Former Chair, Department of Marketing (USC Marshall) · USC Marshall School of Business
LinkedIn ↗Gary Frazier is the former chair of the Department of Marketing at USC's Marshall School of Business, a post he held twice across three decades. He earned his DBA from Indiana University in 1979 and has spent five decades teaching, researching, and consulting — with a focus on channels of distribution, brand equity, and sales force management. He has served as an expert witness in over 120 legal cases on marketing strategy and channels, and has published with Cambridge University Press and Springer Nature. His latest book, 'Marketing and Channel Management for Low Brand Equity Firms,' codifies 21 principles for small and mid-sized firms trying to build awareness from zero, arguing that most companies target segments that are orders of magnitude too broad.
“The true test, Anthony, is the level of brand awareness — do a significant number of people in the target actually know the brand? Unfortunately, for most businesses, their brand equity — the value of the brand in the marketplace — is zilch.”
“They think going after the junior market is the answer, but that's millions of women worldwide. No one knows who they are. So instead, if you're in LA, target sorority members at UCLA and USC.”
“The problem with what I'm recommending is it takes time and patience, and most entrepreneurs don't have the patience. They don't have the knowledge, unfortunately.”
“It's gonna influence how you allocate your marketing and sales capital, because you want those dollars — especially if you're new — to go towards the people who have the absolute highest propensity to buy.”
“The key underlying what I'm saying is knowledge of how customers in the niche buy — you get to know deeply how they make their buying decisions, and you can take that knowledge to the bank.”
“The most important part of any company being successful is developing brand equity in the marketplace. And it starts with brand awareness.”
“The first principle in the book — the one we started with — most companies target way too many customers. Narrow that focus. And the whole objective must be brand awareness.”
“You have to have unique knowledge — knowledge that the customer, the consumer, the professional buyer cannot get except for you.”