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Jean-Marc Lehu
Kogan Page, United Kingdom, 2006; 234pp; £22.50; hardback;
ISBN
0749445661
Jean-Marc Lehu is Associate Marketing Professor at Pantheon Sorbonne University. In this book, he tackles the critical theme of how to revitalise brands that are in decline. In order to address the problem of brand ageing, he suggests a three-stage process that starts by recognising that the ageing process has begun, followed by an audit of the brand to ascertain whether there remains enough brand equity to make the rejuvenation effort worthwhile and culminating in the formulation of a strategy to achieve success. Case studies of international brands such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Dove and Nivea are provided to back up the analysis.
In the opening chapter, Lehu stresses that it is important to be careful about the use of terminology when discussing the age of a brand. He points out that there can often be a considerable difference between a brand's perceived age and its true age--some brands that have been around for decades may be perceived as younger than other brands that are more recent arrivals. Lehu suggests the adjective 'vintage' rather than 'old' to describe brands that chronologically may be old, but that are not suffering from decline or ageing: 'It is therefore preferable to...