Brand Gap, The

by Marty Neumeier

THE BRAND GAP is the first book to present a unified theory of brand-building. Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a “charismatic brand”—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives. In an entertaining two-hour read you’ll the new definition of brand the five essential disciplines of brand-building how branding is changing the dynamics of competition the three most powerful questions to ask about any brand why collaboration is the key to brand-building how design determines a customer’s experience how to test brand concepts quickly and cheaply the importance of managing brands from the inside 220-word brand glossaryFrom the back since McLuhan’s THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE has a book compressed so many ideas into so few pages. Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding—a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and customer experience. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by the new perspectives they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly “get it.” This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to “the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet.”

Genres: Business, Design, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship, Art, Art Design, Buisness

Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2003

About the author

Marty Neumeier is an author, designer, and brand adviser whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of design to business. His series of “whiteboard” books includes ZAG, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time,” and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, a bestselling guide to nonstop innovation. An online presentation of his first book, THE BRAND GAP, has been viewed more than 22 million times since 2003. A sequel, THE BRAND FLIP, lays out a new process for building brands in the age of social media and customer dominance. His most recent book, SCRAMBLE, is a “business thriller” about how to build a brand quickly with a new process called agile strategy. In 1996, Neumeier founded Critique magazine, the first journal about design thinking. He has worked closely with innovative companies such as Apple, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, HP, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft to help advance their brands and cultures. Today he serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency in Silicon Valley, and travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of design, brand, and innovation. He and his wife divide their time between California and southwest France.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

'To begin building your brand, ask yourself three questions: 1. Who are you; 2. What do you do? 3. Why does it matter? ... A brand is not what you say it is, it is what they say it is....When everyone zigs, zag.'

I spend a lot of time on branding issues in my job right now and was recommended this book by our creative agency. Lots of what I call 'open doors' but also some new insights, food for thought. Reads easily. The brand glossary in the back of the book is really good.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this book is more for "Social tweet blog 2.0 identity transformation consultants" than designers, but I started reading this on the subway this morning and quickly became worried that someone would a) recognize me, b) recognize the book, and then c) slap me across the face, hard.

Definitely read this if you like vague generalities and unwarranted assertions. One particular gem:

"Logos are dead! Long live icons and avatars! Why? Because logos as we known them--logo-types, monograms, abstract symbols, and other two-dimensional trademarks--are products of the printing press and mass communication."

With a philosophy like that, it's no wonder this book is so vapid. After all, cohesive arguments and research are a product of that boring & outdated Age of Enlightenment.

[Tassa DeSalada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear. Concise. To the point. Must read.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise book of good branding advice. I was underwhelmed given this book's reputation. I would've benefited from further explanation and more examples.

The author's aim is to present a 30,000 foot view of brand: what it is (and isn't), why it works (and doesn't), and how to bridge the gap between logic (strategy) and magic (creative execution) to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

I liked the following advice:
• Build trust through meeting and exceeding expectations.
• Use courage and imagination to be charismatic even if you sell dull products.
• Come up with unambiguous answers to these questions: Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?
• Sell personal identity; who the customer is, and who they will become by buying your product.
• Don't try to appear so dignified that you appear proud, stiff, or inhuman.
• Project a "3D" personality with deep humanity, inconsistencies and all. Customers want heroes with flaws.

I googled for the best branding books, and this one bubbled to the surface.

Notes
Introduction
We base our choices on symbolic attributes. What does the product look like? Where is it being sold? What kind of people buy it? Which "tribe" will I be joining if I buy it? What does the cost say about its desirability? What are other people saying about it? Who makes it? If I can trust the maker, I can buy it now and worry about it later. The degree of trust I feel towards the product, rather than an assessment of its features and benefits, will determine whether I'll buy this product or that product.

Trust is ultimate shortcut to a buying decision, and the bedrock of modern branding. Customers trust your brand when their experiences with it consistently meet or beat their expectations.

Charismatic brands have a clear competitive stance, sense of rectitude, dedication to aesthetic. Aesthetics is the language of feeling, and people value feeling more than information because they're information-rich and time-poor.

There are no dull products, only dull brands. Any brand, backed by enough courage and imagination, can become a charismatic brand. Morton turns table salt from commodity to premium product by putting a little girl on the package.

