Marketing Needs Assessment

 

In conjunction with BrandForward, Inc., we are conducting a marketing needs assessment. If you are a marketing professional or business executive of any type who is aware of your organization's marketing needs, please help us quantify those needs so that we can report those needs back to you in a subsequent blog post. Your response will be combined with other responses and your identity will remain anonymous.  It is estimated that it will take you 6 minutes or less to complete.

Here is the LINK to the survey. 

Thank you in advance for helping us report the most pressing marketing needs back to the marketing community.

Skill Sets Required of Marketers

 

One of the things that attracted me to marketing is its use of both the right-brain and the left-brain. Ideally, marketers have creative and analytical minds. Having said that, the two most important skills a marketer must possess is common sense and the ability to put him or herself in the shoes of the customer. That is, a marketer must possess deep insight into the motivations and behaviors of their brand's target customers.

But marketing is actually a broad label for a wide variety of different marketing tasks and skill sets. For instance, a marketer could be an expert in qualitative marketing research, quantitative marketing research, data analytics, SEO, graphic design, photography, videography, copywriting, social media marketing, corporate communication, media & public relations, trade marketing, brand strategy formulation, brand identity development, brand management, brand licensing, account management and more.

Here are some of the specific skill sets required for each marketing specialty:

• Qualitative Marketing Research: a deep understanding of customer motivations (including their hopes, fears, anxieties, beliefs, values, attitudes, habits and behaviors), projective research techniques, guided imagery, stimulus creation, emotional IQ, being able to read people well, group facilitation, understanding order biasing
• Quantitative Marketing Research: formal education in marketing research including advanced statistical techniques, survey design, an understanding of scaling, biasing, and the right type of question and analysis to be performed for each insight, use of data analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics, Hotjar, SPSS, etc.), online survey platforms, data sampling company relationships
• Data Analytics: formal education in data analytics, programming languages (e.g. Python, R, SQL), data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI), statistical analysis, data wrangling and cleaning, machine learning, outstanding analytical skills, attention to detail
• SEO: an understanding of search engine algorithms and ranking factors, critical thinking, content writing, AI programming, web coding, ability to use popular SEO tools (e.g. Google Analytics), content marketing
• Graphic Design: design principles, typography, UX and UI design, creativity, understanding color psychology, Pantone swatch book, graphic design tools (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver, Canva, CoralDRAW Graphics Suite, etc.)
• Photography: lighting, focus, composition, the rule of thirds, symmetry, background, cropping, shutter speeds
• Videography: storytelling, technical skills in video production, cinematic composition and lighting, post-production/editing skills, familiarity with editing software, audio sensitivity, color grading and correction
• Copywriting: customer insight, storytelling, creative writing, understanding the brand's voice and unique value proposition
• Social Media Marketing: social media strategy development, content planning and creation, graphic design, video editing, analytics and reporting, community management, paid social media advertising, influencer marketing, creativity, adaptability, deep understanding of Meta platforms and Google tools, understanding of blogs and RSS feeds
• Corporate Communication: storytelling, identifying story angles, strong writing skills, relationships with publications and other media, strong listening skills, emotional, intelligence, curiosity, the ability to explain why
• Media & Public Relations: communication and writing, social media, research, creativity, interpersonal skills, relationships with media sources, being aware of societal and industry trends, ideating and executing proactive publicity (i.e. publicity stunts)
• Trade Marketing: ROI (return on investment), POS (point-of-sale) and shelf management, brand marketing, digital marketing, Nielsen, business development, conference and trade show marketing, product development, marketing mix, relationship management, co-op advertising
• Brand Strategy: active listening, marketing research, customer insight, consumer psychology, creative and conceptual thinking, communication, storytelling, strategic use of data analytics, collaborative skills, influencing, group facilitation, global and cultural awareness, competitive and business model strategy, leadership
• Brand Identity Development: understanding brand essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, graphic design, typography, color psychology, understanding various logo uses, written communication, knowing how to balance consistency and flexibility in design, being able to craft brand identity guidelines [A comprehensive online course on brand identity and architecture]
• Brand Management: marketing research, consumer insights and analytics, strategic brand development, storytelling, financial/budget management, collaboration and influencing skills, strong interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication, emotional intelligence, assertiveness
• Brand Licensing: understanding the brand essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, building a network of industry contacts, financial skills, negotiating skills, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, understanding IP (intellectual property)
• Account Management: understanding constituencies, client-service oriented, empathy, strong interpersonal and communication skills, time and project management, budgeting, calmness under pressure, influencing, "seeing the forest through the trees"
• Chief Marketing Officer: Posts about CMOs - What to Look for in a CMO, What a Chief Marketing Officer Needs to Know, The Changing Role of the CMO

These skills are common to many of these different marketing roles: customer insight, understanding the brand's essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, communication, storytelling, creativity and analytical skills. Marketing is one of the few professions that typically requires a combination of right-brain and left-brain skills. If you are considering a career in marketing, perhaps this list of required skills will help. And if you are trying to hire a marketer, this will help you to understand the type of marketer you might want and what skill set they should possess. I wish you great success in all of your marketing endeavors. 

