|
|
| |
 |
Leadership Brand
By Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood
Harvard Business School Press
|
| |
|
|
| |
In Leadership Brand: Developing Customer-Focused Leaders to Drive Performance and Build Lasting Value, authors Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood explain the differences between leaders and leadership, and how not recognizing these differences can result in a breakdown of understanding among corporate leaders, employees, and the customers they value. An effective leadership brand is not about individual personalities or management styles, but performance and lifestyle—attributes that, by the force of example, establish brand identity and promulgate shared awareness throughout the corporate and consumer realms based on a communal sense of purpose and trust. After all, if the customers believe that the leadership is buying into the brand, they’ll be more likely to purchase it for themselves. |
|
| |
Though employees are often encouraged to “think outside of the box,” they commonly find themselves surrounded by corporate Styrofoam peanuts. Unfortunately—and dismayingly—we, the human race, still know very little about our own creativity. But authors Herb Meyers and Richard Gerstman have decided to change that. In Creativity: Unconventional Wisdom from 20 Accomplished Minds, the founders of Interbrand interviewed 20 highly creative and successful individuals from compellingly diverse backgrounds, such as author Erica Jong, designer Milton Glaser, film director Spike Lee, and co-founder of Apple Computer Steve Wozniak. |
|
|
| |
The Art of Digital Branding provides readers with in-depth, informed, and insightful advice for utilizing the Web to enhance branding. Written by brandchannel contributor Ian Cocoran, this book meticulously researches and explains how and why digital branding succeeds or fails. The scope of the content is comprehensive and describes both the human aspects of digital branding and practical online business paradigms. The book also breaks down the concepts of branding into manageable discussions that offer conclusions based on real-life examples. It also examines luxury branding, corporate philanthropy, and teaches how emotional intelligence is an important part digital culture. |
|
| |
Fittingly, this introduction to branding is colorful, lively, and compelling. The pages are full of photographs, meaningful interviews, practical theories, and plenty of illustrations, logos, and examples of successful—and unsuccessful—branding campaigns. More Than A Name addresses the psychology behind branding and explains that branding is a complex endeavor fraught with challenges. Success is never guaranteed and, if achieved, never static. Culture is constantly changing, which means perceptions are constantly changing, which means branding must constantly change, too. This book is for visual arts students or professionals interested branding fundamentals such as differentiation, changing trends, reputation, and capturing “brand spirit.” |
|
|
|
| |
The key for any brand—whether it's a new one entering a crowded market or an established one fending off upstarts—is differentiation (and then communicating that differentiation to its customers).
The book's 40-question brand quotient (BQ) quiz covers strategy, alignment, communication, and execution to determine whether your brand has a sustainable competitive advantage.
Low BQ? Don't worry. The majority of the book is a rundown of strategies behind the success of nearly three dozen brands, from familiar ones like Netflix (change consumer buying habits in your favor) to offbeat ones like the Church of Tom Jones (be strange). And the concluding section on planning a brand strategy rounds out an education on developing the "ability to get into the minds and often the hears of your prospects—and stay there."
|
|
| |
Naming may be the most fascinating aspect of branding (sorry, marketing folks). A little brainstorming, a list of irresistible names, a delighted client. Simple, right?
Neil Taylor, a former namer, counters: "Naming is in fact one of the hardest…jobs you'll ever do." But his book makes the job a little clearer, if not easier—simultaneously championing and demystifying the naming process.
Written in chatty British English (sometimes a little too chatty for this American), Taylor offers tangible tips and step-by-step instructions for conceiving, filtering, and vetting a suitable name, taking into consideration language, design, and legalities—plus the subjective whims of the client when you finally present that shortlist of sweated-over contenders.
Taylor also names "names"—those he's worked on, along with other successes and failures—and notes the things a name can and can't do for a brand. Most important, he warns, "Never look for the perfect name. Even the good ones only become perfect with 20/20 hindsight."
|
|
|
|
| |
How did Sony, with its 20-year Walkman history, cede dominance in the portable media player industry to Apple, which (until the iPod) was known as just a computer company? According to the author, a brand can "obsess over serving customers or winning the product innovation game"—yet miss "what matters to people altogether." These consumer habits and needs are "hidden in plain sight."