Differentiate
You need unambiguous answers to these questions:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why does it matter?

Selling has evolved from an emphasis on what it has, to what it does, to what you'll feel, to who you are. Features and benefits are still important, but personal identity has become even more important. Instead of building a brand on USP (unique selling proposition), pay more attention to UBS (unique buying state of customers).

Innovate
It's magic (creativity, execution), not logic (strategy), that ignites passion in customers.

Avoid "fear of stupid." Some companies are so afraid of appearing less than dignified that they settle for proud, stiff, or inhuman. Smart companies can stand out against this backdrop of stuffed shirts.

High-imagery names are more memorable than low-imagery names. Names constructed from Greek and Latin root words tend to be low imagery names, such as Accenture and Innoveda. Names that use Anglo-Saxon words, or names of people, tend to be high-imagery names, such as Apple Computer and Betty Crocker. Some of most powerful names are those that combine well with a visual treatment, to create a memorable brand icon.

7 criteria for a good name:
• Distinctiveness. Does it stand out from crowd, especially other names in its class?
• Brevity. Is it short enough to be easily recalled and used? Does it resist being reduced to a nickname?
• Appropriateness. Is there a reasonable fit with the business purpose? If it would work just as well for another business, skip it.
• Easy spelling and pronunciation. Will most people be able to spell the name after hearing it spoken? Will they be able to pronounce it after seeing it written?
• Likability. Will people enjoy using it? Names that are intellectually stimulating, or have a good "mouth feel," have a head start.
• Extendibility. Does it have "legs"? Does it suggest a visual interpretation or lend itself to a number of creative executions? Great names provide endless opportunity for brandplay.
• Protectability. Can it be trademarked? Is it available for web use?

Cultivate
Instead of trying to present a smooth surface, project a 3D personality, inconsistencies and all. Brands can afford to be inconsistent as long as they don't abandon their defining attributes. Brands that don't projection depth in humanity tend to create suspicion among customers. Customers want heroes with flaws.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brand Gap was published in 2005, so the book is beginning to show its age. I had to laugh when he critiqued Amazon for trying to extend it's product offerings beyond just books. I realize that at the time, his criticism was accurate, but it's still funny given how things have panned out for the Everything Store. Despite being long in tooth, the book still has great advice for those thinking about branding and marketing.

My favorite part is the last section, where Neumeier summarizes the key points for each section of the book. Honestly, just reading this section is well worth a reader's time, and it communicates the author's best concepts accurately and adequately. I'll be reviewing this section annually. I may even print it and hang it on the wall.

The rest of the book is quite short, and in a good way. Neumeier communicates in the introduction his desire to write a quick read rather than a tome. I sincerely appreciate this, having reached a point in life where I rarely desire to read more than necessary, especially when it comes to business books. (Which are often at fault for prolixity.)

[Randa Mashnouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer know how to manage it. Still, everyone wants it. What is it? Branding, of course—arguably the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet.

So what exactly is a brand?
A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It’s a GUT FEELING because we’re all emotional, intuitive beings, despite our best efforts to be rational. It’s a PERSON’S gut feeling, because in the end the brand is defined by individuals, not by companies, markets, or the so-called general public. Each person creates his or her own version of it. While companies can’t control this process, they can influence it by communicating the qualities that make this product different than that product.

When enough individuals arrive at the same gut feeling, a company can be said to have a brand. In other words, a brand is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is."

[Ahmad Badghaish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one. It gives a whole different perspective on the marketing.

[Richard Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading quite a lot of business books at present, normally a sign that I'm getting ready to write something myself. At the moment the focus is on branding books. Now, one of the things about business books is that not only are most of them pretty dull (a sad thing for a writer of professional books to have to admit), but they look pretty dull too. Interestingly, this even extends to books on branding - and yet there is a intuitive feeling that a branding book ought to look good. I know branding is not just about how something looks, but its a pretty important part of branding. Look at a shelf of branding books and most of them look as uninteresting and dull as most other business books!

