Big Brands Big Trouble: Lessons Learned the Hard Way - Hardcover

Trout, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471414328 ISBN 13: 9780471414322

Publisher: Wiley, 2001

Synopsis

One of the most respected marketing gurus in the world shows why some of today's biggest brands are having trouble and how to avoid repeating their mistakes.

It wasn't long ago that Levi-Strauss, Xerox, Crest, AT&T, Firestone, and Digital Equipment dominated their respective markets. What happened to undermine their standings and of those of other superbrands? Are their declines simply the inevitable consequence of change and the birth of new competition? In this important predecessor to the classic Differentiate or Die, "the king of positioning," Jack Trout answers that question with a resounding "No!" Writing in his signature, straight-from-the-hip style he reveals the disastrous marketing and strategy blunders that led to the dissolution of the most recognized superbrands. He clearly shows how those mistakes could have been avoided. With the help of in-depth case studies chronicling the events leading up to the falls from grace of Sears, Miller Brewing, Xerox, Crest, Burger King, and other past market leaders, he identifies the ten most common mistakes that big brands make, and he develops a set of expert guidelines for marketing managers and executives on how to build, protect, manage, and expand their companies' brands and avoid brand-killing blunders.

About this title

About the Author

JACK TROUT is President of Trout & Partners, one of the most prestigious marketing firms in the United States, with offices in twelve countries and a client list that includes AT&T, IBM, Merrill Lynch, Southwest Airlines, and other Fortune 500 companies. Recognized as one of the influential gurus of marketing, Trout was the first to popularize the idea of "positioning" products and ideas in the minds of consumers. A sought-after speaker, he is the author of numerous marketing classics, including the bestselling Differentiate or Die (Wiley), Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, and The Power of Simplicity. Please visit Jack Trout at www.troutandpartners.com

From the Back Cover

"Big Brands, Big Trouble is a crisp indictment of marketing executives who ought to be shouldering more responsibility. It is packed with useful insights about how to manage innovation." --Clayton Christensen, Author, The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

"Once again, Jack Trout manages to get to the very heart of what makes companies great and what makes them fail. Unlike so many others, Jack seems to write with the CEO in mind-frank, straightforward, and dead-on." --Rick Fersch, President and CEO, Eddie Bauer, Inc.

"Jack Trout invented the modern marketing book-fast, furious, full of attitude and examples. He's pushed the boundaries even further this time, looking not only into the past but predicting some of the big losers of the next decade. This book should keep marketing veeps in large corporations awake walking the floor." --Sam Hill, Author, The Infinite Asset: Managing Brands to Create New Value

"Everything Jack Trout writes makes so much sense."-John Schnatter, CEO, Papa John's International, Inc.

"Learning from mistakes is the greatest gift you can get. Read this gift! Big Brands, Big Trouble: Lessons Learned the Hard Way!" --Ken Blanchard, Coauthor, The One Minute Manager and High Five

"You're holding the Aesop's (Business) Fables for this age of discontinuity. Jack Trout's observations ring true for EMC where we've managed to stay out of trouble by anticipating the next thing." --Mike Ruettgers, Executive Chairman, EMC

"Understanding branding is the key to success. This book shows you how." --Harry Paul, Coauthor, Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results

"It's 'True Trout'-clear, concise, and actionable. It's the best book I've read on stewarding big brands in today's competitive environment." --Bob Waldron, Vice President of Marketing, General Mills, Inc.

"Nobody understands marketing and brand building like Jack Trout." --Bill Samuels, President and CEO, Maker's Mark Bourbon

From the Inside Flap

In today's supercompetitive marketplace, all it takes is one mistake to hand your business over to your competitors. And once it's gone, your chances of getting it back are very slim. What's worse is that there are not one or two but an entire army of competitors out there to take advantage of your misstep. It wasn't long ago when Levi's, AT&T, Crest, Xerox, and Firestone were all at the top of their game, dominating the market with hardly a threat in sight. What happened to undermine their standing, as well as those of other superbrands?

In this important and controversial new book, the "king of positioning" Jack Trout reveals the disastrous marketing and strategy blunders that led to the trouble at some of the most recognized superbrands. And he provides candid analyses as to how those mistakes could have been avoided. Scrutinizing many of the world's most renowned companies under the microscope, Big Brands, Big Trouble provides in-depth case studies that chronicle the events leading up to the fall from grace of such mega-names as Xerox, Levi's, Miller Brewing, Digital Equipment, Burger King, and many others.

This page-turner also presents a set of expert guidelines on how to build, protect, manage, and expand your company's brand while avoiding some of the most common brand-killing blunders that can hurl you from the pinnacle of success to a scramble to stay afloat. Writing in his signature straight-from-the-hip style, Trout reveals some of the most common misconceptions about carving a niche for yourself in the consumers' minds, including why benchmarking doesn't really work (Pepsi's Sierra Mist); marketing research can be misleading (Xerox); line extension just makes your message increasingly fuzzy (A1-Poultry Sauce); shooting for profits rather than market share will get you in trouble (General Motors); and many others.

Trout will also reveal the most prevalent blunders in today's hypercompetitive world, such as:
* The "What are you selling?" mistake: The importance of defining the product category in a simple, understandable way.
* The "Truth will out" mistake: In the minds of consumers, perception is reality. Truth has no bearing on the subject.
* The "We're very successful" mistake: Success often leads to arrogance, and arrogance to failure.
* The "Everything for everybody" mistake: When you try to be all things to all people, you inevitably wind up becoming nothing.

By outlining the all-too-common marketing and strategy pitfalls, Big Brands, Big Trouble clearly demonstrates what can commonly go wrong and how to learn from the mistakes of others.

Reviews

Trout (Differentiate or Die) does the obvious in his latest book, rehashing the demise of well-known failures such as Xerox and Miller Brewing, and his redundant preaching of unoriginal strategies may irritate. But readers will find salvation in his straightforward, engaging prose and the constant hammering home of lessons (GM failed because it lost touch with the market, and AT&T tanked when it lost its focus). The book's first part is an excellent reminder of what managers should and should not do with a brand, making this a primer for the uninitiated.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Trout, popularizer of "positioning" and president of a prestigious marketing firm (Trout and Partners), uses real-world examples of marketing and management gone wrong. After examining companies like Levi Strauss, AT&T, Xerox, Burger King, and Miller Brewing, Trout identifies the ten most common mistakes made by these big brands and develops a set of expert guidelines for managers and marketers to use to build, protect, manage, and expand their companies as well as compete in today's fierce global economy. One of the most interesting chapters is titled "Trouble in the Wind: Brands with Unresolved Problems," in which Trout briefly discusses the current problems of four well-known companies. These companies, like others, have made unnecessary mistakes and have shattered consumer perceptions. Business practitioners, researchers, and students will all use insights and learn techniques gleaned from the case studies presented here. For CEOs, Trout's message is summed up in his final sentence: "Remember the Titanic." For all business collections. Susan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Trout is an acknowledged marketing guru whose reputation gives him license to candidly review the hard lessons of corporate failure to prove his theories. Using case studies of companies that include General Motors, Xerox, AT&T, and Firestone, the author sets out to help readers understand how easy it is for a large, successful company to get into trouble. He has strong opinions on the issues of growth and brand extension, and he emphasizes that marketing is a battle of perceptions, not a battle of products--because there is no such thing as an objectively better product, but, rather, sales depend on which product customers and prospects think is better. There is zero tolerance for mistakes by today's CEOs, and Trout counsels that a CEO must know where to find success in a market and take final responsibility for all products and services delivered to that market. Although some may not agree with all of the author's theories, this is a must-read book for anyone engaged in corporate battle. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471414328
• ISBN 13: 9780471414322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240