PS - As a bonus, here is my blog post on Eight Skills of a Marketing Rock Star

 

Marketing Trends 2025 - My Predictions

What marketing strategies and tactics are likely to emerge or extend into 2025? Here are my predictions:

• Focus on building brand awareness - awareness is the cornerstone of all marketing
• Proactive publicity as an inexpensive source of brand awareness building
• Values-driven messaging
• Tribal branding - values-based community building
• Sustainability
• Emphasizing product and service quality over quantity
• Content marketing, focusing on high quality value-added content
• Using AI for content creation and data analytics
• User-generated content (endorsing the brand)
• Co-creation of the brand with customers
• Short-form videos
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• Hyper-personalization
• Marketing automation
• Thought leadership
• Case studies (B2B marketing)
• Infographics
• Employees as influencers
• Use of more micro-influencers
• Social media platforms used as commerce platforms
• Increased use of Meta platforms
• Experiential brand activations - comprehensive customer touchpoint design
• SEO (especially preparing for generative AI)
• Use of humor in marketing communications

Four Simple Tips to Help Your Marketing

Over the years I have learned some simple, common sense tips to improve marketing outcomes. These are not 'rocket science.' They are just simple things you can do to improve your marketing outcomes.

1. Whenever you conduct customer research, ask this simple set of questions at the end of your research: "Where do you go to get information about products in this category?" "To whose advice do you listen?" "To what websites do you go?" "What publications do you read?" "What conferences do you attend?"
2. Whenever possible, but especially when interacting with the public, make sure you capture each person's name and email address. You would be surprised how many people forget to do this even at marketing events. And know that it is always better to have the prospect's contact information than making sure they have yours. One way to make sure this happens at conferences, trade shows and events is to require the person's name and email address as a cost of entry to your presentation, activity or booth.
3. In any online communication, suggest that the recipient share the communication with or forward it to friends and colleagues who also might be interested in your product or service. This simple prompt will cause many people to do just that, forward or share your communication with friends and colleagues. You can also add "share" buttons to the the post or email message to make it even easier to share.
4. Whether it is in an email message or an online ad, make sure there are multiple places a person can click that will take him or her to the intended action. I will likely be a combination of words, images and buttons.

How to Remain a Leading-Edge Marketer Throughout Your Career

I have been a marketing practitioner for 38 years. And I am happy to report that my skill set has kept up with the latest marketing concepts and technologies. So, how do I stay abreast of the latest developments? Here is my list of the things that one can do to stay current:

• Hold a variety of marketing positions over time - I held positions in product management, new product development, trade marketing, brand management, brand licensing, advertising, promotion, media planning, marketing research, CRM, corporate communications and marketing management
• As a consultant, help other companies solve their marketing problems - I have helped more than 200 organizations in 60+ industries develop successful brand strategies
• Read every new marketing, marketing research, customer service, psychology and behavioral economics book that is published
• Read as many other genres as possible
• Go to marketing conferences and take lots of notes
• Speak at marketing conferences
• Attend marketing webinars and take lots of notes
• Develop marketing webinars
• Watch marketing "how to" videos on YouTube and Vimeo
• Take marketing e-learning courses
• Volunteer to help not-for-profit organizations with their marketing
• Teach marketing as an adjunct professor at a local college or university
• Conduct marketing seminars at a local library
• Develop and produce marketing e-learning courses
• Publish a marketing blog - so far, I have written 1,460 posts for three different marketing blogs
• Create a marketing-related YouTube channel
• Create a marketing podcast
• Become a guest on other people's podcasts
• Interview CMOs for your podcasts, videos and blog posts
• Write a book on marketing
• Write marketing-related articles for professional journals
• Volunteer to judge marketing competitions
• Join the local chapter of the American Marketing Association
• Join the local chapter of PRSA
• Join the American Advertising Federation
• Network with other marketers
• Create and publish a marketing industry survey to identify the latest marketing trends and issues
• Create websites and manage social media for your favorite hobbies and organizations - I manage five different Facebook pages for five different organizations in which I am involved
• Make sure you understand social media marketing, mobile marketing, CRM, email marketing, marketing automation, geofencing, retargeting and OTT and CTV marketing
• Use Chat-GPT in a variety of ways to make sure you understand it

This list may seem overwhelming but true experts never stop learning. They relentlessly explore deeper and deeper into every aspect of their field of expertise. And they do the same with closely related fields of expertise. This is how one becomes a world-class marketer.

I hope this provides you with some ideas of how you can stay at the top of your game throughout your marketing career.

 

Blog Posts with Numbered Lists

 

From our archives, these are the Branding Strategy Source blog posts that include numbered lists (from most recent to least recent):

• 100 Trends Shaping Our World
• 26 of the Most Common Startup Challenges
• 10 Ways to Successfully Position Your Brand in Overcrowded Markets
• 55 Ways to Sabotage Brands
• 20 Research-Based Findings Regarding Brands
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 1
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 2
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 3
• 50 Growth Strategies
• 20 Brand Management Tips
• 6 Approaches to Brand Positioning
• The 12 Key Elements of Marketing
• The 10 Most Important Things to Know About Your Customers
• 25 Things Marketers Should Know About Brands
• 3 Common Brand Problems
• 10 Favorite Brand Management and Marketing Books
• 8 Common Brand Problems
• 7 Ways to Damage a Brand
• 7 Absolutely Brilliant Brand Names
• The 3 Things Every Brand Needs to Be
• The 10 Laws of Branding
• 10 Proven Ways to Align Your Organization with Its Brand's Promise
• 10 Sources of Potential Share Loss
• Top 10 Branding Mistakes
• Top 15 Actions to Build Your Brand Online
• 6 Powerful Ways to Differentiate Your Brand
• 50 Ways to Differentiate Your Brand
• 50 Things Successful Brand Managers Know
• The 6 Hottest Trends in Branding
• 10 Signs That People Do Not Understand Marketing

