While the importance of a strong brand is widely understood, nothing is as misunderstood in American business as the question of how to use it.

Do not allow your enemy to define you. Because if you allow yourself to be defined negatively, nothing positive you say about yourself will register.

It's not fair, but it's not entirely wrong to presume that the more capable people will come from the better brand.

Finding an excuse not to buy a brand can be just as enjoyable as finding an excuse to buy one. That, too, is human nature.

Every brand builder will face a million temptations to obscure, dilute, or confuse his or her brand message. These temptations fall under two general headings: boredom and the desire for growth.

Brand is everything, the stuff you want to communicate to consumers and the stuff you communicate despite yourself.

Good brands do three things for highly stressed out consumers: 1. They save time. 2. They project the right message. 3. They provide an identity.