Vanguard approach lauded as key theory  [download PDF] Lars Finskud,Vanguard’s founder, is cited as one of ten key marketing theory thinkers, alongside gurus such as Michael Porter, David Aaker and Peter Doyle, in British business magazine Marketing The October 2005 article ‘Ten ideas from academia… worth the paper they’re written on’ lists ten ideas that any self-respecting marketer should know about. Lars Finskud’s book on Competing for Choice is recommended as a vital read for those wanting to learn more about Hierarchy of Effects Models, which are the cornerstone for Vanguard’s approach to brand strategy. “Best of the modern funnels is Finskud’s Customer Choice Chain, which broadens the scope beyond advertising effect. A proper fact-based choice chain will often come as a revelation to marketers more used to making assumptions,” writes Marketing.