Hiring Marketing Professionals

I recently helped a not-for-profit organization hire a new marketing director. That position's responsibilities span many marketing sub-disciplines. The skill sets we were seeking were extensive - corporate communications, PR, crisis management, blog and newsletter content creation, graphic design, videography, marketing plan development and execution, marketing research, brand management, collateral material development, social media marketing, CRM, marketing automation, guerrilla marketing, etc. That person would become a marketing department of one person, with the ability to craft winning marketing strategies while also executing all of the supporting tactics. He or she would work with outside marketing agencies, influence other staff members, work with volunteers and insure that the sales force was following through with leads. 

A large number of people applied for the job and we interviewed a smaller number of them. As an experienced marketer I was both surprised and not surprised with our selection. There were number of candidates with MBAs. We did not hire any of them. There were candidates with bachelors degrees in marketing, communications, journalism, and graphic design. We did not hire any of them. Most people had worked with the Adobe suite of graphic design software, CRM platforms, marketing automation software, Facebook advertising, Google Analytics, SEO, etc. We also bypassed several people with the most extensive of these skills. 

Who did we hire? We hired a person with an associates degree in business administration who started out as a wine buyer and store manager. Why did we hire him? Well, he did attend Google Analytics Academy. He has used the Adobe suite of software products and created and edited very successful videos. He has conducted marketing research. And he has managed press releases and public announcements. He created a very successful viral marketing campaign. He has also developed and executed comprehensive marketing plans. But this is not why we hired him.

Here is why we hired him. He has great interpersonal skills. He is very good at building rapport fast. He has a lot of common sense. He is an out-of-the-box thinker. He isn't afraid to try something new. He has an intuitive sense of customer needs and behaviors. He is curious and a lifelong learner. He is self-taught in all the of the marketing skills he has acquired. He watches YouTube "how to" videos and listens to marketing skills development podcasts. His first inclination is to create inexpensive media attracting events and other low- or no-cost marketing tactics. He is curious and wants to continuously grow professionally. He is honest. He tells you when he doesn't know something. He has a strong work ethic. And he was very concerned about not letting his current employer down during his job transition. The bottom line? He is a natural marketer. He has a great emotional intelligence. He is humble. And he is constantly growing professionally. I am convinced that he will pick up what he needs to know as time goes on.

So, why have I written this piece? I have learned over time that it is better to hire for personality and character than for specific skill sets. We can teach skills. We can't as easily change personality, character and the capacity for thinking and continuous learning. And some people are out-of-the-box thinkers, while many are not.

Online Marketing Courses

 

Give the gift of marketing expertise this Christmas! These are links to seven online marketing courses that will increase anyone's understanding of brand management and marketing:

• Positioning Your Brand to Win
• Tapping into Human Needs
• Brand Research
• Developing the Brand Plan
• Brand Identity & Architecture
• Out-of-the-Box Marketing Techniques
• The Importance of Color in Brand Identity

The Essence of Marketing in One Paragraph

 

Recently, a Venture Capital intern asked me to explain marketing to him at the end of our two-hour interview. While I have spent more than 40 years working on hundreds of successful marketing campaigns for almost as many brands, and while I could spend days talking about the nuances of marketing research, brand strategy, brand architecture, PR, pricing strategy, distribution strategy, digital marketing, marketing automation, package design, retail merchandising, etc. - I believe in simplicity. So, I explained the essence of marketing to him in less than one minute, which can be articulated in one paragraph. This is what I said...

The first step in marketing is being able to completely put yourself in the customer's shoes. What are her hopes, fears, beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors? What are her pain points? What does she need and what does she desire? What problems is she trying to solve? Then you must craft a product/service solution that uniquely meets those needs and then articulate that unique value proposition as simply and powerfully as possible. Your brand's unique value proposition must be presented to her in as many ways as possible as often as possible to build her awareness of and emotional connection to your brand. And finally, you need to possess common sense to say and do the right things at the right times to move her from brand awareness to brand purchase and then ultimately brand loyalty and even brand advocacy. 

It's as simple as that. All of the rest of marketing is just tactics, which can be taught.

The Essentials of Marketing

I have crafted successful marketing plans, strategies and campaigns for more than 250 brands over the past thirty-eight years. Over those years, I have witnessed enormous changes in how marketing is executed. However, most marketing fundamentals have not changed in decades. Here is my summary of those fundamentals:

