INTRODUCTION T he world does not need another brand. We've got plenty of them, and to be honest, many are underwhelming. After twenty years in the branding trade, I wrote this book because I'm as frustrated as the average consumer by the way so many brands consistently disappoint. Not real brands, mind you. Real brands are excellent at fulfilling, and often exceeding, our expectations. They are so focused on keeping promises that they define the very concept of "brand"--they make tough strategic deci- sions about what to offer customers (and what not to offer them), they at- tract and retain employees who care, and they grow without straying from the sense of purpose they symbolize. It's the real brands that inspire fierce