The Brand Gap seems to be one of a few exceptions that actually looks good (another being Brand New by Wally Olins). And it is an example of how a book's looks can really influence your buying decision. Like anything to do with taste, the design may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think most people would agree this is a book which has been designed with a particular deliberate aesthetic in mind, which worked with me. And as much of branding seeks to do, it worked well as I paid a lot for it! It is a small book, and is expensive for a book of this size. Additionally, the word count is low - big font and lots of pictures. But maybe that's just because Neumeier gets to the point quickly.

What about when you move beyond the packaging? I loved the introduction where Neumeier grapples with the meaning of a "brand" in a pithy and engaging well - 5 star business writing. The rest of the book, whilst continuing to look lovely, was less impressive for me - but I suspect if I was actually in branding it may have been more useful. Neumeier confidently tells you what works and what does not work - no pussy footing around, and gives lots of straightforward advice. It is unfortunately after chapter 1 about as interesting as most other business books. Worthy and helpful - and quick. And I am grading it on the words so 3 stars, not its great look - 5 stars for packaging.

[Matias Ferrari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Entertaining but very superficial

[Akmal A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read for the people who wanted to start / already has a brand they carried out. What's new to me is the insight from the professional like Neumeier who has vast experience in the branding world to summarize the current market what's brand is all about. For me this is a must read book for the creative or the backbone of one brand to make a brand that is important for the people / community they served.

[Ly Luu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very concise book about Branding. Even though the content is very short, at the end of the book there's still a quick summary which I really like and this is really a plus point. Highly recommended to those who are working in the Marketing industry, especially those who want to start building a brand.

P/S: This book can be better if it contains more examples and case studies.

[The Book Nazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brand’ is probably one of the most hyped words in marketing today. Everyone talks about ‘building your brand’ but what does that really mean?

In The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier takes a clear shot at defining this often misunderstood marketing principle and nails his target. The result is an easy-to-read overview of what a brand is and how you can get one.

Neumeier starts by defining what a brand is not – it isn’t a logo. It isn’t your corporate identity system complete with fonts and colors. And it’s not your product. Rather,

A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It’s a GUT FEELING because we’re all emotional, intuitive beings, despite our best efforts to be rational. It’s a PERSON’S gut feeling, because in the end the brand is defined by individuals, not by companies, markets, or the so-called general public…

In other words, a brand is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is.

The problem lies in how you communicate to your prospects and clients. Marketing people tend to be left brained people who are looking for strategy, numbers and ways to analyze success, while the creative people are the right brained people who want to be left alone to come up with the next cool idea. This disconnect between strategically focused left brainers and creative right brainers is called the brand gap.

After defining this problem that plagues many corporations, Neumeier gives companies a five step way close the gap. It starts with answering three fundamental questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?

Most firms can answer the first question with few problems. The second question is a bit more challenging, and the third is where many firms stumble. Yet, if you can’t offer a compelling answer to each of those questions, you don’t have a brand. This is the differentiating step to creating a brand.

Step two is the collaborating phase. You can’t build your brand by yourself. It requires getting numerous people within your organization working with your creative firms, ad agencies, research companies, and strategy consultants on the same page about who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

Step three is the innovation phase. This phase is resembles Seth Godin’s Free Prize because it requires you to think beyond the subtleties and really do something that makes an impact.

Would-be leaders in any industry must come to grips with a self-evident truth – you can’t be a leader by following. Admittedly, it’s difficult to zag when every bone in your body says zig. Human beings are social animals – our natural inclination is to go with the group.

Creativity, however, demands the opposite. It requires an unnatural act. To achieve originality we need to abandon the comforts of habit, reason, and the approval of our peers, and strike out in new directions. In the world of branding, creativity doesn’t require reinventing the wheel, but simply thinking in fresh ways. It requires looking for what industrial designer Raymond Loewy called MAYA – the Most Advanced Yet Acceptable solution.

Step four is the validation phase. Here’s where you listen to and receive feedback from prospects and clients. This phase is about testing your idea to see how well it works and where you might be able to improve it. Neumeier cautions against using focus groups as the absolute word on whether the idea will work, but research and focus groups can point you in the right direction.

The validation state also revolves around packaging your product. Good packaging is distinctive, meaning you can cover the logo on an advertisement or brochure and still know which company it represents. Think Apple or even Johnson &; Johnson. Everything they do is distinctive. Now, take out a few of your brochures – can you cover up your logo and tell that your piece represents you? Or could you put your competitor’s logo there – or even the logo from a firm outside your industry?