• People are primarily driven by emotions
• Images are more powerful than words and videos can be more powerful than images
• But it is also important to paint vivid pictures with your words
• In copy, generally less is more
• Product / service quality and consistency matter
• Outstanding customer service can overcome other flaws
• Having a unique value proposition is essential 
• Continuous innovation is a must for extending a brand's lifecycle
• Maintaining high brand awareness is critical to customer brand insistence
• Brands that share important values with their customers create the highest loyalty
• Brands are often used as self-expression badges
• Price segmentation yields increased revenues and profits
• One of the most important aspects of marketing is successfully recovering from errors or crises
• Guerrilla marketing, proactive publicity and publicity stunts can yield the highest ROI
• PR and media relations are important elements of the marketing mix
• Identifying and using influencers can be very productive
• Word-of-mouth and viral marketing can be very powerful
• "Unexpected" and "outrageous" almost always work in marketing
• Humor and entertainment are key elements of advertising campaigns 
• Brands can tap into the human propensity for tribalism
• Unfortunately, fear still sells
• Gaining deep customer insight through marketing research is a key marketer's tool
• Market segmentation is as important as ever
• For larger organizations, creating the optimal brand architecture is one of the trickier marketing tasks
• Carefully crafted (and tested) headlines and subject lines can make a huge difference
• It is possible and hugely advantageous to design and implement the optimal customer experience
• Most automated customer service systems are disastrous 
• In the end, it is all about the customer and what motivates him or her

A Common Sense Approach to Marketing for Startups

If you are a startup, you are likely more focused on raising money, prioritizing your next steps, prototyping and perfecting your product, figuring out business partners and sourcing, addressing operational issues and getting your idea in front of potential customers than on developing and executing marketing plans. And if you are trying to generate sales, you are likely to be more focused on selling approaches than on marketing. But even if you are thinking about marketing you may be considering what tactics to use including advertising, publicity and social media marketing. But until you have a deep understanding of your most likely customers and their motivations, choosing marketing tactics is premature. 

If I were a startup, here is what I would consider first:

• Who is going to buy our product or service?
• Who is our best customer likely to be?
• What unmet needs are we fulfilling for them?
• What other products or services might they consider to meet the same needs?
• How is our product or service different from competitive offerings?
• Is our product or service different enough to give us a sales advantage over competitive products?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• In twelve words or less, what is our key message to potential customers?
• Where do those customers shop?
• What media do those customers consume?
• Where do they get their ideas of what to buy?

Once you have answered these questions, you will be able to create a more strategic, effective and efficient approach to gaining and keeping customers. That then becomes your marketing plan.

I wish you much success in building a successful marketing approach for your startup and its products and services. 

Marketing and Marketing Communication Are Not the Same

Frequently, I encounter organizations whose marketing departments consist solely of marketing communications professionals. Those organizations view marketing solely as marketing communications. The department is tasked with writing marketing copy, providing content to websites, running social media campaigns, creating brochures, crafting event announcements and the like.

But who is developing the brand's unique value proposition? Who is identifying its target markets? Who is determining the product mix? Who is deciding on each product's functions and features? Who is setting prices? Who is creating the distribution strategy? Who is crafting the customer service strategy? Who is responsible for publicity? Who is responsible for event marketing? Who is responsible for marketing research? Who is developing the overall marketing plan?

Often the answer is "the product planners" or "product development" or "sales" or "the business units." If the organization is a not-for-profit organization, the answer often is "the development person or function" or the "membership coordinator." But sometimes the answer is "I don't know," or worse yet, "no one."

If your marketing department consists only of people who write copy and design graphics and nothing else, you don't have a marketing department. You have a marketing communications department. While there is nothing wrong with having a marketing communications function, it does ignore all of the other marketing levers. It is akin to having a tool box that only consists of a pair of pliers. While the pliers come in handy at times, they are not helpful if a screwdriver or hammer are needed instead.

So please broaden your thinking about what marketing encompasses.

For further reading, consider these blog posts:

• Marketing 101
• Marketing Fundamentals
• Marketing Training and Marketer Competency
• The Elements of Business and Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Careers
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 1
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 2
• 39 Marketing Tactics That Work - Part 2
• The Eight Skills of a Marketing Rock Star
• What a Chief Marketing Officer Needs to Know
• Honing Your Marketing Skills
• After 35 Years in the Business, My Thoughts About Marketing

Brand Building During COVID-19

What can brands do when people are stuck in their houses and not able to eat out, shop at local shopping centers, go to concerts or do anything else that is not connected to "sheltering in place" and home delivery? And what can brands do when people are laid off, have lost some or all of their income and are watching their retirement nest eggs diminish rapidly as the stock market crashes?

Some industries are more likely to thrive in this environment. Consider Zoom, Purell, Clorox and Amazon.com. But most will struggle, especially as people try to cut back on nonessential household expenses.

Here is what brands can do. Innovate. Restaurants are offering take-out services, sometimes with items that were never featured on their menus. Universities, of necessity, are delivering their courses online. Medical doctors are delivering some of their services via telemedicine. Orchestras are delivering online concerts. Public art galleries are posting virtual galleries online. A friend of mine who loves to cook has started a soup brand and delivery service.

Arts organizations and other not-for-profit organizations are doing what I would recommend that all brands do - offering free content, advice and interactive online experiences to maintain ongoing relationships and to create goodwill with their members and patrons. As a member of Writers & Books board, I have been asked to read and record some of my favorite poems and passages from literature to be delivered to our members for their edification and pleasure. Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has created ScoutShare.org, a website for sharing at-home family activities. The website is open to all families whether they are involved in BSA or not.

Some organizations' free YouTube videos have gone viral. Have you seen or listened to any of these in your Facebook feed? South African Roedean School's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah?" Berklee College of Music Students' rendition of "Love Sweet Love?" Or virtual tours of these art galleries - National Gallery in London, Guggenheim Museum in New York, National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Musée d' Orsay in Paris or the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam?

