By the numbers or by the brands?

Laura--As a veteran marketer, I desperately want to believe your premise that "by the brand" is better than "by the numbers." Like you, I seek out examples of companies that are brand-driven and praise them at every opportunity (www.TheDrewBlog.com). That said, I'm also quite certain that a company without a solid business plan (i.e. the numbers) will fail regardless of the quality of their marketing. I'm also quite certain that most CMO's fail (average tenure under 23 months) because they don't align their communication activities with the business goals of the company.
Case in point, Samsonite. I would encourage you to study the Letter from the CEO in their 2007 annual report in which he says "to serve as our roadmap we established three primary financial goals, increase sales, grow gross margins and generate improved cash flow." He goes on to talk about the importance of building and promoting their brands. Samsonite, fyi, has been doing quite well under CEO Bottoli's leadership. I guess my point is that this is not an "either or" proposition (think Collins' "Tyranny of the Or"). Successful marketers need to think about both.