In a recent issue of California Management Review (CMR), author David Aaker makes a compelling case for the necessary link between innovation and branding. While I think it’s a good article, the suggested union between innovation and branding led me to focus on a larger topic about value creation within a company.  

The line between brand consulting (and even more broadly, marketing consulting) and management consulting is blurring. Increasingly, executives seekintegrated solutions to their companies’ larger strategic issues, rather than one-off fixes. Executives value counselors, whether internal or external, who can contribute to a variety of strategic conversations – marketing, operations, finance and R&D.   

Just as traditional P.R.-only shops are experiencing growing pains and the smarter ones are branching out, I think we will increasingly see more brand-focused consulting firms dipping their toes into the management consulting pool, especially given the current state of the economy.  

Sure, the initial investment for consulting firms may be hefty, but the return on that investment will be well worth the money. Broader strategic knowledge will sustain consulting firms during difficult economic times, and advance them in better times.   

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