Correspondence: Anita Zednik, Department of Economics, Division of Economic and Financial Studies, Macquarie University, Room 440, E4A, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. Tel: + 61 2 9850 4843; Fax: + 61 2 9850 8324; E-mail: azednik@efs.mq.edu.au

¹holds a Masters Degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (Vienna, Austria). She currently works as a Research Assistant at the Department of Economics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia where her research focuses on the Economics of the Arts and Culture.

²is Assistant Professor at the School of Administrative Studies, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, York University, Toronto. His research focused on Brand Management has been published in leading European scholarly and nonscholarly journals and received numerous awards, among others from the American Marketing Association, the German Brand Association and the Austrian Association for Advertising Research.

Received 22 March 2007; Revised 22 March 2007; Published online 17 May 2007.

Abstract

Based on a quantitative analysis of 48 brand management models (BMMs) offered by the most important commercial strategy consulting firms, advertising agencies and market research companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, this paper identifies six types of BMMs that differ in their area of focus and application. This categorisation gives brand strategists an overview of the BMMs available and well-structured guidance in selecting the right BMM. The results demonstrate that despite the large number of commercial BMMs, there are still gaps in the market particularly regarding timely topics such as brand extensions and co-branding, brand architecture and brand-portfolio management as well as global brand management. Commercial suppliers rarely offer BMMs on these more recent ideas.