Now is the time to edify, entertain and engage your customers and potential customers online in the comfort of their homes. They are bored. They are anxious. They are scared. They are feeling claustrophobic. They have cabin fever. Help them out. Stay in frequent contact. Keep your brand top of mind.  Build a greater emotional connection with your customers. Show them what you can do. Show them the best that you offer. Be real. Be empathetic. Give them a reason to feel tremendous gratitude toward your brand.

Now is not the time to go dark. Now is the time to engage with social media, email, webinars, YouTube videos and the like.

Marketing's Revolving Door

You may have experienced marketing's revolving door as a marketer, as an HR professional or as a business manager. The median tenure of a chief marketing officer is 27.5 months but some organizations are replacing marketing people at all levels as frequently as annually. Obviously, this is not ideal.

One could surmise that one or more of the following might be the problem:

• The quality of candidates in the marketing pool
• Flawed candidate screening and selection, including hiring for the wrong skill sets
• The increasing complexity of the marketing role, especially the CMO role
• The rapidly changing nature of the marketing role, especially with the emergence of big data, marketing automation and digital marketing
• The increasing dominance of small businesses in the job market. They are less able to pay top dollar for top marketing talent. They are also less able to pay for ongoing training. And some marketing departments are so lean that there is only one person in the department, leaving no room for on-the-job learning from more experienced marketers. 
• The continued inability to measure the ROI of many marketing activities
• Inadequate marketing budgets
• The organization's culture is sales, operations or finance-driven and does not value marketing as a function
• The wrong organization design or structure

There may be other problems too. If the company has inferior products, services, business model or value proposition, skilled marketing can only go so far in driving increased revenues. 

If you are a staffing professional, hiring manager or company executive and if you have been unhappy with your marketing hires, I would encourage you to assess and rectify root causes for this problem before you hire your next marketing professional. 

Revolving doors are costly to organizations and their employees. Please try to understand why your marketing personnel choices are not working out before you hire your next marketer.

After 35 Years in the Business, My Thoughts About Marketing

Following are my stream of consciousness thoughts about marketing.

• People have beliefs, attitudes, values, hopes, anxieties and fears. Marketers must understand these to be successful.
• In marketing, less is almost always more. This is true of copy and visuals. 
• The actual customer experience is the most important driver of brand perceptions.
• Building awareness is the most important marketing activity. Communicating relevant differentiation is the most important branding activity. 
• People make purchase decisions based on emotions, not logic. Every marketer should understand this.
• Brands should focus on their most compelling assets, especially if they are unique.
• Humor and entertainment can be very powerful components of marketing communication. 
• Shared values and "brand as a badge" (self-expressive vehicle) are the two most powerful sources of brand differentiation. 
• Related to this, many brands succeed as status symbols.
• Customer service is a very important part of a brand's success.
• Know customers' primary sources of information and where they are most likely to shop.
• To a very large degree, marketing is a combination of consumer psychology and common sense.
• The sales function is critical to successful brands. Personal relationship-building matters.
• Sales and marketing must work together seamlessly. 
• Build a robust but flexible brand identity system. Colors matter. So do symbols and icons. 
• Brands can often connect with people at a sub-conscious level. 
• Where a brand is distributed (and where it is not distributed) says a lot about the brand. Make sure your brand's distribution is consistent with its positioning. 
• Price can be an indicator of quality. Use reference prices to create desired price perceptions. 
• Inconsistent execution can kill a brand in the long-run. Brands must be trustworthy. 
• It has been my observation that successful marketers tend to be entrepreneurial, opportunistic and good at ideating. They are always looking for new approaches to marketing.
• Never forget that marketing is about relating to people and their needs and desires. 

Brand Aid

Brad VanAuken's Brand Aid book has sold more than 30,000 copies, been translated into several languages and is used by many business schools to teach brand management and marketing. The substantially revised second edition of the book was published December 2014.

Brand Aid is available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Here is what people have to say about this book:

'I regard the First Edition of Brad Van Auken's Brand Aid (2003) to be the best and most practical book on branding I have read. Hence, I was very keen to get the updated Second Edition to see if he could match my high expectations following the success of the first. I am delighted to report that this edition is again loaded with highly practical content that has been updated to reflect the changes in customer behavior, digital media and a host of other subjects including brand architecture. Another feature that I like are his generous use of user-friendly checklists and never talking over the heads of readers who may not have MBAs. Importantly, Van Auken is never self serving, like too many authors of marketing-branding books. This is a book, like the first, that you will always keep close at hand and read over and over again.'

Bill Baker, Amazon.com review

‘Brand Aid is an asset for the beginner and veteran brand builder alike. No matter what size your organization or how great your brand expertise, this book can provide a point of reference and new insights.’

Elizabeth A. Hunter, Senior Brand Specialist, Bank of America

‘Finally, a road map for the often treacherous journey of building and maintaining great brands. This is an indispensable tool for all marketers. Brand Aid is the essential toolkit for today’s (and tomorrow’s) brand marketers.’

Jim Harman, Manager, Corporate Advertising, General Electric

‘A comprehensive guide unlike any other on the market today. Apply what you learn to your brand building activities and watch the value of your brand and bottom line increase.’