The book introduces the "demand-first innovation and growth (DIG) model" to understand consumer behavior and create not competitive advantage but customer advantage. Brands should view opportunities "not simply from a brand or product perspective but from this more complex vantage point of the ecosystem of consumer demand." In short, successful brands don't try to guess consumers' "needs," but know their customers well enough to fit seamlessly into their lives. (May-07, AZ)
|
|
| |
What jazz is to music, "brandjamming" is to branding. The author argues that design should be a collaborative process involving not just a design team, but also the client and consumers—as well as the support of top management.
Intuitive and participative, brandjamming taps into the subconscious to make an emotional connection. Any brand can be jazzed up, even the most iconic. Though it sounds touchy-feely, brandjamming is a refreshing concept that leads to tangible results, for it takes into consideration that while brands develop ideas, it's people who attach meaning to them. It's just a shame that for a book with many examples of enviable design, none of the illustrations appear in color. Also by the same author: Emotional Branding and Citizen Brand. (Apr-07, AZ)
|
|
|
|
| |
Read enough about brand successes and you'll see the same batch of winners: Nike, Starbucks, Apple, Google, Target. The authors (one of whom is a brandchannel contributor) call these "breakaway brands"—brands that stand out not only in their own product categories, but also among nearly all other brands.
What makes a brand break away? It's not as simple as spending a mint of money on a smothering ad campaign. Brands must be willing to develop a distinctive voice, take risks, have internal champions (like Steve Jobs, who led Apple to "think different"), and deliver on its promises to customers.
Case studies of some 50 brands in myriad categories highlight the elements of breakaway brands—from packaging to promotion—plus challenges, from launching the right brand extensions to fending off catching-up competitors.
The authors' straightforward manner distills how any kind of brand can flourish in an oversaturated marketplace. And don't worry if your brand isn't a Nike or an Apple—the authors declare that "almost any brand, in any category, and on any budget, can become a breakaway brand." (Mar-07, AZ)
|
|
| |
Carl Jung, brand strategist? Author Michel Jansen argues that the Swiss psychiatrist's theory of archetypes—that human behavior can be traced to instinctive urges—can be applied to brand identity.
Jansen introduces a dozen Jungian archetypes—such as sage, creator, jester, and lover—along with examples of brands from each. A brand's archetype relates to (and provides a way to maintain and further develop) the customer's relationship with the brand—without confusing or alienating that customer.
A brand's archetype is not a set-in-stone characterization. The author cites Apple, IKEA, and Starbucks as brands that innovate and adapt while staying true to their core identities. Jansen also details the successful evolution of Rabobank—a "caregiver"—over a 20-year period as it reacted to changes to the meaning of the archetype itself.
At fewer than 100 pages, the book succinctly shows how a brand can deeply connect with customers—and without probing, "Tell me about your mother." (AZ, Mar-07)
Read an excerpt.
|
|
|
|
| |
In this "Dummies" take on our favorite subject, the authors—a business strategist and a branding-firm founder—deliver a branding overview and step-by-step instructions on building, launching, maintaining, and protecting your brand.
Those who know the basics can skip to the section listing branding truths ("experiences trump messages"), mistakes ("asking your brand to stretch too far"), and traits of the world's most valuable brands ("allegiance from the top down"). The book concludes with an appendix of resources that includes the website you happen to be surfing.
Although the Dummies books are branded as "A Reference for the Rest of Us"—i.e., non-experts—even seasoned branding pros would find this volume useful. (And it's OK to hide it from view when a client drops by.) (AZ, Feb-07)
|
|
| |
Dread that upcoming brainstorming session? Altman's book details productive techniques—the "Brandmaker Express" process—that promise results, not appointments for future brainstorming.
