The brand management that focused on brand AWARENESS and DISTRIBUTION channel was only half RIGHT in old days where the distribution channel (and media channel) were physically fixed/rigid and controlled from the top. The good top brand management then took care of efficiency measure such as GRP (reach x frequencies) and sales channel distribution rate. The emphasis was not on brand per se, but on CHANNEL; the management of DISTRIBUTION channel and MEDIA (mind exposures) channel. Those channels have been controlled by the supply side and thus can be managed from the top. The bottom (the consumers, I mean) were only there to consume what they have been told to do so. Ironically it was NOT about the brand, per se.
Update: here are my related tweets (sorry for redundancy): here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Now we live in a LONG TAIL world, no more physical constraints, no more control from the top, here GUY KAWASAKI provides very true, very honest, very final The art of brand management. Enjoy.
Update: I realized I’m totally influenced by the notion of TV-Industrial complex by Seth Godin .
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