BRAND building is more important - and difficult - than ever, for companies struggling to distinguish themselves in a sea of competitors.

Three new books look at marketing's perennial obsession.

More than a few brand builders have focused on the increasingly powerful female consumer, and that's the focus of "The 30-Second Seduction - How advertisers lure women through flattery, flirtation, and manipulation" (Seal Press) by Andrea Gardner.

But brands are often forged though the sheer gumption of entrepreneurs like Craig Newmark, the founder of free listings website Craig's List.

In "Accidental Branding" (Wiley), David Vinjamuri celebrates "how ordinary people build extraordinary brands.

The third book, "Powerlines: Words That Sell Brands, Grip Fans, and Sometimes Change History" (Bloomberg), author Steve Cone reminds us of some of the great slogans and catch phrases of the last century.

Gardner, the author of "The 30-Second Seduction," writes about the distinct relationships marketers have had to form with the modern female consumer. She can be anybody -  a senior business executive or a soccer mom.

Gardner labels the different types of marketers in the same way that the marketers themselves create labels for the different kinds of women they market to.

"The Fan," for example, is the marketer who has an endless enthusiasm for the way of life of the women he is targeting, following her passions and speaking her lingo.

"The Dreamboat" is the marketer who sets women unattainable goals when it comes to their self-image, for instance using skinny catwalk models to sell everything from hair products to cars.

Gardner's anecdotal research finds: some younger women are comfortable with the idea of these images, if only because they find the ads inspiring. "I like the idea of saying to women that feeling powerful is more important than being a stick figure," one of the women who Gardner interviewed said about a Nike ad.

Photograph: Book cover of The 30-Second Seduction - How advertisers lure women through flattery, flirtation, and manipulation