Devoted to branding and building and protecting brands

With one office in San Francisco like mine that’s a short walk from the Moscone Convention Center, it’s hard not to have all things Apple thrust in your face a couple of times a year: Mac World in January and the Developers Conference in June.  On both occasions, the company wields its brand cachet with a vengeance and enjoys it both ways: what it doesn’t push, the local media outlets will obediently pull in the masses to see and hear. To wit: the recession-priced iPhone ($199), unveiled by monochromed Steve Jobs this morning and dutifully chronicled and trumpeted by Apple-watchers worldwide.  And why not?  These are consistently cool products that are rarely off the mark even slightly.  I’ve never seen or heard of a brand as true to its promise as Apple since Jobs returned, MacArthur-like, to company he conceived and birthed.  Give the dude his propers.  He practically re-invented the value proposition.  Give us more CEOs like him.