How to Build a Winning Brand

Antonio H. Adad, or “Tito” to close friends and family, devoted his whole corporate life to only one company: S.C. Johnson & Son (SCJ), a family-owned company based in Racine, Wisconsin. SCJ is renowned as a world leader in the area of industrial and household cleaning and specialty chemicals with brands such as Raid insecticide, Off! insect repellant, Glade air freshener, Toilet Duck, Mr. Muscle all-purpose leaner, and Pledge furniture polish. Throughout his thirty-six years at SCJ, Tito distinguished himself by constantly achieving record market shares, sales revenues, and profits that consistently met or exceeded targets across different departments, various divisions, multiple subsidiaries, and ultimately the Asia-Pacific region, earning him dozens of coveted Directors Awards and successive promotions in rank and responsibility.

Armed with a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines, the youthful Tito started his stellar career in SCJ as a salesman for the Philippine subsidiary in 1959. He was soon promoted to become a manufacturing supervisor for various product lines including floor waxes, air fresheners, insecticides, toilet, and furniture care. Only ten years after joining the company, Tito was tapped to lead the Indonesian subsidiary of SCJ as general manager for six years; after that, he was appointed general manager for the larger Philippine Johnson for three years. In 1979, twenty years since joining the company, Tito was promoted to become area director for seven Asia-Pacific countries for the industrial/professional division. After six years, his role was expanded to include both the consumer and professional divisions for the same seven Asia-Pacific countries.

After working for thirty-six years with SCJ, Tito retired and set up a private consulting firm dedicated to helping Asian companies achieve their business objectives by sharpening marketing strategies, specifically brand positioning statements and advertising campaigns. Guided by the discipline of a chemical engineer and enriched by his extensive experience as a general manager and wisdom as an area director for Asia-Pacific, Tito concluded that one of the most vital factors responsible for the sterling success of SCJ brands and subsidiaries that he managed lay in a brand positioning that was relevant to consumers, specific and unique vs. competitors.

After seventeen years as an independent consultant for various Asian companies in strategic planning and marketing/advertising, Title decided to “retire from retirement” and write this “guidebook” which he hopes will help many current and future practitioners of marketing and advertising obtain a better understanding of “why brands fail and what makes them succeed,” avoid the pitfalls of line extensions, and help them develop for their brands a “brand positioning that works and advertisin...