Brand Fusion

Finalist in the Business: Marketing & Advertising category of the Best Book Awards 2023 awarded by American Book Fest
Finalist in the Marketing - Branding category of the Goody Business Book Awards 2023

Brand Fusion: Purpose-driven brand strategy presents a compelling case for what consumers, customers, employees, and wider society are now demanding from companies – the development of brands that deliver profit with purpose, are sustainable, and create mutually beneficial meaning.

It fuses theory-practice-application to purpose-driven brand strategies in order to develop a unique approach that has comprehensive theoretical underpinning as well as practical and thought-provoking lessons from industry. Data-driven case studies from a broad range of brands and contexts show the application of this learning–from micro-brands to corporates; charities to technology companies; retirement villages to aspiring high-growth start-ups. Brand Fusion: Purpose-driven brand strategy is an in-depth analysis of the philosophy and practice behind creating a purposeful brand.

• Provides a customer-driven methodology with academically underpinned commercial research applied to live market dynamics.
• Addresses the theory/practice gap in strategic brand management.
• Includes 8 full length chapter case studies plus mini cases.

Dr Terry Smith, with a PhD in Marketing, has taught across the full Marketing spectrum, and for the Chartered Institute of Marketing for which he was also part of the CIM Technical Committee which helped translate contemporary marketing practice and integrate the latest academic thinking into the development of the current CIM Post-Graduate curricula. Previously, he was a practitioner in a broad range of marketing management roles in B2B and as a partner in an SME. Terry is the author of a major textbook, ‘Marketing Communications: A Brand Narrative Approach’, an academic monograph, ‘The Roots and Uses of Marketing Knowledge: A Critical Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Marketing’, together with a collection of book chapters and published papers, all with a focus on marketing theory, practice, and meaning.

Dr Tom Williams, with a PhD in Branding and Sociology from Lancaster University, Founder and Managing Director of FUZE a unique company that fuses insight driven continuous improvement through embedded organisational learning. These insight systems are based on their clients' customer-people-culture experiences, and evaluated against their brand purpose and strategy. FUZE are purpose-led, that endeavour to improve and transform businesses and brands, by empowering people within these businesses to learn and develop, individually and collectively. This is achieved via (1) their FUZE iMPACT Platform which offers a suite of solutions for effective experience management and (2) The FUZE iMPACT Academy which develops and delivers tailored qualifications from Level 2 through to Level 7. FUZE has a track record helping clients develop culture of continuous improvement and learning. FUZE works with a broad range of clients and sectors such as: Inspired Villages; Freedome Parks owned by CircusTrix; Universities in the UK; nationally renowned tourist attractions (e.g. Tatton Park); world renowned destinations such as the Lake District Park UNESCO World Heritage Site; fast growing FMCG companies in Australia and global technology organisations. Formerly Associate Head of Department at Chester Business School, Tom was the Executive MBA Director responsible for the development, recruitment and delivery of this programme and working with a number of corporate businesses such as MBNA, Bank of America, DELL Technologies, Essar Fuels, HSBC, as well as nationally recognised charities like Chester Zoo, large public sector organisations and diverse range of engineering companies and fast growing start-ups. He currently holds a role as Visiting Professor in Management at the University of Chester. Tom has also authored various academic journals, conferences papers, local economic strategies that for Local Economic Partnerships. He was also awarded the Santander International Research Excellence Award in 2016.

"Terry Smith and Tom Williams provide an expansive, insightful, and engaging case for why marketers and business strategists downplay the importance of brand purpose at their own peril. They make this case through a unique blend of practical insight, academic research, and industry examples -- which is no surprise given their own experiences as entrepreneurs, researchers, instructors, and brand strategists. Brand Fusion: Purpose Driven Brand Strategy provides a wealth of informative examples across industries which are informative and thought provoking. I was energized to redouble purpose-driven brand marketing efforts after reading this book and am confident other practitioners will feel the same."

Josh Cole, Senior Vice President Marketing at Sandbox VR, formerly held CMO and other executive roles with TITLE Boxing Clubs, Sky Zone and Universal Studios

"Purpose is the starting point for the development of a meaningful business strategy that engages multiple stakeholders. In our unprecedented times there has never been a more important time for organisations to clearly define and articulate their intent to be a force for good. ‘Brand Fusion: purpose-driven brand strategies’, provides a brilliant overview and practical guide to why purpose and evaluating meaning is the critical ingredient to leading sustainable brands. You MUST read this book to be equipped for future success".

Ben Renshaw, author of ‘Purpose’, ‘Being’, and ‘Love Work’.

"Brand Fusion: Purpose Driven Brand Strategy is a great textbook that bridges the gap in the market where theory, application and evaluation of real life case studies uniquely blend together to form an exciting and thought provoking read.　 It is great to see a book that is not only aligned with the professional body learning objectives but that offers practical and purpose-driven brand strategies for organisations wishing to successfully develop their brand.　 I would highly recommend this text to students and practitioners alike".

Dr Ian Grime, Senior Examiner CIM – Managing Brands (Level 6)

"Brand Fusion: Purpose Driven Brand Strategy. Branding is even more important in an essentially new sustainable world which has survived a pandemic, and ‘Brand Fusion’ is a unique hard hitting book which explores the fusion between user experience and customer experience, management of big data and digital technology to develop effective purpose driven brand strategies, which are required in a more demanding and results driven environment. This excellent topical book offers practitioners a data driven logical and effective approach to devising sustainable brand strategy, and it provides students detailed contemporary case studies, which highlight a range of effective strategic branding approaches used within charities, SMEs, B2B, services and FMCG organisations. This incisive book covers a wealth of valuable aspects of marketing and strategy and so is a very necessary tool for students studying for degree, postgraduate and professional body qualifications".

Professor Ruth Ashford, Emeritus Professor, Former Chief Examiner Chartered Institute of Marketing

"This book captures the essence and importance of brand strategy as purpose-driven, customer-focused and stakeholder co-created asset for organisations. It provides the most contemporary, yet authentic, value-based insights encompassing varied cases that bring to life the aspect of data-driven and technology powered brand management and strategy development. It should be proposed on core reading lists for brand management degree programs and professional marketing courses as it tactfully amalgamates theory, practice and application as a fusion of contemporary practices through its ‘live case’ approach. It has also cleverly captured the aspect of strategic brand management through evidence-based research which should be useful for corporate brand leaders and those small and medium sized business owners, for impactful dissemination of branding strategies, both at strategic and operational platforms".

Professor Vish Maheshwari, Associate Dean Academic - Student Experience University of Salford