JOURNAL OF SERVICE RESEARCH / August 2002Ambler et al. / BRAND AND CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVES Relating Brand and Customer Perspectives on Marketing Management

What is the difference between brand equity and customer equity? Does the distinction matter? Is there a difference between the firm’s brand asset and customer asset? What are the implications of taking a brand perspective versus a customer perspective when designing and implementing marketing programs? The objective of this article is to ex-amine these two perspectives in depth so that researchers and managers can improve their understanding and use of customer and brand perspectives on marketing. The au-thors seek to determine the relationship between the two assets and perspectives in terms of similarities and differ-ences. They examine the development of customer and brand perspectives and describe how each adds value to the firm and to the customer. Subsequently, they delineate possible approaches formeasuringmarketing assets. They discuss key issues researchers and practitioners should consider in managing marketing assets, particularly for multibrand companies. They conclude by suggesting fu-ture research directions. Recent years have seen an increased emphasis on customer-focused marketing approaches, especially in terms of maximizing brand equity and customer equity. The business press now proclaims that the customer asse