Branding on brink of change

David Aaker, considered by many to be the 'grandfather' of brand building and branding as a separate and strategic management discipline, very recently produced a detailed discussion on the state of Chinese brands for the Harvard Business Review.

While few would dare to dispute Aaker's preeminence in the field of brand management nor his immense contribution to the literature, it is his apparent lack of knowledge of China and in particular the changing nature of Chinese business and consumer culture that renders his analysis questionable.

Essentially, Aaker contends that Western, especially US (surprise, surprise!) companies' record of successful brand building is born out of the rich pool of talented personnel available and a motivational force to 'go global'. Specifically, Aaker maintains that: