s The guide on how to build an Ueber-Brand – peerless, priceless, profitable
“Can we become an Ueber-Brand, too? How do we do it? Is there a method beyond the principles? Where do we start? What are the musts? Where are the limits?”
Those were the kind of questions we got after publishing “Rethinking Prestige Branding”. And they led to many inspiring connections with interesting brands of all kinds and backgrounds. Sometimes more than we could respond to or take on.
It was pleasing to see our concept of Ueber-Brands and the book becoming a new reference for so many marketers and academics alike. But we did not have a handy ‘How To Become an Ueber-Brand’ program we could pass on to people. So, over the past five-odd years, we went about purpose-building a generally applicable method on how to build an Ueber-Brand.
And here it is now: Our freshly minted yet tried and tested model, a six-step program in three phases to elevate your brand. Made for marketing beginners as much as experienced masters, small brands wanting to grow as much as big ones looking to re-energize themselves. And relevant for all, across industries and sectors, from service providers or institutions to FMCGs or luxury purveyors. At least this is what we aimed for.
You can order the book online here (US), here (UK), here (Germany), here (France), here (Denmark), here (Japan) and here (India) or at your local bookstore!
The book is divided in three parts:
- Recap of the Model
A brief review of the seven principles of Ueber-Brands as we laid them out and explained them in our previous book. Not to the same level of depth and detail. But with new cases to demonstrate how the concept is more alive and kicking than ever. - The How-To Program
Six steps undertaken in three phases and and their respective ‘to-do’ lists, structured to guide you step-by-step through the process of building or evolving your own brand. Hands on and illustrated through experiences, real-life examples and supporting diagrams. - Lessons from Real Life
Exclusive insights from successful Ueber-Brands. Experience reports and interviews from- and with some of the most accomplished practitioners and industry experts. Giving you a heads up on pitfalls and opportunities as you embark on your journey to become an Ueber-Brand.
With our first book labelled ‘a smart page turner,’ scoring a rare 8/10 with the exeprts at getAbstract and, more importantly, a 4.8 of 5 on Amazon, you, dear reader, have set a high bar for this follow-up book.
Some articles/media coverage on Brand Elevation:
A quick quick take the book’s relevance and content in American Marketer, an interview with the authors by Kogan Page Publishers and the summary of a panel JP and Wolf lead at Columbia Business School on Using Brand Mission to Drive market Opportunity (and event video).
Some of the feedback we received from expert reviewers:
“’Brand Elevation’ is a must-read for the managers of mass brands that used to dominate and teams at start-ups that set out to disrupt the market, alike. That’s because brands that want to be relevant and sustain growth need to elevate themselves beyond aspects of price and performance and accrue meaning with, customers, employees and other stakeholders that goes beyond the material. This book provides practical guidance how to do just that.” Russ Klein – CEO at The American Marketing Association
“A brand is what makes a product worth more than the product itself. And what makes it worth a whole lot more is creating an Ueber-Brand. It takes creativity, courage and cash to make that happen – and the principles outlined in this excellent book” Ivan Pollard – Global CMO at General Mills
“‘Brand Elevation’ makes an incredibly complex marketing innovation clear to anyone: It provides the fundamentals to break down what gives a brand meaning and how to give inanimate objects animate characteristics.” Scott Galloway – Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, author of “The Four” and founder of L2Inc. and Section 4
“I don’t usually read business books. But I certainly endorse you as experts and inspiring and insightful leaders in this space!” Alexandra Keith – CEO at Procter & Gamble Beauty Care
“With Brand Elevation you will raise your branding game by learning about brands that have a higher purpose, that people aspire to have, that connect with stories, that reinvent the category, that energize with ongoing innovation, and overdeliver on the promise in so many ways. “ David Aaker – Professor Emeritus at the University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business, author of many seminal books on brand strategy and marketing and Vice-Chairman of Prophet
“With an established brand like Kiehl’s, our challenge is building on that brand magic, and ensuring it’s manifested in an authentic way – never losing sight of our DNA and core values. This book provides insightful guidance and inspiration not only on how to create a love brand, but how to maintain one.” Leonardo Chavez — Global Brand President at Kiehl’s Since 1851
In this second book on ‘Ueber-Branding’, Jp and Wolf provide a step-by-step approach on how to build brands that instill strong desires in customers. They show how to Dream, Do and Dare to go beyond the material, thus creating meaningful and experiential brands. Bernd Schmitt — Professor at Columbia Business School
and author of ”Experiential Marketing”
“JP and Wolf provide an astute, practical and ethical guide to branding and marketing for companies willing to self-examine the best purpose of their enterprise and cultivate long-term relationships with their customers on the basis of shared values and identity.” Vincent Stanley – Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, co-author of “The Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned From Patagonia’s First 40 Years” and poet
“Standing out in a burgeoning panoply of branding literature is no mean feat. Schaefer and Kuehlwein have done it again with “Brand Elevation”…a practitioner’s roadmap to curating brand desire and equity. Rich with vignettes, insights, and applications.” Deryck J van Rensburg – Dean at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and former President of Global Ventures, The Coca Cola Company
“This book explains perfectly how much the classical approach to marketing has changed and how small new brands – Ueber brands with a real story to tell – become so relevant. A must read for everyone who wants to understand this recent development!” Felix Ahlers – CEO FRoSTA AG
In the post-pandemic era, more and more spending goes to either products sold on price by mass retailers like Amazon or to brands, like Tesla, Fenty or Nike, selling prestige, purpose or values – at a premium price. JP and Wolf offer exceptional insights on how the ‘Ueber-brands’ of tomorrow will offer increasingly demanding consumers the opposite of bland: an exceptional emotional bond that is priceless.” Erwan Rambourg – Author of “The Bling Dynasty” and “Future Luxe – What’s Ahead for the Business of Luxury”
“A must-read for any marketer wanting to elevate a brand – and that is almost everyone of us.” Erich Joachimsthaler – Founder and CEO of Vivaldi Group and author of “Brand Leadership” and “The Interaction Field”
“The first book by JP and Wolf extracted core principles that drive the success of modern Prestige brands. In fact, it showed that any brand can become peerless and priceless if it accrues meaning to people beyond the material. This book follows-up with step-by-step instructions on how brand builders can go about elevating their brands and taking them ‘ueber’ – above and beyond the crowd of competitors.” Frédéric Fekkai – Executive Chairman and Founder at Frederic Fekkai & Co and Bastide
“Honoured to appear in a book that so brilliantly champions how brands can positively reflect, express and guide who we are and how we see the world. – Peas & Love.” Ben Branson – Founder of Seedlip, Co-Founder of Aecorn, Home Grown Club, Birch
“A well curated practical guide for brand builders who understand the value of values. JP and Wolf’s thought-provoking “Dream-Do-Dare” framework will help you define and operationalize your brand purpose in a way that elevates profit as well” Virginie Helias – Chief Sustainability Officer at Procter & Gamble
You can order the book on Amazon, here (US) here (UK), here (Germany), here (France), here (Denmark), here (Japan) and here (India) or at your local book store!
Ueber-Brands™ 