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Wizard!: Harry Potter's Brand Magic
Harry Potter fans, consumer researchers, and marketers learn about the enchanting brand in this analysis, from its magical arrival on the book scene in 1997 to its multibillion-dollar net worth and penetration of the media world today. Fascinating insight is provided into the unconventional marketing techniques employed by Potter marketers that helped the brand become one of the world's most recognized in an extraordinarily short period of time. All aspects of the Potter brand are examined, including the marketing spin used with author J.K. Rowling, the right-wing critics, and the closely guarded contents of each new book.
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 3, 2018
I'm not sure how to rate this one, as almost always with non-fiction. It wasn't hard to understand, that's for sure.
If I'm being honest, I did not read the chapter with messed up print. Sorry, but I ain't going to grab a mirror to read a book. A line or a quote would be funny, but that was just a waste of space.
If I'm being honest, I did not read the chapter with messed up print. Sorry, but I ain't going to grab a mirror to read a book. A line or a quote would be funny, but that was just a waste of space.
October 11, 2021
Eh. I liked a lot of the analysis in this book - I think it made some good points and made me think about things in different ways. At the same time, a lot of the points felt either pointless or something that would only be understood by a marketing student. The jokes all felt really forced and I was constantly annoyed by the section titles which were all just shitty puns or common phrases or quotes with one word replaced by a Harry Potter reference. They only rarely seemed to actually refer to what was discussed in the section. Also, having a chapter entirely in mirror writing and then begrudingly offering a right-way-round version online - ugh. I did not read that chapter and do not intend to.
What this book was was an interesting time capsule. It was written in 2005, before the final two books were even out. The multiple references to Donald Trump in a pre-2016 world, the brief mention of Rowling's political incorrectness without knowledge of her future bullshit, even the wonderings about the contents of the final two books - all interesting.
Overall I'd say this is an easy and fun-enough read, but not worth rushing to read (I got it from my uni library on a whim).
What this book was was an interesting time capsule. It was written in 2005, before the final two books were even out. The multiple references to Donald Trump in a pre-2016 world, the brief mention of Rowling's political incorrectness without knowledge of her future bullshit, even the wonderings about the contents of the final two books - all interesting.
Overall I'd say this is an easy and fun-enough read, but not worth rushing to read (I got it from my uni library on a whim).
August 9, 2011
A fun analysis of that marketing behemoth Harry Potter.
Stephen Brown is fast becoming one of my favorite marketing writers. He has a humorous and engaging writing style. Loved it when he tried to use the Crucio curse on Seth Godin. Funny haha.
And yes, liked the gimmick of using a mirror to read one of the chapters. Interesting, but a pain and yet it was a marketing message in itself. If you liked something so much, you'd do almost anything for it. For marketers, that is the ultimate response to get out of their customers.
The message is not new. Harry Potter's success is ultimately because it is a great story. We humans are biologically drawn to the narrative. Many brands have lost their narratives in their quest for the consumer dollar.
But the thing is, building a story cannot be based on a step-by-step formula. Yes, it may seem that Harry Potter was constructed that way, but it was done intuitively.
And I don't think that JK Rowling envisioned Harry Potter to be the marketing giant that it is. Everything happened because opportunities presented itself and sound decisions were made. And the most important thing was that it had to feel right.
Now that, is how magic happens.
Stephen Brown is fast becoming one of my favorite marketing writers. He has a humorous and engaging writing style. Loved it when he tried to use the Crucio curse on Seth Godin. Funny haha.
And yes, liked the gimmick of using a mirror to read one of the chapters. Interesting, but a pain and yet it was a marketing message in itself. If you liked something so much, you'd do almost anything for it. For marketers, that is the ultimate response to get out of their customers.
The message is not new. Harry Potter's success is ultimately because it is a great story. We humans are biologically drawn to the narrative. Many brands have lost their narratives in their quest for the consumer dollar.
But the thing is, building a story cannot be based on a step-by-step formula. Yes, it may seem that Harry Potter was constructed that way, but it was done intuitively.
And I don't think that JK Rowling envisioned Harry Potter to be the marketing giant that it is. Everything happened because opportunities presented itself and sound decisions were made. And the most important thing was that it had to feel right.
Now that, is how magic happens.
February 29, 2008
Boy, what a mess of a book. A jumbled, repetitive, hodge-podge of "Harry Potter" as a marketing tour de force. Interesting for that.
March 29, 2017
ein wirklich gutes Buch für alle die an Marken und Marketing interessiert sind.
Es handelt sich hier nicht um eine tiefgründige Analyse, aber genau das gefiel mir gut. Der Autor hat einen tollen, witzigen, selbst-ironischen und erfrischenden Schreibstil. Die einzelnen Kapitel waren gut unterteilt und spannend beschrieben.
Ein ganz fetter Pluspunkt dafür, dass es keine inhaltlichen Harry-Potter-Fehler gab, denn das ist in Büchern über Harry Potter leider sehr selten. Hier aber hat man gemerkt, dass der Autor weiß wovon er spricht.
Es handelt sich hier nicht um eine tiefgründige Analyse, aber genau das gefiel mir gut. Der Autor hat einen tollen, witzigen, selbst-ironischen und erfrischenden Schreibstil. Die einzelnen Kapitel waren gut unterteilt und spannend beschrieben.
Ein ganz fetter Pluspunkt dafür, dass es keine inhaltlichen Harry-Potter-Fehler gab, denn das ist in Büchern über Harry Potter leider sehr selten. Hier aber hat man gemerkt, dass der Autor weiß wovon er spricht.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews