketing insights to today's manager. Unfortunately like Michael Porter with Strategy, he feels that this level of insight affords the right to pontificate beyond the attention span of most managers. His theories on brand identity, brand architecture, and brand equity are invaluable though and for this reason the book is well worth the money and time. Particularly outstanding is the chapter on Brand Architecture which provides a stark contrast to the "focus" theories of Ries & Trout. Shortcuts: Chapter 6 -- Discusses Nike-Adidas market dynamics. Least interesting chapter in the book. Chapter 7 -- Addresses sponsorships and is fairly interesting and useful for today's marketing manager. If you really enjoy Chapter's 1-5 then give 7 a go as well. Chapter 8 -- If you recognize the names Fast Company, Business 2.0, Red Herring, or The Industry Standard, this chapter on the role of webs in building brands is not neccesary. Chapter 9 -- Pretty good chapter on building brands beyond advertising, but only if you have a couple hours to spare. By the end of the book this chapter felt like miles 16-25 of a marathon. Chapter 10 -- Read "The Lure of Global Brands" from the 12/99 Harvard Business Review as a substitute. More condensed and effective. Five star (and then some) book if edited down to 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Marketing is Business Strategy in Action
Review: In this third book in Aaker's branding trilogy the University of California professor and brand consultant documents a change away from the classic system of brand management that was created at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the 1930's and subsequently spread to market-driven companies all over the world. Aaker makes the case that classic brand management is being replaced by what he calls the brand leadership model. The manager in the brand leadership model emphasizes strategy as well as tactics, has a broader scope and is higher in the organization than the old-style brand manager. It focuses not only on short-term financials, but also on brand equity measures. The authors say that this new approach results from the market complexities that have arisen out of competitive pressures channel dynamics, business environments with multiple brands, aggressive brand extensions and complex subbrand structures. This shift involves fundamental changes in organization structure, systems and culture as the authors demonstrate with case studies from companies like Polo Ralph Lauren, Virgin Airlines, Adidas, Marriott and McDonalds. These case studies make the book more readable and drive home the points that the authors make with their rigid system of definitions and processes. Added bonuses are the chapters dealing with brand architecture, the role of sponsorship and the web, and building brands beyond advertising. Again, by using real world examples, the authors demonstrate how brand building today can benefit from many communications vehicles beyond traditional advertising so long as they make positive connections between the brand and consumers. Brand Leadership is not a casual read, but it will reward the diligent reader with an understanding of how to deal with complex brand management issues and its linkage to business strategy. It will also help organizations that are not so market driven realize that marketing is really just the manifestation of solid business strategy.
Rating:
Summary: The Essential Branding Mentor
Review: The "leading global brand" in branding methods and approaches, David Aaker, continues to provide innovative and leading-edge contributions to the field with this latest book Brand Leadership. Building on the Aaker methodology, the authors David Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler, along with their supporting team, have produced a masterpiece. Brand Leadership advances the previous works (eg. Managing Brand Equity- 1991; Building Strong Brands - 1996) and includes key guidelines for Branding on the Web. I find the book to be very organized and concise. It is also highly accessible and user friendly. It is quite an accomplishment and an ESSENTIAL read for those most serious and aspiring towards excellence in branding and holistic marketing. I thought the book in particular: 1. Demonstrates that marketing is, or should be, a practice of many inter-related disciplines (or sub-disciplines if you will) and processes. 2. It articulates that the marketing discipline as a whole, can not be achieved by giving someone a "quick and dirty" template to read. It is a science as well as an art that requires experience, knowledge and judgement. The fast track to excellence in marketing does not exist via a quick technique. Marketing is a system, a holistic management process consisting of many distinct disciplines. 3. Gives an excellent map of the Brand-Relationship Spectrum. 4. Provides much needed balance and insight on addressing Branding on the Web. So concise. So accurate. So relevant. 5. Gives a wonderful and insightful view into contemporary sponsorship. I would add that what is so relevant about the book, which is characteristic of the series particularly within the last two of the brand trilogy, is that it discusses where firms run into problems. Knowing what to avoid is as important as knowing what one needs to do. It is essential for keeping execution and strategy in alignment. Brand Leadership is based on solid experience and research in the field. The book will go a long way in helping those managers who are wise enough to learn from it. Highly recommend you purchase all of the books in the trilogy, as they strongly complement and support each other.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who wants to be anyone in marketing. As a student, I have found Brand Leadership to be a valuable tool. It has really built on a totally new dimension to marketing that I haven't encountered in any strategy or marketing class. Aaker and Joachimsthaler break new ground with their Brand Leadership Model by moving away from the static, short-term traditional marketing and communication models that focus on TV and advertising and don't take into account the vital role the brand plays in an organization's strength, let alone the value that it brings to a company's balance sheet. This book introduces an entirely new perspective on marketing as it encompasses brand-building with strategy, leadership and change. Make sure you read "Part IV: Building Brands Beyond Advertising" to get a new stance on brand-building methods. Read it, you'll never look back!
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who wants to be anyone in marketing. As a student, I have found Brand Leadership to be a valuable tool. It has really built on a totally new dimension to marketing that I haven't encountered in any strategy or marketing class. Aaker and Joachimsthaler break new ground with their Brand Leadership Model by moving away from the static, short-term traditional marketing and communication models that focus on TV and advertising and don't take into account the vital role the brand plays in an organization's strength, let alone the value that it brings to a company's balance sheet. This book introduces an entirely new perspective on marketing as it encompasses brand-building with strategy, leadership and change. Make sure you read "Part IV: Building Brands Beyond Advertising" to get a new stance on brand-building methods. Read it, you'll never look back!
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