Samarth I In the debate over how brands grow, Philip Kotler and Byron Sharp have emerged as two intellectual poles. Kotler, the father of modern marketing, stressed the importance of meeting customer needs and delivering value through experience. Sharp, by contrast, made an empirical case for salience and brand penetration, arguing that growth depends less on love and loyalty, and more on being mentally and physically available at the moment of purchase.
But must marketers choose one over the other?
The most enduring brands today like Apple, Coke, Nike, and rising Indian players like Mamaearth or Lenskart — have not. They thrive by integrating both perspectives: using Kotler’s focus on value creation to retain customers, and Sharp’s frameworks to win penetration through situational relevance and mental availability.
Sharp’s key contribution lies in the Law of Double Jeopardy: brands with lower market share suffer not only from fewer buyers but also from weaker loyalty. His advice? Make brands easy to buy and easy to recall. Mental availability isn’t built through awareness alone, but by embedding a brand in key consumption contexts like how Cadbury owns celebrations, or how DOMS has built recall among schoolchildren through distinctive packaging.
A strategic blend — summarized in the S.C.H.O.O.L framework (Salience, Clarity, Heightened triggers, Ownership of context, Ongoing experience, Loyalty) is emerging as the blueprint for sustainable brand growth.
The future lies in synthesis. Marketing today demands not just sharp acquisition strategies, but also emotional resonance and consistent product delivery.
Yet availability alone doesn’t ensure sustained growth. Building relevance to new geographies, expanding use cases, and introducing product innovations are critical levers. Understanding consumer psychology, the barriers, triggers, and expectations is vital to cut through today’s cluttered, distraction-heavy environments.
