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Grow the Core: How to Focus on your Core Business for Brand Success

Grow the Core: How to Focus on your Core Business for Brand Success

by David Taylor
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Release Date: February 2013
ISBN: 9781118484708
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Book Description

Grow the Core stands conventional wisdom about business growth on its head and provides a proven formula for growing your business in recessionary times.

These days, it's a common belief among business leaders across industry sectors that the best way to grow their businesses is to expand into new markets. In reality, virtually all top-performing companies achieve superior results through a leading position in their core business. Unfortunately, there's very little in the way of practical advice on how to do this. Grow the Core shows you how tofocus on your core business for brand success, with a program of eight workouts road-tested by the author's consultancy, the brandgym.

The book provides inspiration, practical advice and proven tools for building and strengthening your core business. It is packed with case studies from brandgym clients, including Mars, Friesland Campina, SAB Miller and Danone. The book features exclusive brandgym research, in addition to front-line experience on over one hundred brand coaching projects.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Thanks
  6. Introduction
  7. Part I: Why Grow the Core?
    1. Chapter 1: Defining the core
      1. What is the core?
      2. Anchoring the core
      3. Key takeouts
      4. Checklist 1. Defining the core
    2. Chapter 2: Stretching the brand, forgetting the core
      1. Getting it right … brand stretch can work – Apple
      2. Getting it wrong … brand ego tripping – Virgin
      3. Snow White and the 17 dwarves
      4. Neglecting the core – Bausch & Lomb
      5. Key takeouts
      6. Checklist 2. Neglecting the core
    3. Chapter 3: The case for the core
      1. Two ways to make a million – Heinz soup
      2. The case for the core
      3. A new marketing mind-set – Scooty
      4. The challenges of growing the core
      5. Key takeouts
      6. Checklist 3. The case for the core
  8. Part II: Grow the Core Principles
    1. Chapter 4: The core growth drivers
      1. Core growth driver 1: Penetration
      2. Driving penetration with distinctiveness
      3. Fresh consistency – James Bond
      4. Driving penetration with distribution
      5. Core growth driver 2: Premiumisation
      6. The Grow the Core workouts
      7. The best brand in the world – Nespresso?
      8. Key takeouts
      9. Checklist 4. Core growth drivers
    2. Chapter 5: Renovation or re-invention?
      1. Renovate the core – Walkers
      2. Re-position the core – Lucozade
      3. Re-define the core – Bertolli
      4. Re-invent the core – Kodak and TomTom
      5. Key takeouts
      6. Checklist 5. Renovation or re-invention?
  9. Part III: Grow the Core Workouts
    1. Chapter 6: Workout 1: Bake the brand into your product
      1. Bake in your brand – The Geek Squad
      2. Using product to grow your core 1: Amplify a product truth – Morrisons and Castle Lite
      3. Using product to grow your core 2: More of what you want – McDonald's
      4. Using product to grow your core 3: Less of what you don't want – Walkers
      5. Key takeouts
      6. Checklist 6. Renovation or re-invention?
    2. Chapter 7: Workout 2: Create a distinctive identity
      1. Identity crisis
      2. Being the 1 in 1000
      3. Balancing freshness and consistency – Tropicana
      4. Updating your identity – Nivea
      5. Creating your identity – Charlie Bigham's
      6. Suggesting a benefit – Waitrose Essentials
      7. Re-positioning – Green & Black's
      8. Adding value – Molton Brown
      9. Packvertising – innocent
      10. Family ties – Nescafé and Red Bull
      11. Amplifying brand properties – Felix
      12. Five-minute focus groups
      13. Key takeouts
      14. Checklist 7. Create your own identity
    3. Chapter 8: Workout 3: Communicate with cut-through
      1. Communication breakdown
      2. Fresh consistency
      3. Think like a TV producer
      4. Creating a campaign – Sainsbury's
      5. Refreshing what made you famous – Hovis
      6. What about social media?
      7. Key takeouts
      8. Checklist 8. Communicate with cut-through
    4. Chapter 9: Workout 4: Go beyond promotion to activation
      1. Grab and go – innocent's Big Knit
      2. Creating an activation property – Carling ‘Be the Coach’
      3. Amplifying the property – Nike
      4. Key takeouts
      5. Checklist 9. Go beyond promotion to activity
    5. Chapter 10: Workouts 5 and 6: Drive your distribution
      1. Workout 5: Existing channels
      2. Workout 6: New channels
      3. Key takeouts
      4. Checklist 10. Drive distribution
    6. Chapter 11: Workouts 7 and 8: Extend the core
      1. Delivering a double whammy
      2. Workout 7: Pack extension – WD-40
      3. Workout 8: Product extension – Ryvita
      4. Key takeouts
      5. Checklist 11. Extend the core workplan
  10. Part IV: The Grow the Core Workplan
    1. Chapter 12: Grow the core – getting started
      1. Stage 1: Insight
      2. Stage 2: Ideas
      3. Stage 3: Exploration
      4. Stage 4: Action
      5. Key takeouts
      6. Checklist 12. Grow the Core workplan
  11. References
  12. Also by
    1. By David Taylor and David Nichols
    2. By David Taylor
    3. By David Nichols
  13. Index