Managing brand portfolios: Why leaders do what they do

Abstract

Intense competition, emerging markets, brand extension, acquisitions, and many other activities have left companies with a confusion of products to make and brands to manage. More important than understanding how to manage "a brand" is how to manage the bundle of brand identities in a firm's portfolio. There are many ways of doing this, from corporate dominant strategies to the use of furtive brands. This study examines the rationale behind brand strategies, first, by seeing what the proponents of the alternative approaches say and, secondly, by asking managers why they do what they do. The results show that branding strategies are not only market driven.