'The importance of global brands has increased, is increasing and will increase further. There are three sets of factors which explain why global brands are so important: benefits to consumers; providing their owners with cost advantages; and recruitment and retention of outstanding employees. Global brands have to balance their global appeal with local citizenship and adapt to local country preferences.'
John Quelch
Senior associate dean, Harvard Business School
'Loyalty programmes often conflict with the cultivation of customer brand loyalty and the creation of customer assets. However, many loyalty programmes are shams because they produce liabilities rather than assets. And, rather than showing trust by committing to customers, the firm asks customers to trust it. In other words trust in the firm will provide future customer rewards. True loyalty programmes invest in customers by providing free up-front training or customisation with the expectation of greater future revenue.'
Steven Shugan
Russell Berrie Foundation eminent scholar and professor, Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida