The authors examine the history of brand management by tracing its development in the context of the marketing environment from 1870 to the present. They develop six theses regarding the evolution of brand management and its implications and substantiate them utilizing a historical approach. They demonstrate that the brand manager system originated well after the leadership of branded products was established, it was adopted following a conventional adoption curve pattern, and it has proven quite adaptable to differing firm and marketing environments over the past several decades.
They then evaluate its likely fate in today's rapidly changing environment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AakerDavid A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name.New York: The Free Press.
2.
AchrolRavi S. (1991), “Evolution of the Marketing Organization: New Forms for Turbulent Environments,”Journal of Marketing, 55(October), 77–93.
3.
Advertising Age (1987), “P&G Widens Power Base: Adds Category Managers,”58 (October 12), 1, 99.
4.
AlbertsRobert C. (1973), The Good Provider: H.J. Heinz and His 57 Varieties.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
5.
AlexanderRalph S., and BergThomas L. (1965), Dynamic Management in Marketing.Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.
6.
AmesCharles B. (1963), “Payoff from Product Management,”Harvard Business Review, 41(November-December), 141–52.
7.
AmesCharles B. (1970), “The Consumer Product Manager,” in Handbook of Modern Marketing, BuellVictor P., and HeyelCarl, eds. New York: McGraw-Hill, Chapter2.
8.
AmesCharles B. (1971), “Dilemma of Product/Market Management,”Harvard Business Review, 49(March-April), 66–74.
9.
BensonJohn (1938), “Trends in Consumer Advertising,”Journal of Marketing, 3(1), 20–26.
10.
BensonSusan Porter (1988), Counter Cultures: Sales-women, Managers, and Customers in American Department Stores 1890–1940.Urbana, IL and Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
11.
BerrowS. William (1966), “The Functions of Product Management Past, Present, and Future,” in New Ideas for Successful Marketing: Proceedings of the 1966 World Conference, WrightJohn S., and GoldstuckerJack L., eds. Chicago: American Marketing Association.
12.
BordenNeil H. (1946), “The Significance of the Battle of the Brands,”AMA's Two Big Days: Proceedings of the Spring Conference.Chicago: American Marketing Association,143–51.
13.
Brandweek (1992), “Rewriting the Book on Buying and Selling,”33 (November 30), 18–21.
14.
BraznellWilliam (1982), California's Finest: The History of Del Monte Corporation and the Del Monte Brand.San Francisco: Del Monte.
15.
BreggiaSherri (1992), interview with the author.
16.
BuckinghamA.O. (1946), “The Future for National Brands,”AMA's Two Big Days: Proceedings of the Spring Conference.Chicago: American Marketing Association, 123–30.
17.
BuellVictor P. (1975), “The Changing Role of the Product Manager in Consumer Goods Companies,”Journal of Marketing, 39(July), 3–11.
18.
BundHenry (1963), “Is Top Management Disillusioned With Marketing Management” in Innovation—Key to Marketing Progress: Proceedings of the 46th National Conference, GomezHenry, ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association.
19.
Business Week (1973), “The Brand Manager: No Longer King” (June 9), 58–66.
20.
Business Week (1987), “Marketing's New Look” (January 26), 64–69.
21.
Business Week (1988), “The Marketing Revolution at Procter & Gamble” (July 25), 72–76.
22.
Business Week (1991), “What's in a Name? Less and Less” (July 8), 66–67.
23.
CahnWilliam (1969), Out of the Cracker Barrel: The Nabisco Story.New York: Simon & Schuster.
24.
ChandlerAlfred D.Jr. (1977), The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business.Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press.
25.
ClarkKim B., and FujimotoTakahiro (1990), “The Power of Product Integrity,”Harvard Business Review, 68(November-December), 107–18.
26.
ClewettRichard M., and StaschStanley F. (1975), “Shifting Role of the Product Manager,”Harvard Business Review, 53(January-February), 65–73.
27.
CollierReginald B. (1964), “The Product Management Concept in Marketing,” in The Marketing Concept in Action: Proceedings of the 47th National Conference, KaplanRobert M., ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association.
28.
ConversePaul D. (1930), The Elements of Marketing.New York: Prentice Hall, Inc.
29.
CopelandMelvin T. (1931), “Some Present-Day Problems in Distribution,”Harvard Business Review, 9(April), 299–310.
30.
CosséThomas J., and SwanJohn E. (1983), “Strategic Marketing Planning by Product Managers—Room for Improvement?”Journal of Marketing, 47(Summer), 92–102.
31.
DietzStephens (1973), “Get More Out of Your Brand Management,”Harvard Business Review, 51(July-August), 127–36.
32.
DukerJacob, and LaricMichael V. (1981), “The Product Manager: No Longer on Trial,” in The Changing Marketing Environment: New Theories and Applications. 1981 Educators’ Conference Proceedings, BernhardtKenneth, ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association,93–96.
33.
EldridgeClarence E. (1966), The Management of the Marketing Function.New York: Association of National Advertisers.
34.
FarquharPeter H. (1989), “Managing Brand Equity,”Marketing Research, 1(September), 24–33.
35.
