In the age of the customer, brand building is more important than ever to differentiate offerings and create long-term customer value. However, marketing leaders seeking to defend or increase their brand marketing budgets still must convince their C-suite peers of the financial value of the brand. This report will show chief marketing officers (CMOs) how to make the business case for investments in the brand experience. It shows that strong brands increase marketing effectiveness across the customer life cycle, drive loyalty, and open up new growth opportunities.This is an update of a previously published report; Forrester reviews and revises it periodically for continued relevance and accuracy.