Creating Passion Brands

Book excerpt: Faced with crowded markets, flat growth and growing consumer cynicism, brand marketers are looking for ways to deepen the emotional connection between their brands and customers. This book uses interviews and case studies to show how brands such as Harley-Davidson, Google, Zara clothing, and Camper shoes have outstripped the growth of their peers by igniting passion among employees and consumers alike. They are "passion brands," and they show the way forward for marketing in the 21st century. Drawing on both research and academic theory, the authors put forward a practical, systematic approach to the business of creating passion brands from existing brands. Always vivid, often contentious, Creating Passion Brands shows what really counts at the heart of branding today.