Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Brands Get It Back

by Rohit Bhargava, Guy Kawasaki (Foreword)

The age of the faceless corporation is over. In the new business era of the twenty first century, great brands and products must evoke a dynamic personality in order to attract passionate customers. Although many organizations hide their personality behind layers of packaged messaging and advertising, social media guru and influencer Rohit Bhargava counters that philosophy and illustrates how successful businesses have redefined themselves in the new customer universe.

Personality Not Included is a powerhouse resource packed with bold new insights that show you how to shed the lifeless armor of your business and rediscover the soul of your brand. Sharing stories from the ethos of the world's weirdest city, to how Manga has taken the comic book industry by storm, to showcasing brands like Intel, Boeing, ING, and Dyson, Bhargava shows you why personality matters from the inside out.

In Part One, you'll be introduced to the key components to building a personality and learn how to:


Recognize the greatest myth that most marketers blindly follow, and how to get past it Use the "UAT Filter" to understand the personality of your organization and products in order to develop a communication strategy that drives your marketing Create your company's "marketing backstory" using techniques pioneered by Hollywood screenwriters Harness the influence of "accidental spokespeople" and use it to your advantage Navigate the roadblocks of using personality that come from bosses, peers, investors, and lawyers, without getting fired or flamed Pinpoint and capitalize on the moments where personality can make a difference Part Two is packed with guides, tools, and techniques to help you flawlessly implement your plan. It features practical, step-by-step lessons that help you effectively move from theory to action, and includes a valuable collection of guides, checklists, question forms, printable resources, and more.

Don't be another faceless company-learn the new rules for succeeding in the social media era with Personality Not Included.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Rohit Bhargava is a leading authority on marketing, trends and innovation. He is the founder of the Non-Obvious Company and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original keynote speakers on marketing disruption and innovation in the world. He is the #1 WSJ and USA TODAY bestselling author of eight books on topics as wide ranging as the future of business, building a human brand with personality, and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world. Rohit is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and writes a monthly column for GQ Brazil. He is married and lives with his wife and two boys in the Washington DC area, loves the Olympics and actively hates cauliflower.

Reviews

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personable look at corporate personality building

Author Rohit Bhargava pushes for companies to use social media and an array of other marketing tools to develop sales-boosting corporate or brand personalities and regain their “authenticity.” He presents a step-by-step plan for creating a distinctive, compelling corporate personality, from friendly employees to a unique brand identity. Some of his case studies of exemplary corporate personalities could be stronger and more unified, but Bhargava is well-informed and encouraging. He splits the book into two sections. The longer first section explains various approaches to distinctive branding. The second outlines 10 marketing tactics, and provides a “guides and tools” implementation appendix for each chapter. getAbstract welcomes this useful battle plan for marketers who want to give their products consumer-friendly personalities – not just for promotion, but for sales appeal.

[Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it's a bit dated, this book manages to incorporate the best of old-school traditional marketing advice with updated newer advice for the internet-based 21st century world of business. It advocates for putting people (either high-level employees, or core leaders for small organizations) in positions to signal that their companies are responsive to the needs of their customers. It proposes that companies create personal narratives behind their marketing messages for greater effectiveness. The author champions the UAT funnel (Unique, Authentic, Talkative) as a model for businesses to follow to attract and maintain customers. A common theme holds throughout the text of letting a business's most loyal, dedicated, and enthusiastic customers do the WOMMA (world-of-mouth marketing).

Bhargava supports his arguments with real-life examples of companies who exhibit these principles effectively.

The last third of the book is billed as the manual / guide, where one can put ideas proposed into play. I'm not sure it adds as much to the book as it purports, to, since I found the writing fairly straightforward for the duration of the book.

Worthy!

[Keith Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that will give people who never think deeply about marketing as well as marketing students a good deal to talk about; but hard-core, in-the-industry types won't find any earth-shattering material lurking behind most pages. That being said, it does cover the basics of expressing personality while developing your brand. It also manages to give some very relevant examples of other companies and their own efforts to improve or innovate on the idea of a brand with personality. It explores the variations that marketing can take on, and further explains the history of ignoring personality and emotion in marketing along with the repercussions of ignoring the more human side of a business.

Overall: Very good for those curious about marketing or for students as they learn more about marketing. However, this is not a good book if you are already familiar with business and the need for personality while building brands and consumer trust. Therefore, I'm willing to say that it is a good book, but I must admit that it lacks the oomph needed to give it a 5th star.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Simple language used for a beginner like me who did not go to school to learn all the marketing terms. I liked sample "recipes" for basic strategies which I could analyze looking at my own business as well as businesses I know and follow as a customer. Certainly recommend to read this book to anybody who is about to start any kind of business, even the smallest one like mine - with one person employed.

[Umar Ghumman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good round up of all thing PR and Image building but nothing ground breaking.

[Kayte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pick up this book to get a few ideas on fresh marketing and discovered so much more. Besides being informative I found it engaging to read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book for anyone looking to add personality to their business. It's hands on and shares practical tools and approaches for implementing what you learn in the book.

[Vishal Rao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite a lot of good corporate examples I felt the book was light on fresh insights. A lot of the stuff makes sense but it just wasn't a captivating read.

[Jodi Ralston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun business book. It made a lot of good points, was entertaining, and got my creativity flowing. All good points. Worth reading and worth trying some of its ideas.