I believe that the value of marketing and branding extends through the entire enterprise. At every stage of the value chain, marketing and branding have a crucial role to play. This role has 2 parts. First of all, marketing and branding form a foundation for effective operation at each stage. Several key factors form this basis: marketing strategy, brand platform, identity, etc. The more of these items you have, and the better executed they are, they better each stage of the value chain will be. The second way in which marketing and branding help the value chain is with stage-specific tools. For instance, in the lead generation stage, marketing and branding provide crucial awareness and communications materials such as Web sites, brochures, and so on. Again, the better executed these tools are, the more effective each stage is. To fully support and fine-tune the value chain involves developing marketing and branding materials and tools. When these supports are planned and executed well, the value chain can be optimized.