The Ways to New

Part ThreeDisruptive Brand Building

Part One discussed the fact that companies can innovate at every different level. They can come with disruptive products, disruptive business models, disruptive marketing strategies, and disruptive communications plans.

Part Two described a variety of paths to stimulating innovation at the product and business-model levels.

Part Three is about marketing and communication. About everything related to brands. It defines what we call “disruptive brand building.”

For several years now, the aggregate value of the S&P 500 companies' intangible assets has exceeded that of their tangible assets. Which means that patents, copyrights, registered trademarks, goodwill, client lists, company culture, training programs, and management systems are now worth more than physical factories and machines. And, most interestingly, among all the intangible assets a company may own, its brands are often the most valuable.

It follows that marketing is not just about selling products. It is also about creating added value in a company's most valuable asset. This is why it is essential to make sure that each brand vision is clearly defined and expressed in an ambitious way.

There can be no greater marketing sin than underleveraging a brand.