{"title":"Is Short-termism Undermining Your Brand Equity?","authors":"David Aaker","doi":"10.1177/00081256261434968","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Short-termism in marketing has resurfaced, fueled by big data, analytics, digital, AI, and labels such as demand marketing. Looking back at the 1980s, a short-termism decade, that era provided permission for “sales now” programs that failed to deliver growth. That approach contributed to profit erosion, turned customers’ priority to prices, encouraged ill-advised extensions, damaged brands and profits, and led to the emergence of brand equity. To avoid a repeat, CMOs need to convince others that brand equity is critical to the business strategy. To succeed, demand and brand marketing need to be partners, creating and exploiting their synergies.","PeriodicalId":9605,"journal":{"name":"California Management Review","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1000,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"California Management Review","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256261434968","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Short-termism in marketing has resurfaced, fueled by big data, analytics, digital, AI, and labels such as demand marketing. Looking back at the 1980s, a short-termism decade, that era provided permission for “sales now” programs that failed to deliver growth. That approach contributed to profit erosion, turned customers’ priority to prices, encouraged ill-advised extensions, damaged brands and profits, and led to the emergence of brand equity. To avoid a repeat, CMOs need to convince others that brand equity is critical to the business strategy. To succeed, demand and brand marketing need to be partners, creating and exploiting their synergies.
期刊介绍:
California Management Review (CMR) serves as a vital link between academia and management practice, offering leading-edge research with practical applications. Edited at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, CMR covers a wide range of management topics, including innovation, strategy, sustainable practices, and human resources. CMR ranks among the top management journals globally, distributing articles through outlets like Harvard Business School Publishing and SAGE Publishing. Focused on bridging academia and practice, CMR ensures that all articles are based on rigorous academic research while providing actionable insights for managers. In addition to regular issues, CMR publishes special issues and sections on relevant topics, often guest-edited by leading faculty. Recent special issues have covered dynamic capabilities, city innovation, big data, and intellectual property management.