Slouching Toward Brand Accountability

By James R. Gregory, Founder and CEO CoreBrand
Many departments within a corporation will argue the need for accountability in marketing, but none steps forward to take ownership of how to account for brand equity.
Theoretically, the CEO is responsible for the value of the corporate brand. Unfortunately, it is a rare CEO who understands how brand [...]

Put the Brand on the Balance Sheet

The idea of putting the corporate brand on the balance sheet is an audacious proposition. One that can revolutionize marketing, change the role of everyone responsible for the health of brands, and make the US more competitive in the world.

BP - Brand, Business and Culture Misalignment

Branding is all about creating alignment of your company’s business processes with its corporate culture. British Petroleum (BP) provides a case in point of a brand that got way out front of its business process and culture to produce tremendous exposure to risk.

Branding Breaks Through Middle Management Bottleneck - @ Issue

Middle managers are like waiters shuttling between the kitchen and dining room as the intermediary delivering the restaurant’s “brand.” In a corporation, middle managers deliver the company’s brand while managing a workforce charged with its tactical execution.

“Dead Brands Walking …”

By James R. Gregory, CEO CoreBrand
Many corporate brands are being damaged or destroyed by the current economic crisis, but it is through no fault of the brands themselves. Even strong brands that help support the reputations of corporations in difficult times can be overwhelmed by mismanagement or financial conditions beyond the ability of the brand [...]

AIG - The very Definition of a Brand Crisis

James R. Gregory, CEO CoreBrand
The clever and consistent AIG corporate advertising campaign in recent years, before the collapse of the firm’s credibility, could not and did not outweigh the management decisions that caused the damage. Corporate brand campaigns can be powerful tools to support visionary leaders, but the best campaigns cannot overcome bad business decisions [...]

Wally Olins - Old School Thinking about Brand Valuation?

by James Gregory, CEO Corebrand

I was stunned to read Wally Olins’ recent article, denying that brand measurement and valuation isn’t an important part of brand building.
I thought the days of brand value ignorance were twenty years in the past. Yet, in this article he said, “The brand valuation process ignores tempest, turbulence and volatility.” Sorry, [...]