Brand Stretch

David Taylor is Founder and Managing Partner of the brandgym, a consultancy helping teams develop action-oriented brand strategies. He has worked with many highly acclaimed and well-respected companies such as Unilever, SAB Miller, Danone, Cadburys and Blockbuster to help them boost brand and business performance. He was recently named by the CIM as one of the 50 leading marketing thinkers of today.He began his career in brand management with Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee before completing an MBA at INSEAD, France. He then started and successfully grew the Paris office of Added Value, Europe's leading marketing consultancy.His first book, 'the brandgym: A practical workout for boosting brand and business’ was published in 2002 and quickly became Amazon UK’s best selling branding title. He has also written many articles for Marketing, Brand Strategy, Marketing Business and Market Leader, and is a regular speaker at branding conferences.

• Preface. Acknowledgements.1. Brand stretch – or brand ego trip?Extension advantages.So why does the success rate suck?Virgin: The biggest ever brand ego trip?Shotgun weddings.Quitting the brand ego trip.Brand added value.Dove: Brand added value in action.The Brand Stretch workout.Key takeouts.Checklist 1: Brand Stretch – or brand ego trip?2. Step One: Strengthen the core.In shape to stretch?The heart of a healthy brand.Anchoring the core range.Bud and Bud Light: Sun and planets.Risky business.Tango: Taking the eye off the orange ball.Key takeouts.Checklist 2: Strengthen the core.3. Step Two: Vision.GPS for brands 30The masterbrand challenges.Less myopic marketing.Blockbuster: Out of the video box.Climbing the brand ladder.Pampers: From bottoms to babies.Axe: Ladders and snakes.Elastic brands.Key takeouts.Checklist 3: Vision.4. Step Three: Ideas.Start close to home.Moving out.Innovation shortcuts.The fairytale world of innovation.Starbucks’ Frappuccino: Real world innovation.Innokill survival kit.Key takeouts.Checklist 4: Ideas.5. Step Four: Focus.Meet the seven dwarves.Heroes or zeroes?Bertolli: Virtual venture capital.Dimension one: Brand vision building.Dimension two: Show me the money.The easyGroup story: Murder on the balance sheet.easyGroup summary.Alternatives to going it alone.Key takeouts.Checklist 5: Focus.6. Step Five: Delivery.Underestimating execution.Nescafé Hot When You Want: Not so hot execution.Brand damage.Brand and deliver.The Apple iPod: White hot execution.Delivering the promise.Key takeouts.Checklist 6: Delivery.7. Step Six: Brand architecture.The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.Architecture for brands.Houses versus streets.Mono-platform brands.Multi-platform brands.Lego: Building blocks of a new future.When the rubber hits the road.Comfort: Designing a turnaround.Let’s go round again.Key takeouts.Checklist 7: Brand architecture.Appendix 1: Masterbrand positioning tips and tricks.Appendix 2: Example masterbrand positioning tool.Appendix 3: Masterbrand positioning tool template.References.Index.

“This is essentially a useful guide for brand managers in organisations without long-term wisdom.” (Brand Strategy, May 2004) “If this review were to be only two words, they would be 'Buy this!' [this] book is an essential, authoritative and easy-to-understand..” (Media Week 4 May 2004)"...an admirable book..." (Management Today, March 2004)