Taking Brand Initiative offers a revolutionary approach to corporate branding that looks beyond the marketing value of brands company-to-customer and the HR significance of brands company-to-employee. It places the management of brands at the senior level of management as it radiates throughout the organization.

Foreword. Preface. Introduction. Part One: The Basics. 1. What Is Corporate Branding? 2. The Value of Brands. 3. Who Are You? 4. Diagnosing Your Corporate Brand. Part Two: Managing Corporate Brands. 5. Managing Corporate Brands as Organizations Grow. 6. The Infl uence of Employees and Their Cultures. 7. Through Stakeholders’ Eyes. Part Three: Pulling It All Together. 8. Aligning Vision, Culture, and Images. 9. Getting into Enterprise Branding: Catching the Third Wave. Glossary of Key Terms. Notes. References. The Authors. Index.

Praise for Taking Brand Initiative "In today's media-saturated society, only those who forcefully manage to stay true to themselves leave us with a lasting brand impression. To achieve that you need to work hard to align actions with decisions such that strategy, culture, and identity support each other. This book will help your business follow this difficult but rewarding path to success." —JØrgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO and president, LEGO Group "An excellent book that details a structured route to getting the increasingly important corporate brand right, with depth and rigor, overlaid with fascinating case studies.?Anyone interested in branding will find this book interesting and informative."—David A. Aaker, brand guru and vice chairman, Prophet; author of four brand books, including Brand Portfolio Strategy "This book truly shows the power of combining insights into corporate culture with an understanding of the practical problems of economic survival through branding. The authors emphasize the importance of embedding corporate brands in the cultural DNA of companies, something that is too often overlooked in branding practice. Through compelling, richly detailed examples, the authors show how companies suffer if the promise of the brand does not match the organizational culture nor cohere with public images of the firm. This book deepens our understanding of both organization theory and strategic marketing, exposing a deeper level of causality of what makes some organizations more effective than others." —Edgar H. Schein, professor emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management; author, Organizational Culture and Leadership "Having trouble focusing your organization? Corporate branding and the process of developing and implementing it are the answer.? In Taking Brand Initiative, Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz provide the frameworks, techniques, and examples you need to get both your organization and its stakeholders moving in the same direction.? If you want to create enduring organizational success, read this book!" —Jerry I. Porras, Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business; co-author of Built to Last