An essential guide to contemporary marketing that demonstrates, via case studies, the move towards marketing techniques that better reflect consumer needs.

Traditional approaches to brand management adopt an organizational perspective--the assumption is that the organization designs, produces and sells the brand, making a promise to customers and delivering on it. However, this view is limited. The power of the Internet to connect people and the desire of consumers to focus on experiences means that the brand is not created by the organization, but rather is co-created through the experiences of consumers, the participation of people in online communities and the sharing of ideas and opinions within networks.

In this new reality, the task of managers is to connect, listen and participate. The focus of brand management is no longer on the organization but on the intersection between the organization and all its stakeholders. This changing environment must lead to a new brand management paradigm, which the authors call the co-creation perspective.

Written in an accessible style with easy to understand models and international examples, Brand Management looks at how co-created brands create value and how the success of a co-creative approach can be measured. The book outlines the specific leadership approach required to develop a supportive culture--co-creative leaders need to be willing to let go of their brand and allow employees, customers and other stakeholders to help develop it.

Along with the positive outcomes of co-creation come situational challenges that will need to be handled differently within different industries. Co-creating Brands details the adjustments that leaders and organizations will need to make and how these challenges can be overcome.

Prof. Dr. Holger J. Schmidt is a Full Professor of General Management and Marketing at Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Before his academic career, he worked for consultants, advertising agencies and a global service provider. Holger is the author of numerous books and academic publications and a respected member of the international brand management community. He was Visiting Professor at CPUT in Cape Town and guest lecturer at several other institutions.

Nicholas Ind is Associate Professor at Kristiania University College, Oslo and a partner in Equilibrium Consulting. Previously he ran Icon Medialab's brand consultancy arm in Sweden. Before he joined Icon, Nicholas had his own branding consultancy in the UK, was a Director of a design group and was an Account Director in an advertising agency. He has published articles in Journal of Product and Brand Management, Journal of Brand Management and California Management Review. He is a Visiting Professor at ESADE, Barcelona and Edinburgh Napier University.