While plenty of branding books are long on puffy proclamations but short on specifics, Altman uses real-word examples—and names actual brands. In showing the evolution of a campaign for BriteSmile, a tooth-whitening company, she recounts behind-the-scenes strategies and reproduces ten different display ads that emerged along the way. (AZ, Dec-06)
|
|
|
|
| |
In advising brands to "let go of the fallacy that your brand belongs to you. It belongs to the market," the author endorses embracing consumers who shape the meaning of a brand beyond its origins—that is, hijack the brand. The strength of a brand such as Dr. Martens shoes, for example, comes from loyal consumers outside its original market.
The author also discusses "overnight success" brands, such as Red Bull, that were actually the result of cautious, under-the-radar planning that took place well in advance. In each case, the brand was flexible, patient, and respectful of its audience—as if the consumer were a co-creator of the brand.
But lest you consider firing your marketing department and throwing your brand completely to the whims of the market, he cautions, "let consumers fine-tune products, not create them." (AZ, Dec-06)
|
|
| |
Even the title proves Godin's point: as early as page 15, he declares, "Marketers aren't really liars," but who would pick up a book called "All Marketers Are Storytellers Appealing to Customers Looking for a Story to Believe"? Godin defines "lies" as shorthand in an information-overloaded world. The best "lies" aren't meant to deceive but are reality-grounded stories appealing to consumers' wants rather than their needs.
Using examples from global corporations to former US presidents, Godin illustrates why the successful brand is one that frames a story into a message that embraces the customer's worldview. But at a mere 173 pages (including a chapter suggesting "further reading from Seth Godin"), the book may feel a little padded if you're not willing to wade through all the anecdotes and cheeky humor (such as the "I like books Seth Godin writes" section). (AZ, Oct-06) |
|
|
|
| |
More than an A-to-Z list of branding concepts, this glossary attempts to establish a consistent language in the realm of branding nomenclature. The Glossary is enhanced by illustrations, quotes and "brand facts," plus an extensive bibliography containing a list of related reference works including, yes, other glossaries. (AZ, Sep-06) |
|
| |
The average sports fan could easily overdose on events, media coverage, product and clothing purchasing, online banter and idle speculation just for one sport alone. Add typical distractions including family structure, time pressure, technology, evolving behaviors, and greater access (leading to greater competition and fragmentation) and you can imagine that capturing the attention of this over-committed, over-stimulated and potentially over-sated fan is a major challenge for any team, product, or event. The authors start with a brief history on how we got to this state of play, before diving into the possibilities for engaging a fan. One single experience can cover everything from a stadium visit, a concession booth purchase, the design of the tickets, some blog commentary, a clothing purchase and the videogame tie-in—all of which means, for sports marketers, a lot of balls to have in the air. |
|
|
|
| |
The author’s description of a window display as a “randomly organized tableaux of disparate things” would serve as a better title for this book. Yes, it touches on porn (encroaching our lives, mixed with consumerism, capitalistic, nihilistic, atavistic), but it also riffs on the inanity of Saatchi’s lovemarks hype and cynicism in advertising (an ad for Channel 4 programming). When Poyner is not contemplating the role of urban gardening on our visual psyches, he invites the reader to consider what effect our interaction with sexual imagery and innuendo has on young minds and whether the cumulative effect will be a collective turn off. The tone is more blog rant than rigorous essay. (RR, Aug-06) |
|
| |
In “Book Yourself Solid,” Port provides the reader with a detailed step-by-step account of his method for obtaining clients. According to Port, 93 percent of business owners who implemented his system experienced more than a 30 percent increase in their total number of clients. If you are looking to enhance your personal brand, it may be beneficial to read Port’s thought-provoking book. (MG, July-06) |
|
|
|
| |
In “A Clear Eye for Branding,” Asacker, a branding guru, transcribes a hypothetical conversation with a business executive sitting next to him on a flight. Throughout the discussion, which resembles a professor-student conversation, Asacker uses real-life examples to help explain the branding business to the inquisitive gentleman. The witty, yet provocative, book is filled with such valuable information that the reader might want to keep a pen and paper handy for notes. (MG, June-06) |