Fortune (1989), “P&G Rewrites the Marketing Rules” (November 6), 34–48.
36.
FosterDavid R. (1975), The Story of Colgate Palmolive.New York: The Newcomen Society.
37.
FoxStephen (1984), The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising and Its Creators.New York: Morrow.
38.
FullertonRonald A. (1987), “Historicism: What It Is, and What It Means for Consumer Research,” in Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 14, WallendorfMelanie, and AndersonPaul, eds. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research,431–434.
39.
FullertonRonald A. (1988), “How Modern is Modern Marketing? Marketing's Evolution and the Myth of the ‘Production Era,”’Journal of Marketing, 52(January), 108–25.
40.
FulmerRobert M. (1965), “Product Management: Panacea or Pandora's Box?”California Management Review, 7(Summer), 63–74.
41.
GemmillGary R., and WilemonDavid L. (1972), “The Product Manager as an Influence Agent,”Journal of Marketing, 36(January), 26–30.
42.
GieseThomas D., and WeisenbergerT.M. (1982), “Product Manager in Perspective,”Journal of Business Research, 10(September), 267–77.
43.
GrayJames (1954), Business Without Boundary: The Story of General Mills.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
44.
HammerMichael, and ChampyJames (1993), Reengineering the Corporation.New York: Harper Business.
45.
Harvard Business Review (1985), “Behind the Brands at P&G,”63 (November–December), 79–90.
46.
HehmanRaymond D. (1984), Product Management.Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin.
47.
HiseRichard T., and KellyPatrick (1978), “Product Management on Trial,”Journal of Marketing, 42(October), 28–33.
48.
HotchkissGeorge B., and FrankenRichard B. (1923), The Leadership of Advertised Brands.New York: Doubleday, Page.
49.
HowleyMichael (1988), “Is There a Need for the Product Manager?”The Quarterly Review of Marketing (Spring), 18–22.
50.
JacobsR.H. (1961), “The Effective Use of the Product Manager,” in The Marketing Job.New York: American Management Association.
51.
Journal of Marketing (1941), “Significant Current Trends in Marketing,”5 (January), 213–25.
52.
KanterRosabeth Moss (1989), When Giants Learn to Dance.New York: Simon and Schuster.
53.
KeithRobert J. (1960), “The Marketing Revolution,”Journal of Marketing, 24(January), 35–38.
54.
KellerKevin Lane (1991), “Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity,” MSI Working Paper No. 91–123. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute.
55.
KotlerPhilip (1988), Marketing Management, 6th ed.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice–Hall, Inc.
56.
KriefBernard (1975), Marketing Effectiveness Through Organizational Structure.New York and Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
57.
LambertGerard B. (1927), “Lessons from Listerine's Success,”Printers’ Ink, 141(November 10), 3–8; 200–03.
58.
LewisEdwin H., HollowayRobert J., and HancockRobert S. (1964), Growth of the Marketing Concept in Manufacturing Companies.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Division of Research.
59.
LiefAlfred (1958), “It Floats”: The Story of Procter & Gamble.New York: Rinehart & Company.
60.
LiefAlfred (1963), The Moon and Stars.Cincinnati, OH: The Procter & Gamble Company.
61.
LucasDarrell B. (1972), “Point of View: Product Managers in Advertising,”Journal of Advertising Research, 12(June), 41–44.
62.
LuckDavid J. (1969), “Interfaces of a Product Manager,”Journal of Marketing, 33(October), 32–36.
63.
LuckDavid J., and NowakTheodore (1965), “Product Management—Vision Unfulfilled,”Harvard Business Review, 43(May-June), 143–54.
64.
LysonskiSteven (1985), “A Boundary Theory Investigation of the Product Manager's Role,”Journal of Marketing, 49(Winter), 26–40.
65.
McKitterickJ.B. (1957), “What Is the Marketing Management Concept?” in The Frontiers of Marketing Thought and Science: Contributed Papers December Conference, BassFrank M., ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association,71–82.
66.
MarchandRoland (1985), Advertising the American Dream.Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
67.
Marketing (UK 1990), “Brandstand” (March 22) 27.
68.
MillerCyndee (1993), “Upbeat Outlook for U.S. Brands,”Marketing News, 27(May 24), 1.
69.
MooreDavid G (1957), “Marketing Orientation and Emerging Patterns of Management and Organization,” in The Frontiers of Marketing Thought and Science: Contributed Papers December Conference, BassFrank M., ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association,102–109.
70.
MoreinJoseph A. (1975), “Shift From Brand to Product Line Marketing,”Harvard Business Review, 53(September-October), 56–64.
71.
NevettTerence (1991), “Historical Investigation and the Practice of Marketing,”Journal of Marketing, 55(July), 13–23.
72.
ParlinCharles Coolidge (1916), “The Manufacturer, the Retailer and Branded Merchandise,”Printers’ Ink, 96(July 6), 84–99.
73.
PollayRichard W. (1994), “Thank the Editors for the Buyological Urge! American Magazines, Advertising and the Promotion of the Consumer Culture, 1920–1980,” in Research in Marketing, 12, FullertonRonald A., ed. Greenwich CT: JAI.
