European Business and Brand Building

A strong brand is a key factor in business success, both in the short-term and in the long-term. Brands help to provide a better understanding of the corporate and commercial culture of different firms. A brand reveals the knowledge capital held by a company, but also often reflects the perception of the firm held by consumers and stake-holders. The book explores the historical process of building some of the most famous brands among European businesses and examines the extent to which the brands have contributed to the image of the firms and their differentiation against competitors in the industry.

Luciano Segreto is Professor of International Economic History and Financial History at the University of Florence. Hubert Bonin is Professor of Modern Economic History at Sciences Po Bordeaux and a member of the GRETHA research centre at Bordeaux University. Andrzej K. Kozminski is the founder and the first rector and now the president of Kozminski University, chairman of the Board of Trustees of KU, and the president of the board of the International Business School in Warsaw. Carles Manera was formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Balearic Islands and Minister of Economics and Finances at the Regional Governement of the Balearic Islands. He is currently Professor of Economic History and the director of the Research Group on Economic History at the University of the Balearic Islands. Manfred Pohl is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs (ICCA). He is honorary professor at the University of Frankfurt.

Contents: Andrzej K. Kozminski: Preface - Manfred Pohl: Foreword - Luciano Segreto: Caution: Brands at Work! Branding between Time, History, and Financial Markets - Peter Miskell: Unilever and Its Brands since the 1950s. Competitive Threats and Strategic Responses - Dominique Barjot/Francesca Tesi: The Building of Michelin's Corporate Image and Brand - Laurent Tissot: Suchard. A Swiss Chocolate Brand Somewhere in between Traditional and Modern Cultures - Claire Desbois-Thibault: Champagne. A Distinguished Wine? The Creation of Champagne's Brand Image - Hubert Bonin: A Reassessment of the Business History of the French Luxury Sector. The Emergence of a New Business Model and a Renewed Corporate Image (from the 1970s) - Elisabetta Merlo: The Ascendance of the Italian Fashion Brands (1970-2000) - Carles Manera/Jaume Garau-Taberner: The Invention of the Camper Brand. Brand Building of Mallorca Shoe-Manufacturing - Xoán Carmona Badía: Corporate Growth and Changes in Brand Identity. The Case of the Zara Group - Mariusz Jastrzab: Operation Abundance. Brands and Polish Consumers after WWII - Hubert Bonin: Conclusive Remarks. European Values and European Brands: Corporate Culture and Commercial Identity.