Amy Kelm, Worldwide Consumer Brand Development Manager, Hewlett-Packard

‘Brad VanAuken has delivered one of the best brand education and reference tools I have come across. This book will always be within arms’ length from my working area for assistance in brand savvy throughout every workday.’

Carole L. Sustak, Manager, Marketing Strategy & Branding, AAA National

‘Many books have been written about branding in the past 15 years. Many are short and focus on only a few aspects of the complex process of building and nurturing a brand. With Brand Aid, Brad VanAuken has pulled it all together in one of the most comprehensive books ever written on the subject. If you work in marketing, read it. If not, make sure your marketing team has.’

Ron Dix, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Bush Brothers & Company (Bush’s Baked Beans)

‘The checklists are an incredibly effective way for any marketer to evaluate and grade their brand’s current marketing performance. Brand Aid should really be named Brands for Dummies. I’m definitely going to keep this one around and I only wish I had found it years ago.’

Dan Hucko, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, Harris Interactive Inc.

‘Brad VanAuken’s practical, step-by-step guide to brand management and marketing resonates with experience and insight. Excellent refresher for the most seasoned marketer and a great introduction for those new to the field. I’m keeping my copy on my desk and giving one to everyone in our advertising agency.’

Sharon Napier, President & CEO, Partners + Napier

‘This book surprised me. It’s found a newly practical and authoritative way to describe how to do branding. In this, it is quite unlike any other 100 plus books on brand that I have read.’

Chris Macrea, Chief Brand Officer, valuetrue.com and author of World Class Brands and Brand Chartering Handbook

‘It is refreshing to read a book that is pithy, down-to-earth yet immensely insightful in demystifying the complexities of building and managing a brand anywhere in the world. Brand Aid will always be in a prime position on my bookshelf alongside books by Kotler, Ogilvy, Dru, Morgan, Ries & Trout, Temporal and Aitchison.’

Graeme Murray, Planning Director, Bates Thailand

‘Brand Aid will be the definitive work on the subject for years to come. All that’s needed now is for business men and women with creativity and depth to read it, and to work with it. When that happens, Brad VanAuken will have done the marketplace a great service.’

Peter Holloran, President, Cognitive Marketing Inc.

‘Thank you for your insight. Your book is concise and is an excellent teaching tool for the first-time and experienced brand manager.’

Ernie Avellana, Vice President of Marketing, Control Diabetes Services, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly & Company

‘Brand Aid is the most comprehensive of all the materials that I've read on brand management. This book should become required reading for all business leaders responsible for driving the growth of their organizations.’

Thomas J. Miller, Product Marketing, Director, Newport Corporation, Inc.

‘I've referred to the draft copy you sent in December so much that it's getting dog-eared.’

Tom Welle, Advertising Director, Potomac Electric Power Company

‘It's great to have a strong brand customers love and are happy to pay a premium for, but when a brand gets overextended, underadvertised, overpriced or develops other problems, few entrepreneurs know what to do. In Brand Aid (Amacom, $24), author and marketing consultant Brad VanAuken goes a long way toward remedying these problems.’

By Mark Henricks, Entrepreneur Magazine, September 2003

‘I found the book "Brand Aid" highly informative and I believe VanAuken has set a new standard in the study of branding. Whether it's the Case Studies, "Did You Know?" items or checklists throughout the book, he is able to provide PRACTICAL advice that can be used to develop or enhance brands. This book could very well become the "Bible" for branding now and in the future. I would give it 5-plus stars.’

Amazon.com Review

‘VanAuken’s points pack a heavyweight’s punch; he backs them up with case study summaries of the successes and failures of real brands. Chapters are packed with “Have you thought about…?” questions and checklists.’

Jim Pawlak, Biz Books, August 10, 2003

‘Quite possibly the best book I have seen on the topic of creating and maintaining a "brand" is Brad VanAuken’s Brand Aid ($24.94, Amacom). It will prove to be a powerful resource to anyone wrestling with the challenge of the entire process of building a high-impact brand and trouble-shooting the issues that come with it. If you want your company to become the next Nike, Disney or Absolut, this is the one book you want to read. And then read again!’

Bookviews by Alan Caruba, August 2003

‘VanAuken has distilled his enormous practical knowledge about the theory and practice of brand management into this smart…volume. The book is packed with information and good ideas – so many, in fact, that it is virtually an encyclopedia of brand management does and don’ts’

Publishers Weekly, June 16, 2003

‘Of all the books I’ve read on marketing and branding, this one is the shining star! I’ll also go out on a limb and assert that it’s one of the best books I’ve seen published by AMACOM.’

Roger E. Herman, Midwest Book Review

‘This is an EXCELLENT practical book in a field awash with theory and useless generalizations.’

Anne Holland, www.MarketingSherpa.com

‘You will not want to be without this book in your library.’

Laura Schneider, About Marketing (http://marketing.about.com)

‘Trying to encapsulate this truly vast wealth of knowledge, Brad VanAuken has written what promises to be the synoptic work on the subject. Brand Aid is a dense treatise that tries to make the very complicated issue of branding accessible. VanAuken's brand advice is both sound and timely.’