74.
PorterGlenn, and LivesayHarold (1971), Merchants and Manufacturers: Studies in the Changing Structure of Nineteenth Century Marketing.Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press.
75.
PresbreyFrank S. (1929), The History and Development of Advertising.New York: Doubleday & Co.
76.
Printers’ Ink (1910a), “The Practical Way of Harmonizing Sales and Advertising Departments,”73 (November 3), 58–59.
77.
Printers’ Ink (1910b), “Working Co-operation in Sales and Advertising Departments,”73 (October 20), 58.
78.
Printers’ Ink (1927a), “Advertising Is About to Be De-bunked,”140 (July 28), 3–6, 164–68.
79.
Printers’ Ink (1927b), “Why Firm Names Are Being Changed to Brand Names,”141 (November 10), 191–92.
80.
Printers’ Ink (1957), “Advertising and Sales Under One Roof,”259 (April 5), 19–21.
81.
Printers’ Ink (1960), “Why Modern Marketing Needs the Product Manager,”273 (October 14), 25–30.
82.
Printers’ Ink (1962), “P&G: What Explains its Success?”280 (September 28), 29–45.
83.
Printers’ Ink (1966), “Product Managers: Just What Do They Do?”293 (October 28), 13–21.
84.
QuelchJohn A., FarrisPaul W., and OlverJames M. (1987a), “The Product Management Audit,”Harvard Business Review, 65(March-April), 30–36.
85.
QuelchJohn A., FarrisPaul W., and OlverJames M. (1987b), “The Product Management Audit: Design and Survey Findings,”Journal of Consumer Research, 4(Summer), 45–58.
86.
ReedVirgil D. (1929), Planned Marketing.New York: The Ronald Press.
87.
RiddleJudith S. (1993a), “P&G Mulls Brand Re-Org, Bigtime Cuts, in July,”Brandweek, 34(17 April), 1, 6.
88.
RiddleJudith S. (1993b), “Brand Alert. P&G Mulls Fate of More Big Brands,”Brandweek, 34(May 24), 1. 6.
89.
RiddleJudith S. (1993c), “When Procter Sneezes, Everybody Else Gets a Cold,”Brandweek, 34(May 31), 17.
90.
RogersEverett M. (1962), Diffusion of Innovations.New York: The Free Press of Glencoe.
91.
Sales Management (1967), “Has the Product Manager Failed? Or the Folly of Imitation,”98 (January 1), 27–30; 65–66.
92.
SandsSaul (1979), “Is the Product Manager Obsolete?”The Business Quarterly, 44(Autumn), 30–38.
93.
SavittRonald (1984), “An Historical Approach to Comparative Retailing,” in Comparative Marketing Systems, KaynakErdener, and SavittRonald, eds. New York: Praeger,147–55.
94.
SchisgallOscar (1981), Eyes on Tomorrow: The Evolution of Procter & Gamble.Chicago: J.G. Ferguson.
95.
SkenazyLenore (1987), “Brand Managers Shelved?”Advertising Age (July 13), 81.
96.
SlatorHelen (1945), “Brands Now and After the War,”Printers’ Ink, 210(February 23), 94–100.
97.
SloanAlfred P. (1963), My Years With General Motors.New York: MacFadden.
98.
SmithDaniel C., and Whan ParkC. (1992), “The Effects of Brand Extensions on Market Share and Advertising Efficiency,”Journal of Marketing Research, 29(August), 296–313.
99.
StrasserSusan (1989), Satisfaction Guaranteed: The Making of the American Mass Market.New York: Pantheon.
100.
TedlowRichard S. (1990), New and Improved: The Story of Mass Marketing in America.New York: Basic Books.
101.
ThorntonHarrison John (1933), The History of the Quaker Oats Company.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
102.
TietjenKarl H. (1970), “The Industrial Product Manager,” in Handbook of Modern Marketing, BuellVictor P., and HeyelCarl, eds. New York: McGraw-Hill.
103.
TosdalHarry R. (1933), “Some Recent Changes in the Marketing of Consumer Goods,”Harvard Business Review, 11(January), 156–64.
104.
VenkateshAlladi, and WilemonDavid L. (1976), “Interpersonal Influence in Product Management,”Journal of Marketing, 40(October), 33–40.
105.
WebsterFrederick E.Jr. (1992), “The Changing Role of Marketing in the Corporation,”Journal of Marketing, 56(October), 1–17.
106.
WeddingNugent (1957), “Good Times Ahead for National Brands,” in Current Readings in Marketing, FreyGeorge F., and ButeuxRaymond D., eds. New York: Printers’ Ink Publishing Co.
107.
WeigandRobert (1961), “Changes in the Marketing Organization in Selected Industries—1950 to 1959,” in The Social Responsibilities of Marketing: Proceedings of the Winter Conference, StevensWilliam D., ed. Chicago: American Marketing Association,475–80.
108.
WhitePercival (1927), Advertising Research.New York and London: D. Appleton.
109.
WinerLeon (1965), “Are You Really Planning Your Marketing?”Journal of Marketing, 29(January), 1–8.
