The author of the blog What's Your Brand Mantra responds to Mike Smock and Curt Sahakian's Guru Red Manifesto, challenging one of their points.

Taking on the idea that the customer is not your friend -- and that it's not always necessary to respond to customer needs -- Jennifer Rice addresses the exchange of value, as well as the tradeoffs between image and innovation. So doing, she makes a case for why some businesses can't move into the "premium brand" category.