War in the Boardroom

Left-brain management wants to build a better product. Right-brain marketing wants to build a more dominant brand.

Over time, most brands in a category tend to be quite similar. The differences noticed by the consumer are created by the brands themselves.

The futility of a better-product strategy.

You don’t make money building better products; you make money building better brands.

Management people approach every situation in a sane, sensible way. Their emphasis is always on the product. “If we can produce a better product at a better price, we can win the marketing battle.”
Marketing people approach every situation from the prospect’s point of view. Their emphasis is on perception. “How do we improve sales by taking advantage of the perception of the brand?”

Management people, of course, are aware of the importance of perception. The problem is they believe perception is a mirror. It’s just a reflection of reality. Change the reality and you change the perception

Educating a chief executive

Our sympathies vs. our finances

Low prices vs. high prices.

Left-brain management’s first thought is usually to expand the business. At Home Depot, one of Nardelli’s first moves was to expand its building-supply business by acquiring some twenty-five wholesale suppliers. (Home Depot eventually sold that business.)
Right-brain marketing’s first thought is usually to narrow the focus. You can’t build a brand if you don’t stand for something in the consumer’s mind. Often the best way to stand for something is to isolate a single service you can dominate or an attribute you can own