In "Big Think Strategy," Schmitt empowers business leaders to embrace bold strategies for innovation. He provides tools to overcome narrow-mindedness and risk aversion, drawing on diverse examples from companies like Apple and IBM. Through insights on creativity and leadership, this book offers practical ideas to ensure lasting market relevance.
The Strategic Management of Brands, Identity and Image
The iconic Coca-Cola bottle and stylish Absolut Vodka ads exemplify how brands create irresistible appeal and maintain a competitive edge through aesthetics. Experts Bernd Schmitt and Alex Simonson provide guidelines for leveraging a company's total aesthetic output—the "look and feel"—to gain a vital advantage. This book uniquely merges branding, identity, and image, demonstrating how to manage aesthetics through logos, brochures, packaging, advertisements, and sensory elements like sounds and scents to sell a "memorable experience." The authors investigate what makes corporate or brand identities compelling, the significance of various styles and themes, and the meanings behind visual symbols. Their insights are applicable across industries, offering tools of "marketing aesthetics" to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, create lasting impressions, justify premium pricing, and protect against competitive threats. They emphasize strategies for developing aesthetically pleasing retail environments and managing identity on the Internet. Supporting their concepts with real-world examples from brands like Nike, Starbucks, and Lego, Schmitt and Simonson illustrate how companies have cultivated distinct identities that differentiate them in the marketplace. Their approach not only highlights the importance of aesthetics in branding but also provides actionable strategies for organizations seeking to enhance their appeal and