Brands: Case Closed by Jonathan Jackson, Critical Eye, www.channelseven.com 12/15/03

‘This is an in-depth guide to the whole subject of branding. As such, it is ideal for those who are looking to learn about branding for the first time or for the more experienced practitioner who is looking to improve knowledge in one particular area. It can help to solve branding problems through its exhaustive but easily understandable analysis of the subject. This is a very useful book for understanding branding and as such will be of interest to anyone involved in marketing generally.’

Martin Payne www.poolonline.com/books/books68.html Number 25: Winter 2004

‘This is a terrific, pithily-written book that stands head and shoulders above most other branding books currently on the market. Its fluid style and concise treatment of the major issues in creating winning brands makes most other such texts look pedestrian by comparison.’

Keith Dinnie, Book Review Editor, Journal of Brand Management, August 2003, Vol 10, Number 6

‘…Comprehensive instruction on managing and growing your brand in the usual online and offline channels. Well organized for quick comprehension; includes checklists to see if your brand is ready to go global, well positioned for an ad campaign, has an identity to work with, and a helpful “troubleshooting” chapter. Good place to start if you are still trying to wrap your brain around brand management.’ 

Reader review, www.brandchannel.com, November 2003

‘Just bought BRAND AID. THIS BOOK IS PHENOMENAL!!!! THANK YOU.’

Alexander S. Bosika, marketing manager, Phantom Fiber

'Very insightful book on brand development. Dovetails nicely with "Building the Brand Driven Business." These two books are excellent when considering developing a master brand ... the brand of the organization itself. Perfect for the CEO/Owner/President.'

Richard Gripp, Amazon.com Review

‘My desk has been home to a bumper crop of worthwhile new books on brands and branding. A standout in the group is Brand Aid by Brad VanAuken, which offers an almost encyclopedic look at every step in the brand process (designing, building, leveraging, managing). The advice is straightforward, voluminous and informed by experience. VanAuken also includes lengthy checklists at the end of each chapter that help readers assess their own situations and also serve as a good platform for brainstorming. Highly recommended.’

Joseph Rydholm, editor, Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, May 2004

‘Brad VanAuken knows his stuff - and he knows how to share it with the rest of us in a clear and concise manner that will leave you feeling: "Now I get it!" With a tremendous understanding of how to take complex marketing systems and put them into an easy to understand, universal language, VanAuken brings the reader up to speed quickly and comfortably with simple terms and concrete examples. This book will serve well as not only a quick reference, but also as a step by step tool to creating a branding identity that will stand the test of time.’

John Copeland, program manager, National Arts Marketing Project

‘I run a very small business that designs and manufactures products for a crowded micro market. We were looking for a book or resource that would help gather our thoughts into a concise executable plan. Wow does it feel like this book came through for us. Of all the business, marketing, branding, positioning books I have read, this has to top them all.’

Andrew B Lautenschlager, Bay Area, CA

‘A really comprehensive branding manual, with an almost textbook feel to it. Every branding concept is thoroughly explained. Not necessarily a book to read cover to cover in a few days, but definitely an invaluable reference guide to keep close and handy by anybody involved in marketing and branding products, services and companies. Excellent.’

Mario Sanchez Carrion, marketing, branding and small business blogger, www.shoestringbranding.com

‘Our company does web design, graphic design, corporate communication. I like that this book is not only an easy reference guide, but also a comprehensive approach to branding. The book can stand alone as a Brand teach-in, and require no prior knowledge about branding. The book is also relatively complete and can be used as a text book or self-learning Branding book. This book is good.’

T. Santoso, Surabaya, Jatim Indonesia  

'If you are looking to get into branding (and marketing), this book is a good primer for those that are beyond the 101 level, and a good reminder/review for those that are already in the business. Brad provides plenty of his own real life experiences and is very organized with his presentation of the material. Entertaining and detailed without being an unruly encyclopedia.'

Cherrie Mahon, Amazon.com review

'A highly valuable resource and a great read! Many of my PR clients do not understand their "brand" or what branding truly means. I have long turned to Brand Aid as THE book to reference to educate my clients. I have had the good fortune of attending a brand seminar with author VanAuken (he's amazing) and since he can't be with in person at all your meetings, luckily his book can. I am thrilled to have the second edition in hand, as my guide through the entire branding process, from social media strategies to successful case studies.'

D.E Olcott, Amazon.com review

'It covers everything. It's great to have on hand, like a branding dictionary.'

Gabriel M. Renfrow, Amazon.com review

'This is an extremely comprehensive guide to branding and distills decades of experience into usable information. A truly unique insight into how branding affects critical business functions such as pricing, product suite, and competitive advantage. Very impressed, and have already recommended it to friends and family that want to really understand not just branding, but business.'

Gavin, Amazon.com review

'I am a junior brand strategist from Quebec, Canada. Last summer, a brand consultant that I admire very much recommended me your book as a must read. Since then I have read it twice and referred back to it numerous times. I wish to thank you for writing such a practical book enabling me to be better at my job. An ocean of business books exists but yours is one of the best I have read in some time. Thank you for your work!'

Philippe Goudreault

'I am a huge fan of Brand Aid #2 and have been using it in my keystone graduate class called IMC 463 Brand Communications Decisions. I feel your book is one of the most practical and valuable books ever written about brands. I love the checklists and remind the students that your book is my graduation gift to them because it is a resource they will find useful every day they are developing, managing or increasing the value of brands.'

