Brand Alliances: A Conceptual Model of Strategic Analysis
-- Julio Cerviño, José María Cubillo-Pinilla and Ignacio Cruz-Roche

This paper aims to analyze and develop the concept of brand alliance and the existing brand identity models. Particularly, the paper analyzes the problems inherent in this type of alliance, primarily with regard to complementarity and consistency between the alliance brands and their strategic objectives. Thus, the present work develops an analytical model based on Kapferer's "Identity Prism" (1994) and Rao and Ruekert's brand alliance evaluation model (1994). The model developed will be used to select potential brands for a possible alliance, evaluate the selection and track the alliance's value .

© 2005 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Brand Hyperextension-A study on the Abnormal Effects of Extending the Brand Beyond the Consumer's Accepted Brand ID
-- Surya Pala

Many strong brands have taken the route of Brand Extension to new launches. Herein, there is a need to translate the goodwill a brand possesses onto the products to which the brand has been extended. On the other hand, studies show that consumers tend to relate to brands using a self-congruity evaluation method. Given this, a brand has to communicate a Personality and an Identity (ID) which synchronizes with the self-image of the consumer. Empirical studies show that only such brands are successful in gaining the consumers acceptance. Furthermore, a normal brand ID can be defined as that ID which is most acceptable for a given brand. Then it follows that any deviation from the normal brand ID becomes unacceptable, and therefore creates an abnormal brand ID. It can be conjectured by any of the parameters like personality, image or benefits. It is possible to have a positive affect by extending the brand to an abnormal ID, but this Bad Boy image is not always successful. It is safer, therefore, not to extend the brand beyond the normal brand ID, i.e., Hyperextend the brand. Surmise to say that Brand Hyperextension can cause Brand Hyperventilation!

© 2005 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Do Global Brands Benefit from a Unique Worldwide Image?
-- Isabelle Schuiling and Jean-Jacques Lambin

Many global brands have been first strong local brands in their country of origin before being expanded in the rest of the world. The advantages of building global brands are not only limited to substantial reduction of costs, but also extend to the creation of a unique worldwide image. The objective of this article is to question whether these global brands do really benefit from a unique image in all markets. This article discusses the different strategies of international companies in the development of global brands and reviews the impact of the country of origin on the perception of brands. It also evaluates via an exploratory testing, the images of global brands in different countries.

© 2003 Symphonya: Emerging Issues in Management (www.unimib.it/symphonya). This article is a reprint from "Global Markets and Marketing Research", Symphonya: Emerging Issues in Management, issue 2, 2003. Reprinted with permission.

Branding Time: Swatch and Global Brand Management
-- Ram Mudambi

Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d'Horlogerie (SMH) was formed in 1983 by merging the two leading Swiss watch groups, SSIH and ASUAG. SMH and its main brand, Swatch, was the outcome of crisis for the Swiss watch industry. In a few short decades, foreign competitors with superior technology had all but eliminated the Swiss from a global industry that they dominated for centuries. The creation of Swatch is the extraordinary story of how the Swiss reinvented their watch industry. Recognizing the crucial role of brand intangibles to its future success, SMH changed its name to the Swatch Group in 1998. Now in the new millennium the Group needs to chart a strategy to preserve and enhance its stable of global brands.

© 2005 Ram Mudambi (http://papers.ssrn.com). Reprinted with permission.

Case Study

Tommy Hilfiger - The Struggles of an American Fashion Icon
-- A Mukund

"A consistent program, a commitment to live the brand, a unique consumer experience and a lot of luck. Hilfiger has all those things."

-`Born in the USA,' Adweek Western Edition, June 28, 1999.

"After years of being one of the coolest labels on the block, it suddenly looks like a loser.''

-`Why Tommy Hilfiger is so Like, um, 1998,' BusinessWeek, April 24, 2000.

"The brand may have been pushed to saturation point or diluted beyond recognition."

-`Hilfiger Loses Edge by Staying in the Middle,' Media Asia, October 17, 2003.

© 2004 ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For accessing and procuring the Case Study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or www.icmrindia.org

Book Review

Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound
-- Martin Lindstrom

Reviewed by - Roli Sehgal

Martin Lindstrom is an accomplished speaker and author. In this book, he talks about how brand managers can connect with their customers using the five senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and sound. He gives a number of ideas and suggestions, using his real-life experience, to create emotional ties between the brand and the customers.

© 2005 Martin Lindstrom. All Rights Reserved. The IUP holds the copyright for the review.

Interview

-- Jack Trout

Jack Trout changed marketing theory by introducing the concept of positioning, along with co-author Al Ries, in the seminal text positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, almost 25 years ago. So India can consider itself privileged ivhen Jack Trout, President of us-based marketing firm Trout & Partners, says that the country has all it takes to be a great product (it, fabrics, culture, and tourist destination), and only needs to work on its brand. "Slowly but surely, the global economy is playing out here in India," says the guru.

© 2004 Living Media India Ltd. This interview was published in Business Today, November 7, 2004, pp. 206-210 as "Don't Blow Away Your Culture", interview with Jack Trout, President, Trout & Partners. Reprinted with permission.