Byron Sharp opens by presenting extensive empirical marketing research demonstrating that brand growth depends primarily on acquiring more, often lighter, buyers rather than primarily deepening loyalty among existing customers, challenging conventional marketing wisdom emphasizing loyalty programs and niche targeting.

Why this finding challenges conventional marketing assumptions:

• Much conventional marketing wisdom emphasizes building deep loyalty among a core customer base as the primary growth driver, while Sharp's extensive empirical research across numerous product categories consistently shows broader market penetration as the more significant growth factor
• This finding, based on rigorous longitudinal marketing data analysis, has significantly influenced subsequent marketing science and practice, challenging previously dominant loyalty-focused marketing theory
• This opening establishes the book's foundational, empirically-grounded challenge to conventional marketing assumptions

This opening establishes Sharp's central, extensively researched thesis, challenging conventional marketing wisdom regarding the primary drivers of genuine brand growth.