Working Title: Seven Ages of Brand

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

Just like the Seven Ages of Man described by William Shakespeare, a Brand also has Seven Ages. The book aims to capture these stages of a Brand – from conception till death and rebirth. Just like a man, a brand also goes through the motions of life and has its share of ups and downs and it also eveolves with time and maturity.   

Chapter 1: The infant

At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

1A: Conception:

Conveiving a brand by accident or by planning.

Why the brand? Raison d’etre.

Some anecdotes of brand conception.

1B: Birth

Determining the Brand Gender: Brands inherently have a gender. Say a Rolex or Old Spice are msculine brands whereas Chanel or Dior are feminine.

So based on the gender of the brand the entire life journey is planned.

This will cover the facets of brand gender.

Whether incubation is needed: If the brand is launched prematurely, there is a need for immediate incubation, just like with babies. The incubation saves the brand and makes it stronger to face the world. The parents realise that the brand is too fragile to withstand competition and will die prematurely. So this forces the parents to strenthen the brand and make it fot for survival.

Chapter 2: The whining schoolboy

Then, the whining school-boy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like a snail
Unwillingly to school.

2A: The early years: This is the time of doubts, the irritation of failure, the sweetness of initial success. The exposure to criticism. The is the time when you realise the strengths and weaknesses, the areas that need nourishment.

2B: The teen/adolescent/puberty: You start realising the changes (hormonal) that a brand is undergoing. This is a critical time when you need to be patient as even a well thought through plan may go haywire and this is when the brand starts developing character.

Chapter 3: The lover

And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow.

A confident young brand that falls hopelessly in love with itself. It just sees how beautiful it is and keeps admiring the story of its birth and growth. This is a time when “Brand Ego” takes birth.

Chapter 4: A soldier

Then, a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth.

The dominance of Brand Ego: This is dedicated to the facets of Brand Ego. “A car that runs of reputation” is one such example. Rolex, LV, Rolls Royce.

This segment will explain what is meant by brand ego and what defines it in details.

Chapter 5:  The justice

And then, the justice,
In fair round belly, with a good capon lined,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part.

The maturing brand: Ego grows, wisdom grows. The brand now has more clarity of its clients/TG and even about its strngths and weaknesses. But ego still plays a significant role.

Chapter 6:  Into lean and slippered pantaloon

The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.

This is a time when the brand starts to show signs of fading. This is when there is the conception of a revamp. The idea that the brand is nearing death looms large. So the custodian/parent looks at ways to save the brand or rebuild the brand or even the birth of a new brand.

Chapter 7: Second childishness

Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.^[7]

The death of the old brand. The birth of a new brand. The second life of the brand.

Appendix:

Chapter A:

Brand perception: The consumer behaviour and classification. This will capture is details how the different categories of customers perceive brands differently. A special reference to consumers of luxury brands.

Chapter B:

The brand for te 3Ps: Personality branding/Professional branding/Product branding. How to brand your reputation, how to brand your profession, how to brand your product: aspects, what it means, dimensions.