The marketers are always trying to decipher as to what attracts customers to a particular brand. After all, one of the core purposes of branding is to attract the prospective customers towards the product. So, why do some brands succeed more in this endeavor than the other brands? What factors make a brand a cult brand, which commands uncompromising loyalty from the consumers? The answers to these questions have been investigated and profound theories have been developed to understand this phenomenon. But, the dynamic and ever-changing environmental factors have always put forth a new predicament that requires to be analyzed under a novel framework.

Such new predicament is developing in the aviation sector in India, wherein it is difficult to determine as to what are the requirements of an average passenger. How can an airline attract new customers? The authors, Neeraj Kaushik, V K Kaushik and Girish Taneja in their paper titled, "An Analytical Study of Customers' Preference and Satisfaction in Indian Domestic Aviation Sector" have attempted to answer these questions. They have empirically investigated the discriminating factors that lead to the customers' preference towards various airlines. They have also analyzed the prevalent satisfaction level of the customers vis-à-vis these airlines.

An interesting framework for corporate branding has been suggested by M Prasanna Mohan Raj and Amit Choudhary in their paper titled, "Conceptual Framework on Corporate Branding". The authors have related the corporate brand with the strategic vision, organizational culture and existing corporate image of a firm.

Kaushik Mukerjee, in his case titled, "Coca-Cola's Branding Strategies in India" has meticulously analyzed as to how Coca-Cola, through its various branding strategies, is trying to attract Indian customers towards its various offerings. This case shows how the firm had to alter its branding and promotional strategies according to the dynamic Indian environment.

Branding process is a complex phenomenon, but industry stalwarts like Allen P Adamson have shown how to make a brand successful through simple ideas. Rashmi Shashikant Malapur presents an interesting review and summary of Allen P Adamson's latest book "Brand Simple: How the Best Brands Keep It Simple and Succeed".

We hope that, as always, our selection of papers and book review will provide you with an interesting and insightful reading experience.

- Nitin Gupta
Consulting Editor