Mert Bürian

Byron Sharp, a marketing scientist, developed a number of marketing principles which are explained in his book “How Brands Grow”. While not a model in the traditional sense, these principles challenge traditional marketing theories and provide a new perspective on brand growth. Here are some of the key principles from Sharp’s work:

1. Law of Double Jeopardy: This principle states that brands with less market share have fewer buyers, and these buyers are also less loyal. In other words, small brands have a double disadvantage: they are not only bought by fewer people but also bought less often.
2. Law of Buyer Moderation: According to this principle, brands lose and gain customers all the time, and the rate of this turnover is related to the brand’s market share. High-share brands gain more buyers than they lose, while low-share brands lose more than they gain.
3. Retention vs. Acquisition: Sharp argues that it’s not true that it’s more effective to retain current customers than to acquire new ones. For a brand to grow, it needs to continually acquire new customers.
4. Mental and Physical Availability: Sharp emphasizes the importance of these two factors in marketing. Mental availability refers to how top-of-mind the brand is for consumers, while physical availability refers to how easy it is to find and buy the brand. To increase the likelihood of being chosen, brands need to be both mentally and physically available.
5. Target Market: Sharp suggests that brand growth comes from all types of buyers, not just a brand’s “loyal” customers. Therefore, marketers should target all potential buyers in the category rather than only focusing on a narrow target market.
6. Distinctive Assets: Sharp stresses the importance of building distinctive brand assets, such as logos, slogans, jingles, packaging, etc. These assets help to increase the mental availability of a brand.

Sharp’s principles are based on empirical data and are therefore considered a robust and reliable approach to brand growth. However, they also represent a significant departure from many common marketing beliefs, and their application requires careful consideration and adaptation to the specifics of each brand and market.