|
| |
Covering a region that spans highly branded companies like Banyan Tree and Shiseido to barely branded knock offs, Roll starts out with an intro chapter on branding with a special focus on Asia, and then dives into the region’s unique culture and customer mix. Scattered throughout and filling two whole chapters, the author examines a good mix of internationally known brands (Singapore Airlines, Samsung) and as-yet unknown (Li Ning, Giordano, Jet Airways). Those who are new to branding and new to Asia will find this book useful. (RR, Apr-06) |
|
|
|
| |
How do old crusties at Puma know what appeals to “young people today”? To target Millennials you need to have an idea of what it’s like to be a kid—now—in today’s world. The authors set out to describe the unique features of this generation, which they define as age 23 and younger. And true to form about generational shifts, Millennials are completely different from their elders in Gen X. In fact if the research is true then the dirty secret about today’s youth is that they are more apt to be squeaky clean. Very US focused, this book is for the armchair sociologist, parents, and anyone targeting youth today. Buy here. (RR, Mar-06) |
|
| |
An engaging and straightforward articulation of basic principles that we know about customer satisfaction but don’t deliver. Starting with a basic explanation of what is a brand promise, Barrera demonstrates how companies like Toyota, Commerce Bancorp, Bellagio, and Best Buy define this promise and then deliver it. There’s a reason that Hummer, Disney, Apple have such strong customer loyalty, and it doesn’t have to come down to sheer luck or size. It merely requires brand owners to understand their brand and their audience. (RR, Mar-06) |
|
|
|
| |
Targeted at nonprofits, this book is for any organization that believes it’s above corporate shilling. Holland leads us softly with facts and logic until we arrive at the realization that everything really does have a brand (politicians, religions, museums). The good news is that a clear and consistent brand identity can aid an organization in growing brand awareness; the question is how to arrive at that clear identity. Practical and process-oriented, the author walks us through the design brief (tailored to nonprofit concerns), exploring design options, launch, and implementation. Non-threatening, easy to read. (RR, Feb-06) |
|
| |
An appealing basic background manual in graphic design and production for a wide variety of applications (blog, clothing, books, business cards, brand identity). We like that it asks creative brief questions (what is this, who is it for), suggests different ways to solve a typical problem (consider the various options in business card development from paper to fonts to layout), and offers practical hints (sandpaper can damage your printer). But it lacks attention to brand identity. What does your choice of sandpaper tell the consumer? What type of consumer will it attract? Caution: a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous; if you have no talent to begin with, drop the book and walk away. (RR, Jan-06) |
|
|
|
| |
Imagine mobile phone owners willing to pay for marketing in SMS form. Well don’t shake your head at the emptiness of people’s lives, welcome it for the miracle it is, and get out there and sell. Not just for generation next, mobile marketing can attract any age or lifestyle as long as it’s targeted effectively. Consider daily updates on album releases, powder conditions, drink specials, Bridget Jones’ calorie count and you get the picture. Unfortunately this book will outdate as quickly as the technology innovates. (RR, Dec-05) |
|
| |
The first half of this book is devoted to Brownjohn’s short life. Pictures, interviews, and newspaper clippings try to convey a composite of the designer’s life; probably equally revealing are the drink and cigarette, which appear in nearly every photo and hint at the drug addictions Brownjohn never managed to shake. Call us insensitive but the second half of the book was much more interesting. Here the book gives over whole pages to the work. Album and magazine covers, typefaces, signs, film title sequences, and advertisements illustrate the artist’s talents. Not enough sex, considering the promising title. (RR, Dec-05) |
|
|
|
| |
Not groundbreaking, but if you’re still trying to get your head around “what is a brand and why should I care,” this book is as readable as any we’ve seen this year. After drawing the reader in with what branding is not, the authors focus on defining, identifying and instructing the reader in devising a dominant selling idea (DSI—what used to be called USP). Short illustrative examples from current popular brands quickly make the point and move on to more enlightenment. The book has teeth; the authors are not afraid to stake out a position (focus groups blow, the AFLAC duck is a quack), but they have a tendency to get over-excited with their own outrage. (Dec-05, RR) |