The final stage is cultivation. Your brand should be like your business – a process, not a static entity that never changes. Brands evolve. How you manage that evolution will determine whether your brand gains or loses value.

The Brand Gap is a must read for anyone interested in building a better brand. It offers solid advice for companies of all sizes – and best of all, shows that companies can bridge the gap between strategy and creative. The two sides of the coin often fight over which method is better: left brainers look to direct response and measuring every last detail of a campaign while right brainers appeal to emotion and are looking for innovation and creativity over lengthy reports and numbers. Great brands require that these two sides work together.

By Krista from http://www.morningstarmultimedia.com/...

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

"If others are zigging, you zag"
"You need to make sure your brand resonates in the real world. Do prototypes and swap testing"
"You want to stand out from competitors"
"Is your brand 'sticky'?"
"cultivate your brand"

-- from the book

This book should have been Idiot's Guide To Branding. If you are new to branding, meaning if you just graduated from picture books to reading chapter books, this would be a good starting book for branding for you. Perhaps in 2003 when it came out it was more groundbreaking but I feel in today's world of marketing and branding obsession filled with websites, newsletters, etc the stuff in this book is old hat.

[Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that I have been keeping for a long time before graduation, yet only read after being in the workforce for 4 years. If only I could have approached the book way earlier, perhaps my career orientation would have been more firmly located. It's a very entertaining introductory guide for those who want to anchor branding. The flow is quite slow-paced but clearly offers step-by-step on how to build a brand.

[Dan Nazaruk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books is a collection of vague marketing clichés dressed up with attractive design. The author makes a few good points ("a brand is not a logo"), but someone wanting an introduction to marketing would be better served reading Kotler or Kellogg on Marketing.

[Linh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giống mấy cuốn sách kiến thức về marketing hồi mình học đại học. Không có gì mới mẻ lắm, cách viết cũng ko phải cuốn hút gì lắm. Tạm được cho bạn nào muốn ''nghiên cứu'' về marketing về brand.

[Prabhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book for those who are into branding, Design, or business. Many insights have shared with Examples. Fun to read and i never got bored.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for anybody interested in branding, strategy and/or design.

Marty Neumeier gives important and relevant insights into the world of branding but he does it in such a refreshing way, that the book becomes easy to read, making the reading all the more fun.

Far too often books about these topics are filled with unnecessarily big words and eloquent formulations making it seem like a race between the authors: “who can sound the most distinguished?” which, consequently, is making the read dry and one dimensional.

With the Brand Gap Marty Neumeier did the opposite: he really achieved what he wanted to - as stated in the beginning of the book: he created a 30,000 foot view of brand by presenting the least amount of information necessary, boiling it down to what’s important and relevant.

[Venera Arakelyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read book. Some interesting descriptions from the book:

"A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer know how to manage it. Still, everyone wants it. What is it? Branding, of course—arguably the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet."

"To begin building your brand, ask yourself three questions: 1. Who are you; 2. What do you do? 3. Why does it matter? "

"A brand is not what you say it is, it is what they say it is."

[Bethanie Stammen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, fun read! I’m a sucker for books that have a fun layout and graphic elements. This was recommended to me by a previous boss and I’m not sure why I waited two years to read it. Lol.

[Sourabh Goyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

good to read if you belong to business, sales, or marketing in any way.

[Amir Jabbari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true brand requires both left and right side of the brain

[Winston · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. Quick and easy design book. Appreciated the conciseness of the material, but overall The Brand Gap left a lot of room to explore different approaches and opinions. Solid read for all my fellow graphic design and a marketing nerds 🤓

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone in design, marketing, or branding. Will definitely help me start conversations with strategists who consider themselves "not creative." Creativity is essential in all we do. "It’s design not strategy that ignites passion in people. And the magic behind better design and better business is innovation."

[Reiza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brand . It's not what you say it is. It is what they say it is.

Oke, saya ada beberapa poin yang cukup panjang untuk buku ini yang sengaja saya catat di buku tulis. Lebih-lebih karena memang saya sedang tertarik untuk mempelajari mengenai branding.

Tapi singkat kata, kenapa sih, brand itu penting?
Marty Neumeier kemudian menjawabnya dengan mengajukan pertanyaan lagi:

Ada 1349 kamera di pasar, mana yang mau kamu beli?

