Packed with stories and compelling discoveries from an impressive worldwide consumer database, Married to the Brand reveals why consumers bond with some brands -- but not others. Looking through the all-important eyes of the consumer, it shows what companies must do to build enduring and profitable brand relationships.

Companies spend millions of dollars every year trying to court consumers. They invest in flashy advertising, celebrity endorsements, loyalty programs, websites ... you name it. And they spend millions more trying to build their businesses through elaborate "relationship management" software.

The result? Most marketers still aren't emotionally connecting with consumers.

Sure, their strategies may draw raves, and their ads may win impressive awards at Cannes. They may even raise their brand awareness. But they too often fail to build enduring brand relationships. Put another way: Many marketers are great at wooing a "first date" with consumers -- yet lousy at creating a lasting marriage between buyer and brand.

Married to the Brand tells the story of what makes profitable brand relationships work -- through the eyes of the consumer, not the marketer. Packed with stories and compelling discoveries from a worldwide consumer database, this book explores why people bond with some brands and not others.

Emotions aren't simply warm, fluffy concepts. According to Married to the Brand, which draws on 60 years of Gallup research into consumer psychology, emotional connections can be measured and managed. Married to the Brand shows you how. This is a must-read for profit-obsessed marketers everywhere -- from the boardroom, where strategies are formulated, to the front lines, where employees "live" the brand every day.

About the Author: Bill McEwen is a Global Practice Leader at The Gallup Organization, in charge of its worldwide Brand Management Practice. As team leader, he has spearheaded the development of programs that have built brand relationships from Singapore to Sao Paulo and from Washington to Wiesbaden. These programs have been successfully applied to a broad range of marketing challenges -- including department stores and banks, as well as construction companies and salsa manufacturers.

Bill's perspective derives from a singular scope and depth of experience in advertising, marketing education, brand consulting, and marketing management. His extensive background in brand marketing includes shampoos and snacks -- but also mortgages and microprocessors, grocers and gas stations, data transmission services and department stores. He has worked with brands that include Kraft, Coors, and Nestlé -- as well as Wells Fargo, Wal-Mart, Intel, and Gap Inc.

Bill came to Gallup in 1994 with more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles at multinational ad agencies with outstanding brand-building credentials -- Leo Burnett, FCB, Needham, D'Arcy, and McCann-Erickson. His ad agency background combines with his client-side product management experience and his academic expertise as a former tenured associate professor of communication sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Bill received his Ph.D. in Communication from Michigan State University, where he was an NDEA Fellow. MSU recognized him with its Outstanding Alumni Award for 2004. He has been a frequent and prolific contributor to advertising and marketing journals, a regular speaker at industry events, and also serves as an editorial board member for two marketing and advertising journals. He has been an American Marketing Association keynoter, President of AMA's San Francisco chapter, and an AMA Executive Fellow in Residence.