Table of contents for

Branding Iron

by Charlie Hughes and William Jeanes

• Foreword by David E.Davis, Jr.
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• Introduction

• 1 Dead Brand Tales and The Evil of Conventional Wisdom
  • Conventional Wisdom
    • “Product Is King”
    • “Customers Are Smart”
    • “Let’s Research It"
    • “Advertising Sells”
    • “You Can Charge More for a Brand-Name Product”
    • “The More You Pay,the Better the Product”
    • “More Expensive Brands Are Higher Quality”
    • “Adding Brands Creates More Synergies”
  • Proliferation, Fragmentation, and Ego
  • The Briefest of Automotive Primers
    • Dealer Body
    • Name plates and Models
    • Platforms
    • Badge Engineering
    • The Brand Portfolio
  • Oldsmobile: Centennial and Funeral
  • The Plymouth Saga
  • The Evil of Conventional Wisdom
  • x Contents

• 2 The Market
  • The Test of Perspective
  • The Story of Saturn
  • How the Marketplace Works
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends Founded on Contradictions
    • Brand Distinctiveness/Brand Portfolio
    • More Choice/Less Choice
    • High Growth/Low Reality
    • Brand Value/Insane Discounting
    • Low Risk/High Reward
  • The Brand Trianglesm
  • Testing Your Courage

• 3 Differentiate
  • The Test of Vision
  • A “Mini” Case Study
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Dangerous Trends
    • More Choice/Less Choice
    • Dialogue Marketing
    • Visions ofOutcomes
    • The Newest New Things
  • How to Set Yourself Apart
    • Your Imagination
    • Choose Your Customers...Wisely
    • Define Your Brand Unequivocally
  • The Allure of Authenticity
  • A Different Ending

• 4 Culture
  • The Test of Engagement
  • How to Build a Culture in One Week
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Downsizing and Outsourcing
    • Contents xi
    • Industry Consolidation
    • Brand Portfolios
    • There’s No “I” in Team
  • How to Brand a Culture
    • Legacy Cultures
  • Burning Your Brand into a Culture
    • Vision
    • Values
    • Focus
  • A Happy Ending

• 5 Product
  • The Test of Skill
  • Song of the GTO
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Brand Portfolios ...Platform Sharing
    • Globalization...Localization
    • The Fraying ofNewness...Number ofIntroductions...
    • Pace of Change...Fast Tech/Slow Tech
  • The Skill Test Called Product
    • Excellence and Character
    • The Platform Trade-off
    • How We Build Cars
    • A Disciplined Approach
    • Your Look
    • Quality...Striving to Get It Right
  • The Voice of the Customer
  • Never-ending Questions

• 6 Conspiracy
  • The Test of Inclusion
  • The Land Rover Centre Conspiracy
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Downsizing, Outsourcing, and Insourcing
    • Proliferation and Fragmentation
    • The Work Treadmill
  • Building a Conspiracy — Who’s on Your Team?
    • The Power of Respect
    • The Conflict of Interests
    • How Not to Build a Conspiracy
    • How to Form a Good Conspiracy
  • The Power of Zealotry

• 7 Consistency
  • The Test of Will
  • The Inconsistency of Jaguar
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Management Turnover
    • Too Much Choice
    • Too Much Noise
  • The Power of Consistency
    • Designing the Experience...All of It.
    • Brand
    • Culture
    • Product
    • Retail
  • Necessary Constants: Vision and Leadership
  • Transparency of Communication
  • Your Personality and Your Tone of Voice
  • Price vs. Value
  • Creative Consistency

• 8 Passion
  • The Test of Emotion
  • The Story of Helmut Bott
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Consolidation and Culture Takeovers
    • Death ofthe Entrepreneurial Spirit
    • xii Contents
    • Growth Mania...
    • Risk Aversion...
    • Demographics...
    • Globalization...New Entrepreneurs, New Workers
  • Now You See It...Now You Don’t...
  • How to Generate Energy, Enthusiasm, and Expertise
    • Expertise: The Art of Selection
    • Enthusiasm: Selling and Storytelling
    • Energy: Environment and Chemistry
  • An Impassioned Conclusion

• 9 Patience
  • The Test of Conviction
  • Nissan—the Irrational Discounter
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Customer Value vs. Shareholder Value
    • Growth vs.Reality
  • The Power ofPatience
    • Patience Means...
    • Leadership...the Courage of Your Convictions
  • Time to Make It Work
  • Markets Change, Brands Evolve
  • An Enduring Conclusion

• 10 Brand Portfolios
  • A Test of Parenting
  • Pontiac’s Sad Case History
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • Trends
    • Consolidation
    • Brutal Competition
    • Cost Reduction Pressure
    • Low Risk/High Reward
    • Supermarket Brands
    • The Smart “Smart” Customer
    • Contents xiii
    • Not Enough Talent
  • A Brand Portfolio Primer
    • Brand Charter
    • The Three Keys
    • Differentiation: Dare to Be Different, or Be Generic
    • Culture: Who We Are and How We Do Things
    • Product: Choose between Distinct and Extinct
    • Conspiracy: Who Wants to Be, Who Needs to Be, on the Inside
    • Consistency: Whoever You Are, Be That Everywhere
    • Passion: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Expertise
    • Patience: Having the Courage of Your Convictions
  • Putting It All Together

• 11 Fixing Ford and GM—Some Modest Proposals
  • Conventional Wisdom
  • The Reality ofthe Situation
    • Forbes Global 2000
  • First, What about General Motors?
  • Ford: Is There a Solution for Anyone?
    • Brands to Build
    • Brands to Discard
    • Disposing of Winning Brands
    • The New Brand Portfolio
    • Culture
    • Product
    • Retail
  • What’s Stopping Ford?

• 12 Steel in Your Britches
  • Perspective
  • Leadership
  • Culture
  • Courage