Menurut Neumeier, brand itu bukanlah logo, bukanlah identitas, dan bukan produk. Brand adalah perasaan seseorang mengenai suatu organisasi, produk ataupun pelayanan dari suatu hal. Ini menjadi penting karena secara langsung, Neumeier memindahkan paradigma brand dari yang semula terpusat pada si pemilik suatu produk ataupun pelayanan, kepada konsumen atau mereka yang menerima suatu produk atau pelayanan tersebut

Kembali lagi ke pertanyaan, mengapa brand itu penting? Jawaban yang Neumeier sediakan ada tiga hal:

1. Karena konsumen, ketika menentukan sesuatu, akan mendasarkan kepada rasa percaya (trust)
2. Karena banyaknya penawaran serupa, dan
3. Karena terlalu banyak pilihan dan terlalu sedikit waktu.

Untuk membuat suatu brand yang menarik, sebenarnya diperlukan suatu kerjasama yang erat antara strategi dengan kreativitas. Permasalahannya adalah, menurut Neumeier, selama ini kedua hal tersebut dipisahkan. Padahal, kedua hal tersebut sangatlah penting untuk menciptakan apa yang dinamakan dengan charismatic brand atau suatu posisi dimana orang-orang merasa bahwa suatu produk, jasa ataupun organisasi tersebut tidak memiliki subtitusi atau penggantinya. Mungkin seperti aqua di industri air minum, atau pepsodent di industri odol.

Sebagai pembanding, nilai jual Coke dengan nilai tambah brand yang ia miliki adalah sejumlah 120 Miliar US$, sementara tanpa nilai tambah yang brand tersebut miliki hanyalah sejumlah 50 Milyar US$.

Nah, untuk mencapai hal tersebut, sebuah brand haruslah dibentuk dan dibangun. Brand Building. Lalu langkah apa saja yang harus ditempuh untuk membangun brand? Neumeier memberikan lima jurusnya untuk itu:

1. Diferensiasi - Jadilah berbeda, jadilah kreatif.
2. Kolaborasi - Membangun brand adalah suatu proyek kolaborasi. Jadi perbanyak kerjasama.
3. Inovasi - How do you know when an idea is innovative, when it SCARES THE HELL OUT of everybody.
4. Validasi - Sertakan dan ajak konsumen kedalam proses kreatifmu!
5. Kultivasi - Brands are like people. If people can change their clothes without changing their characters, why can't brands?"

Sebenarnya dari setiap jurus tersebut ada pembahasannya lagi. Tetapi kurang lebih, poin-poinnya seperti itu.

Buku ini diterbitkan pada tahun 2003 silam. Sehingga mungkin ada beberapa bagian yang sekiranya akan lebih komplit dan perlu dipahami dan dilihat melalui konteks yang ada saat ini dimana internet dan media sosial sudah menjadi bagian kehidupan sehari-hari. Pekerjaan membangun brand pun menjadi semakin menarik untuk kita kaji, dan tentunya untuk kita lakukan.

[Aranza Herce · Rating 3 out of 5]

☼ Ideal for a quick read to refresh brand concepts. I liked it as a one-day read to revisit some basics. I wish it included more specific tools or frameworks, but I get that branding is a broad topic.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Differentiation has evolved from a focus on “what it is,” to “what it does,” to “how you’ll feel,” to “who you are.” While features, benefits, and price are still important to people, experiences and personal identity are even more important."

"Over time, specialists beat generalists. The winner is the brand that best fits a given space. The law of the jungle? Survival of the FITTINGEST."

"How do you know when an idea is innovative? When it scares the hell out of you."

"A living brand is a never-ending play, and every person in the company is an actor. People see the play whenever they experience the brand, and then they tell others."

A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It's a GUT FEELING because we're all emotional, intuitive beings, despite our best efforts to be rational. It's a PERSON'S gut feeling, because in the end the brand is defined by individuals, not by companies, markets, or the so-called general public. Each person creates his or her own version of it. While companies can't control this process, they can influence it by communicating the qualities that make this product different than that product. When enough individuals arrive at the same gut feeling, a company can be said to have a brand. In other words, a brand is not what YOU say it is. It's what THEY say it is.

