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Kevin Lane KellerEdit

Kevin Lane Keller is a prominent American marketing scholar whose work has helped shape how firms think about and manage brands. He is best known for developing the customer-based brand equity (CBBE) model and for authoring the widely used textbook Strategic Brand Management. His research and teaching have influenced both academic curricula and practical brand-building in a wide range of industries Brand equity Customer-based brand equity.

Keller serves as the E. B. Osborn Professor of Marketing at Columbia Business School and has held visiting professorships and faculty appointments at other leading business schools. Through his work, he has bridged theory and practice, offering a framework that helps managers quantify, communicate, and defend the value a brand creates for consumers and for the firm. His contributions are widely cited in journals such as the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Consumer Research, and they underpin many MBA courses on branding, marketing strategy, and consumer behavior Marketing.

The customer-based brand equity model

At the core of Keller’s scholarship is the idea that brands derive value through consumer perceptions and associations. The customer-based brand equity (CBBE) model argues that a brand’s strength depends on what customers think and feel about it, not just on the firm’s intentions or advertising spend. The model emphasizes building brand knowledge in the consumer’s mind, consisting of brand awareness and the brand meaning as perceived by consumers. The four-step ladder—identity (brand salience), meaning (brand performance and imagery), responses (brand judgments and feelings), and relationships (brand resonance)—is designed to guide managers in designing branding programs that strengthen meaningful connections with customers Brand equity Customer-based brand equity Brand identity Brand resonance.

Keller’s framework treats brand-building as a disciplined process that aligns product and communications with genuine consumer needs. He highlights the role of consistency across channels, clear positioning, and long-term investment in brand associations. The approach has become a staple in marketing education and practice, helping firms assess how awareness, perceptions of quality, credibility, and emotional connections translate into loyalty and price tolerance. The model is frequently applied in areas ranging from packaging and advertising to digital marketing and experience design Digital marketing Advertising Brand management.

Textbook and influence on practice

Strategic Brand Management, Keller’s signature text, is used by business schools around the world and enjoyed adoption in corporate training programs. The book synthesizes theory with actionable guidance on branding strategy, portfolio management, and measurement of brand performance. It presents frameworks for evaluating brand strengths and risks, and for making the case that strong brands reduce customer risk, facilitate premium pricing, and improve resilience in competitive markets. The textbook helps practitioners translate insights from consumer research into concrete branding programs and performance metrics Strategic Brand Management.

In addition to his textbook, Keller has contributed to discussions of branding strategy in professional venues and industry forums. His work addresses how brands can sustain differentiation in an age of rapid information flow, social media feedback loops, and global competition. He also writes about how brands should respond to changes in consumer expectations, including shifts in how people interpret corporate communications and corporate social responsibility initiatives CSR.

Reception, debates, and perspectives

Keller’s framework is widely regarded as rigorous and practically useful. Proponents argue that the CBBE model provides a clear checklist for building durable brand equity and for diagnosing why a brand performs poorly in the market. Critics, however, sometimes contend that brand equity concepts can be overemphasized at the expense of other strategic considerations, such as price competition, product quality, or distribution dynamics. In educational and corporate settings, the model is praised for its clarity and adaptability across industries, from consumer packaged goods to technology and services Brand equity Market research.

Contemporary debates around branding often intersect with broader conversations about corporate messaging and social responsibility. From a right-of-center viewpoint, branding is most effective when it serves consumers and shareholders by delivering real value, clarity, and reliable information about products and services. Critics who push for more aggressive or politicized marketing campaigns—sometimes labeled as “woke” marketing—argue that brands should take public stances on social issues. Proponents of Keller’s approach may respond that brand equity work is fundamentally about consumer understanding and trust, and that politicized campaigns can dilute clear value propositions. In this frame, Keller’s model is seen as a tool to improve market efficiency and economic outcomes rather than a platform for ideological signaling. When firms do engage with social issues, the emphasis tends to be on authentic alignment between brand values and customer expectations, rather than performative gestures that do not translate into tangible benefits for consumers CSR Marketing.

Selected topics and related concepts

See also