TOOL KIT Brands exist to serve customers, not the other way around. But you'd never know that from the way brands are managed. Customer-Centered Brand Management by Roland! Rust, Valarie , and Katherine N. Lemon OST MANAGERS TODAY AGREE tomer management in most - M with the notion that they should panies, and that focus is increasingly focus on growing the lifetime value of patible with growth. their customer relationships. Building Consider the story of Oldsmobile, an loyalty and retention, cross selling re- American car brand launched earlier lated goods and services, broadening than any other in existence today. In offerings to fulfill more of customers' the 1980s, it enjoyed outstanding brand needs - all are ways of adding to over- equity with many customers. But as the all customer equity. Indeed, given the century wore on, the people who loved cost of winning new customers (much the Olds were getting downright old. higher than that of keeping current The managers that pany ones), and the ultimately finite universe General Motors put in charge ofthe of buyers out there, a mature business brand realized that maintaining mar- would be hard-pressed to increase prof- ket share meant appealing to younger its otherwise. buyers, who unfortunately tended to The problem is, for all that managers see the brand as old-fashioned. We ali