Business Book Summaries

The Big Idea

“Warriors on the High Wire” demonstrates exactly why nothing is as important as managing the brand if a company is to prosper. The brand must be at the heart of an organization if it is to succeed, but very often companies fail to understand this maxim.

Based on interviews with CEOs and key decision-makers, author Fiona Gilmore distils the essence of many top brands. Top CEOs such as Michael Eisner of Disney and Sir Christopher Gent of Vodafone discuss the issues that are crucial to their success. They reveal:

How companies can create brand architecture to maximize competitive advantage
Why the role of the brand is of fundamental importance in the age of e-commerce
Why service brands are critical for much of twenty-first century business
How companies should deal with acquisitions

Why You Need This Book

Some of the greatest companies the business world has seen credit exemplary branding for their success. Conversely, some of those companies can sometimes lose their way and neglect to manage their brands. Fiona Gilmore shows how and why this happens through gathering inputs from top management of some of the most familiar and successful brands in history and highlighting lessons we can learn from their experiences.

Warriors on the High Wire

Brand warfare gives the same switch-back ride – alternating between exhilaration and disappointment – that has been the characteristic of physical warfare through the ages.

Brand warriors live on the high wire as they seek to grow, explore new markets, develop new techniques, and create a few useful ideas. Brand warriors, like chess grand masters, never stop learning, and the problems they face become more complex and difficult as the world around them changes.

Regardless of your company size or your discipline, you can stand to learn a lot more regarding effective brand warfare in the twenty-first century. And there’s no better way to do so than to read about some of the most successful brand warriors in the history of management.

Armani : The Cult of the Fashion Brand: Defining Style across Six Continents

The story of the Armani brand is one of a svengali-like series of transformations, keeping one step ahead of an easily fatigued consumer and at the same time presenting a public face of apparent seamless continuity.

Disney : Managing a Magical Brand

We’ve always known that the Disney brand generates a level of loyalty and affection unlike any other brand. This deeply held affinity is obviously of great benefit to the company, but where does it come from? Why does it exist?

Reuters : Transforming the Brand for the Information Age

After 150 years of existence, Reuters is on the threshold of the most exciting period of its colourful history. The Internet and new wireless technologies are opening the way for the company to broaden its markets.

Samsung : Another Rising Asian Tiger

Samsung demonstrates how important it is to deal with organizational issues in managing a global brand, particularly when past history has given autonomy to local managers.

Sony : Re-Inventing Itself to Keep Ahead in the Networked World

Sony revolutionized the home electronics markets around the world with products such as the first truly pocket-sized transistor radio, the Walkman personal stereo and the Trinitron color television. But it hasn’t rested on its laurels; Sony has expanded its operations to encompass businesses in the areas of films and TV programme production and distribution, music and video games.

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