Strategy and creativity, in most companies, are separated by a mile-wide chasm. On one side are the strategists and marketing people who favour left-brain thinking—analytical, logical, linear, concrete, numerical, verbal. On the other side are the designers and creative people who favour right-brain thinking—intuitive, emotional, spatial, visual, physical.

Unfortunately, the left brain doesn't always know what the right brain is doing. Whenever there's a rift between strategy and creativity—between logic and magic—there's a brand gap. It can cause a brilliant strategy to fail where it counts most, at the point of contact with the customer, or it can doom a bold creative initiative before it's even launched, way back at the planning stage.

This was a quick, but brilliant read. It was easy to understand, but there was a lot of great wisdom in these pages. Highly recommended for a high view perspective on branding!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: In prep for my job at my current place of work, I felt like I should brush up more or the world of branding.

The Story: Neumeier's books are a combination of picture book, real-life examples, and strategy insight. The Brand Gap focuses on the five points that any brand could (and should) use to strengthen their brand. The five points are Differentiate, Collaborate, Innovate, Validate, and Cultivate...but you really have to read the book to get what those mean.

The Good & The Bad: I love Marty Neumeier! His books are so easy to read, and so simple, yet also insightful. It's like he gathers all those little observations you've ever had about a brand into one spot into this burst of innovation and intelligence! The book also covers common branding and advertising terms - which I only mention because it lines up with my recommendation for this book. Ultimately the application of this book will work best with brands (and their agencies) who have a bigger budget and the ability to leverage or differentiate themselves properly, however it's a great intro for business owners who are unfamiliar with branding, and it's a great book for students. Definitely a good book to have your shelf - but the trick to a book like this is to take the given principles and apply them in a way that is obtainable and relevant to the size and mission of your company.

The Bottom Line: A great, simple, insightful introduction to the world of branding.

Anything Memorable?: My boss LOVES this book and was thrilled to see my copy of it lying around the office, and even moreso when he discovered the sequel - Zag - which he borrowed for over half a year.

50-Book Challenge?: Book #40 in 2007

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. You might need a magnifying glass to read some of the tiny print captions. But overall, a fun and quick intro to branding. I am all jazzed about branding now. It's not, for instance, just this esoteric big-company marketing buzzword. It's just your gut feeling about something. Which is only partly determined by a company's marketing efforts. It's determined by the sum of people's experience with the company, which marketing usually forms the first line of, but it's deeper than that. It's everything about the company, which is why it ultimately boils down to things like integrity, trust (consistency), and innovation. What can your company be counted on for? The power of your brand is directly related to your cocmpany's mission being a) well-defined and b) worthwhile (ie standing for something good, useful, necessary, inspired).

And this is where spirituality comes in for me, because your personal brand, who you can be counted on to show up as, is connected to how aligned you are with your personal purpose and intention in life. Do people know who you are? IE Do you show up authentically and live your values and your mission in all areas of your life? That alignment is what constites power. So it's the same for people and for companies. And why shouldn't it be? Companies are in essence entities.

But uh, none of that last bit was in the book. Just in my own head. =)

[Robert Ssempande · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this presentation, Marty Neumeier, a brand expert, defines what a brand is, explains why branding is important to a business' strategy, how there's a wide gap between brand and strategy in most companies, and how to bridge that gap (by mastering the five disciplines of brand-building) in order to create a charismatic brand (a product, service, or organization for which people see no substitute). He describes the five disciplines of brand-building as differentiating, collaborating, innovating, validating, and, lastly, cultivating. Once these are in place in a company, what's left is developing and circulating a continuing brand education program for employees, which pretty much acts as a compass for a company's brand. As the brand becomes more distributed, Marty says, a company needs a CBO (Chief Branding Officer), someone who will manage its brand, and be the human bridge between strategy and brand. This presentation is visually stunning. It's the first of its kind I've seen. It's very design and makeup (the manner in which it was weaved) lives up to the message it's trying to convey. It's 170 pages, but it's a short read, since most of it is design and not verbiage. It's short but enlightening (and exhilarating). I would suggest you read it twice to get the full benefit of what it has to offer. I hope to be coming back to it again and again to glean the wisdom it offers on branding and strategy.