How to Make Brand ROI Defensible
Mastercard’s Raja Rajamannar joined the Brand Builder’s Playbook to talk about the topic every CMO claims to want, and many still struggle to nail: brand ROI. This is not another lecture about “measurement culture.” It is a reminder that brand is finance, and that you earn the right to invest by speaking in the metrics […]
Why the Chase and United Airlines Partnership Keeps Soaring
Some partnerships feel forced, while others redefine what collaboration looks like. The long-running alliance between Chase and United Airlines fits the second camp, since it shows how two brands can turn loyalty into everyday experience. Chase and United renewed their co-branded credit card partnership through 2029, with expanded benefits across the United MileagePlus portfolio. The […]
Turning Perception into Pricing Power
Pricing power is not a finance trick. It is the outcome of positioning that reduces substitutes, execution that builds familiarity and regard, and experiences that make your brand feel like the only credible choice. In episode three of our Brand Builder’s Playbook, Jim Stengel, Ryan Barker, and Wharton’s Cait Lamberton put simple language to a […]
Brand Love That Works Today
On the latest episode of the Brand Builder’s Playbook, Molson Coors CMO Sophia Colucci shared how her team develops brands that people genuinely want to connect with and how those efforts translate into measurable business results. Her strategy combines curiosity, consistency, and creativity, ensuring that every initiative evokes real emotion. Alignment is always Colucci’s starting […]
Why Brand Still Wins
“Brand health today is top line tomorrow.” Chris Burggraeve opened the first episode of the Brand Builder’s Playbook podcast with that line, followed by Warren Buffett’s reminder that when the tide goes out, you see who has been swimming naked. Right now, a lot of companies are feeling that cold water. Costs are up, categories […]
FRMU Explained for Brand Builders
Quarter after quarter, the dashboard lights up with awareness, favorability, search, and social. You can point to movement, yet margins feel tighter, promo spend creeps up, and loyalty looks fragile. The funnel view explains episodes in the journey, but not the quiet moments between purchases when people decide whether your brand still matters. That gap […]
Brand is a Relationship, Not a Funnel
Funnel marketing vs brand relationships: what your metrics miss Awareness is rising, conversion is steady, yet price sensitivity is creeping up. The funnel view is not explaining why. Dashboards tell a familiar story with reach, clicks, and conversion, while classic models such as AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action), loyalty loops, and conversion ladders map […]
Why Co-locating IHOP and Applebee’s Will Work
Co-locating restaurant brands is easy to talk about and hard to pull off. Most examples create more confusion than clarity. But every so often, two brands become stronger by partnering with each other. This is exactly what’s happening with IHOP and Applebee’s. Dine Brands, the parent company of both IHOP and Applebee’s, is expanding its […]
Dell’s Brand is Losing Touch with Young Adults, and It’s Costing Them
Dell is in a bind. Its brand equity is slipping among younger adults, and the fallout is showing up on the balance sheet. Among this audience, Dell just doesn’t stand out. Compared to leaders like Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung, BERA’s data shows that Dell lags far behind on perceptions of what makes a brand feel […]
Rising Tariffs Threaten Margins, But Strong Brands Are Holding Their Ground
As policymakers weigh new rounds of tariffs on imported goods, business leaders are bracing for yet another hit to margins. From automobile makers to home goods retailers, many companies will soon face a familiar question: absorb the extra costs or pass them on? For some brands, that decision isn’t as painful as it sounds. According […]