"B.J. Bueno and his team at The Cult Branding Company respect and understand what so manystrategists miss: before we can be experts on product, sales, or the market, we must fi rst beexperts on human nature. They have a proven track record of building healthy, sustainable businessesfor some of the best brands in the world-using the very process outlined in this book. -BERT JACOBS, chief executive optimist, The Life is good CompanyB.J. Bueno yet again deftly captures the essence of what is required to build and sustain a greatbrand. If you want to attract and retain highly profi table brand lovers rather than stalk newcustomers, then carefully read this book. B.J. wisely outlines why this is vital and importantly,how to actually do it in today's marketplace! - DARRYL DC COBBIN, president, Brand Positioning Doctors,and former VP of Marketing, 20th Century FoxCustomers First tells the truth. I got a shiver up my back reading this book:What if my competitors read this and follow B.J.'s advice? I don't care what sizebusiness you run, you could and should do exactly as this book instructs.As I was reading, I kept thinking of ways to get my customers to tellme how to be better. -DAVID RATNER, owner, Dave's Soda and Pet CityMASTER THE SCIENCE OF MARKET DOMINATIONBrand Lovers are the best of your best customers. They power Harley-Davidsonto the top of the enthusiast motorcycle market; they're the core of Apple's dominant position in portable devices; and they're the reason why no other premium grocery chain can take a bite out of Whole Foods' market share. Customers First, by top branding strategist B.J. Bueno, shows how your business will achieve this level of extreme customer loyalty through Brand Modeling, the objective and scientific analysis of your organization's performance across a wide range of situations. An accurate Brand Model will arm you with hard data to pinpoint and engage your brand's most passionate customers-and give you an action plan for inspiring and empowering these Brand Lovers to be your most effective evangelists. Much more than a summary of who you are and what you do, a Brand Model maps your business's DNA to help you build an unbeatable competitive advantage. Through examples of real-world success stories-among them, IKEA, Nike, Coca-Cola, apparel upstart The Life is good Company, Starbucks, and Southwest Airlines-and a detailed sample case study that shows effective Brand Modeling practices in action, Customers First delivers strategic insights and proven techniques for you to: *Differentiate your products in ways that are meaningful to your best customers *Drive growth by creating brand extensions that are a natural fit with your existing products *Significantly improve marketing ROI by avoiding customers not interested in your brand *Visually and verbally communicate brand values that resonate with your best customersBrand Modeling evolves the current state of marketing to a new level of sophistication. In Customers First, B.J. Bueno shows how to use this critical tool to eliminate guesswork from your marketing efforts and focus more clearly on understanding (and pleasing) your most valuable ally in the battle for market dominance: The Brand Lover. B.J. BUENO is founder and managing partner of The Cult Branding Company, the premiere Brand Modeling and consumer insight research firm. He is a board member of the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association and a member of the Chief Marketing Officers board for international retailers."--