Coca-Cola. Harley-Davidson. Nike. Budweiser. Valued by customers more for what they symbolize than for what
they do, products like these are more than brands--they are cultural icons. How do managers create brands that
resonate so powerfully with consumers? Based on extensive historical analyses of some of America's most successful
iconic brands, including ESPN, Mountain Dew, Volkswagen, Budweiser, and Harley-Davidson, this book presents the
first systematic model to explain how brands become icons. Douglas B. Holt shows how iconic brands create "identity
myths" that, through powerful symbolism, soothe collective anxieties resulting from acute social change. Holt
warns that icons can't be built through conventional branding strategies, which focus on benefits, brand personalities,
and emotional relationships. Instead, he calls for a deeper cultural perspective on traditional marketing themes
like targeting, positioning, brand equity, and brand loyalty--and outlines a distinctive set of "cultural
branding" principles that will radically alter how companies approach everything from marketing strategy to
market research to hiring and training managers. Until now, Holt shows, even the most successful iconic brands
have emerged more by intuition and serendipity than by design. With How Brands Become Icons, managers can leverage
the principles behind some of the most successful brands of the last half-century to build their own iconic brands.