Andersen Consulting, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, EDS, Oracle, and other IT services leaders are investing heavily in building their brands as services and solutions providers. The newer dot-com consultancies are spending even more feverishly to establish brand awareness. The sense of urgency around brand is palpable.

But branding is a long-term game. Notwithstanding the new rhetoric about “branding at warp speed,” there remain some fundamental realities about building brands that cannot be short-circuited by all the wonders of the Internet and related technologies.

Certainly, basic awareness can be developed more quickly in the digital age. Just look at Amazon.com, eBay, or Red Hat. But brand awareness does not equal brand equity. Awareness is step one. If customers don’t know you exist, they certainly won’t consider you for their next project. But it’s a long road from simple awareness-they’ve heard of you-through favorability, preference, and actual purchase to the formation of a long-term client relationship.

For IT services firms, the ultimate goal of branding is to create loyal customers. With loyal customers, marketing is easier, selling is faster, premium pricing is more acceptable, repeat business is extremely high, and positive word of mouth helps generate new business. Creating loyal customers can happen more quickly with the Internet. By definition, however, loyalty comes through experience and time.

Building Brand Loyalty: Lessons from Industry Leaders digs deeply into the theory and practice of branding for IT services firms in 2000 and beyond. Drawing on leading experts from academia, branding consultancies, and the IT services industry itself, the report highlights critical issues for senior executives, marketing directors, and brand managers to consider as they work to build their IT services brand.

The report’s emphasis is on the practical application of strategic insight. As such, the report is filled with specific examples and recommendations, including six case studies of IT services brand campaigns and initiatives.