Building Retail Brands to Drive Value Stanford Executive Brief with Jeanne Jackson

Program Highlights

• How brand value generates cash and drives up market cap.
• When you should execute first--and advertise later.
• Why it's not just the marketing department that worries about brands anymore.

Successful brands adapt to the changing needs of their customers. They grow from their base of brand-loyal return buyers who support price premiums and healthy profit margins. By investing this additional cash in further brand building, they create a "virtuous circle" that carries them through inevitable downturns. A strong brand guides overall strategy and acts as an ambassador for entering new markets and launching new products that will succeed as long as they continue to build on core brand values.

Until recently, Jeanne Jackson was CEO of Walmart.com. She has also served as president and CEO of Banana Republic and of Gap Inc. Direct, the catalog and Internet source for the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands. In 2003, Jackson founded MSP Capital, a consulting and investment firm for which she is General Partner. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Nike, Inc. and McDonald's Corporation.