As we move into the next millennium, we are already seeing economic and marketing shifts—the move toward supply-dominated economies and the loosening of constraints on commerce across geopolitical boundaries—that are gaining momentum worldwide. These shifts will demand that marketers create and leverage the power of the brand to realize anything more than commodity margins. Failing to do so will force marketers to seek lowest-cost provider status, to compete against other goods or services primarily on price, and to realize no more than commodity margins.Accordingly, this paper provides recommendations for leveraging brands based on Young & Rubicam’s BrandAsset® Valuator project, the largest worldwide survey of consumer brand perceptions to date.Additionally, implications from this project are discussed for communications research, market studies, strategic planning, and global branding. Specifically, communications research should incorporate leading indicators (i.e., brand differentiation and relevance) rather than such traditional lagging indicators as knowledge levels and affective ratings. Also, market studies should include brands over and above direct category competitors to uncover new brand-building opportunities. Ideally, strategic planning efforts should take the brand’s current health and developmental level into account. Finally, globalization is desirable to the extent that a brand’s differentiation can be made relevant in each of the markets of interest.