John Greening, Associate Professor at Northwestern University in Evanston IL heading up the Brand Management specialization in the Graduate Medill Integrated Marketing Communications Program

'Since we first communicated, I have used your book in graduate level branding course for three cohorts. Simply, your book is a tremendous asset to me and my students. They rave how your content and writing style is so practical, direct and applicable. Furthermore, the cornerstone of the course is a group assignment where the students complete the Brand and Brand Management Audits for an organization of their choice. I couldn’t be more pleased and impressed with their effort and the quality of their work.'

Brian Vollmert, Assistent Professor of Marketing at North Park University

'The big idea: As a business leader, you know that every company, object, service, person or pet hoping to compete for public attention needs a brand. An enormous cottage industry has grown up around creating and improving brands, making it increasingly harder to cut through to useful, actionable information to help position your company’s products or services in the market. It should come as an enormous relief, then, that just about all the information you need has been compiled in a single book. The second edition of Brad VanAuken’s Brand Aid includes everything from a basic introduction to brand management to advice on leveraging and measuring your brand’s success.

Read it: Each chapter of the book includes an exhaustive list of tips, examples, case studies and more. The content of any given chapter is summarized in a handy, comprehensive checklist you can use to track your own branding efforts. The book’s cleanly organized chapters and checklists make it easy to dip in and out of if you don’t have time to read cover to cover. The writing is straightforward, easy to follow and almost entirely devoid of jargon. Extensive appendices offer many suggestions for further reading as well as useful resources for brand audits and online brand management.

Skip it: There’s really only one reason to skip this book: You already own the first edition, published in 2003. However, given the rapidly evolving nature of branding and consumer preferences, you still might consider an update.'

SmartCEO.com book review

'There are literally dozens of flags marking pages in my copy of Brand Aid. Pick up a copy, and it will undoubtedly look the same in short order. Brand Aid functions equally well as a troubleshooter for underperforming, established brands, and as a toolkit for launching new brands destined for legendary status.'

BrandingClass.com

'Powerful yet intangible, a brand is the personification of your organization. Learn to build, nurture, and grow a strong brand that inspires people, forges emotional bonds, and moves customers to insist on buying your brand.

This book guides you through the entire branding process, from using social media effectively to linking your brand to human needs.'

Advertising Educational Foundation

PROFESSORS, you can get a review copy of this book from Harper Collins Leadership.  To access their faculty portal to request a review copy, please email harpercollinsleadershipcc@harpercollins.com. They will send you a copy.

Brand Aid is available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Marketing & Sales

Marketing and sales are important partners in increasing an organization's revenues. However, some might perceive them to be an odd couple, but more about that later.

First, marketing and sales are different. Marketing has many sub-disciplines but overall it is the organization's investment in identifying and building demand for its products and services. Sales, on the other hand, tends to be more tactical and immediate (strategic sales and enterprise sales notwithstanding). It is all about getting the customer to purchase something as quickly as possible. It is about closing the deal. 

Earlier in my career, when I was interviewing for marketing positions, it always raised major "red flags" with me when the employer in question used the words marketing and sales interchangeably or when that employer said he or she was looking for a marketing person when he or she was really looking for a salesperson. 

In many organizations, especially B2B organizations and those organizations that are not marketing-driven, marketing's primary responsibility is to support the selling effort. In this way, the marketing function is primarily a support function for the sales force. In marketing-driven organizations, marketing typically drives many decisions including target customers, product, packaging, pricing and distribution. Product managers or brand managers may also have P&L responsibility. And this is informed by a marketing sub-discipline, marketing research. In these organizations, it would be wise not to refer to marketing as a support function or a marketing professional as a support person. 

Most marketers will have strong communication skills. Depending on the marketing sub-discipline, the ideal marketer might be more intuitive or more analytical. Many marketers are strong both intuitively and analytically. And generally, a marketer is driven by curiosity and variety. A marketer may be introverted or extroverted. 

Alternatively, salespeople must be outgoing, friendly and likable. They must be good at building personal rapport quickly. And it helps if they are good at reading people. Salespeople are often driven by money, which is why sales commissions work so well as incentives. While engineers and scientists can be trained as salespeople to pursue technical sales, the average salesperson is more focused on interpersonal skills than technical skills. Salespeople should not be afraid to make cold calls and they must be able to take rejection in their stride. On the negative side, I have witnessed more than a few salespeople tell potential customers whatever they wanted to hear regardless of the statement's veracity to close the sale.

Organizations that are serious about their marketing functions often require marketers to first take a sales position (or at least a rotation in sales) to better understand the customer and the work of the salesperson before he or she assumes his or her marketing responsibilities. Similarly, some organizations require their marketing managers to monitor or even personally handle customer service calls at least once a year. 

Marketers can help salespeople by creating the appropriate brochures, product spec sheets and other collateral materials. They can also support trades shows, national sales meetings and user conferences. Further, marketers can set up CRM systems that salespeople can use. And marketers can create many online and offline mechanisms to create sales leads for salespeople. And one should not forget strong marketing campaigns and, perhaps even more importantly, strong brands that create customer pull and make the salesperson's job significantly easier. 

Going back to my earlier "odd couple" comment, marketers are often motivated by the brilliant consumer insight, the analytical discovery or the inspired creative campaign, while salespeople are driven by the closed sale and the increased commission. However, the two functions comprise an important duo for any organization that wants to increase its revenues.