A marketing dictionary written in clear, accessible language by a Director of Marketing for Accenture The Collins Dictionary of Marketing is the ideal companion for anyone who requires an authoritative guide to marketing terms, whether a professional marketeer, or in business, or simply a student of this fascinating subject. Marketing is now all-pervasive, with marketing techniques now being applied to virtually all human activities, from charity work to major industries and the strange world of celebrity creation. From 'global marketing' to 'relationship marketing', from 'b2b marketing' to '1 to 1 marketing', from 'viral marketing' to 'ideas marketing', the Collins Dictionary of Marketing is the ideal guide to this all-pervasive subject. Brand - a brand is a combination of attributes that give a company or organisation a distinctive identity and value relative to its competitors, its stakeholders and its customers. The attributes that make a brand are both tangible (for example, a name, a visual logo or trademark, services, people) and intangible (such as personality, reputation, mental associations, a promise, an expectation or set of values) which, together, create a memorable and relevant BRAND IMAGE in the eye and mind of the beholder. A strong brand is often seen to enable either customer loyalty or to permit premium pricing of goods and services and to increase the value of companies.

Dr Charles Doyle is Director of Marketing and Senior Vice-President of global marketing at Accenture. Dr Doyle is a frequent conference speaker and publisher of several works, broadcasts regularly and writes feature articles on aspects of marketing for the national press.