|
| |
Leave no channel untapped for reaching consumers. Mobile marketing, ring tones, electronic signs, Wi-Fi on the grocery cart, RFID and countless other innovations allow brand owners to better research (data mining), better reach (targeting, advertising, distribution) and better delight their markets. The possibilities are endless but the old rules still apply: all of the technology is useless if the brand itself is not worth communicating. (RR, Dec-05) |
|
|
|
| |
These are the everyday objects we take for granted. Sugar cubes, chopsticks, tweezers. All beautifully photographed in close-ups and lovingly applauded for their simple but functional roles. While we marvel at computers or tall buildings, we should as well scratch our head at the ingenuity of the corkscrew, the beauty of a whisk or the indispensable Post-it Note. Known authorship is attributed (the baseball, spark plug, paper bag), but it is not a barrier to being included (pasta, dominoes, condoms). Inspirational to anyone tasked with a seemingly underwhelming design project. (RR, Nov-05) |
|
| |
Conceived as a drink for the University of Florida football team (the Gators) in the 1960s, Gatorade has become the dominant sports drink in a niche market it created. Rovell documents Gatorade’s journey—from homemade brew concocted in a university laboratory to prevent the Gators from dehydration, to bestselling beverage touted by sports icons like Michael Jordan—with great detail and obvious affection for the product.
Gatorade has always been shrewdly marketed (the scientists behind the drink attracted initial commercial interest by claiming it had a part in the Gators’ success); as popularity grew, its marketing strategies evolved, allowing the company to take advantage of spontaneous placement opportunities like the famous post-victory “Gatorade baths.” A good read about a product’s ups and downs for those into sports, business, or supposed hangover cures. (KL, Oct-2005)
|
|
|
|
| |
From the very first celebrity fashion designer (a 19th-century Englishman named Charles Frederick Worth) to retail chain H&M’s recent success, Tungate’s book offers a comprehensive look at how fashion brands have continually offered a lifestyle choice alongside the clothes on the racks. Through the introduction of models, runway shows, and fashion photography, early designers (followed later by fashion houses like Gucci, Burberry, and Chanel) marketed the concept that fashion provides a uniform for lifestyle (Coco Chanel’s post-war working woman, Tom Ford’s sexy Gucci beauty). While customers once identified with luxury fashion brands, stores like H&M now offer more affordable, quality versions of designer trends and cater to a less brand-affected clientele, making keeping up with fashion a lot less clear-cut than it used to be. A good complement to today’s fashion industry. (KL, Oct-2005) |
|
| |
Essential for anyone in the field, and a good argument why anyone who isn’t should be. Mobile Revolution details China, innovations, consumer behavior, digital cameras, service categories, digital rights management, mobile marketing, IT needs, and how mobility influences industry forces. And that’s just a tiny sampling. Included are charts, tables and graphs of varying understandability to the layperson. Truly global, Steinbock breaks down market developments, background anecdotes and hard data by nation, bringing us up to speed on the world’s fastest mobile-izing regions. The book’s one drawback may be that the mobile revolution is moving so fast that some information may be outdated in a few years. But even then, the tome should still provide a wealth of relevant information. (AS, Sept-2005) |
|
|
|
| |
A brief history of fonts kicks off this slim but dense book, written primarily in Scala and Thesis and separated into chapters covering Letter, Text and Grid. Lupton starts off by clarifying that the book is not about fonts, it’s about how to use them. And indeed it is. The author makes firm arguments for treating text properly on both the printed page and the web. Even the appendix is interesting with its brief lecture on em and en dashes, hyphens and ellipses. If you obsess over layout and hierarchy, indulge your inner wonk and embrace this book. (RR, Jul-05) |
|
| |
What can Harry Potter teach us about branding? According to Brown, the HP brand can remind us ROI-obsessed brand managers to leave room for the magic of branding. An oft-told tale of the author and her famous wizard is brought alive by Brown’s obvious passion for his subject. Although a bit long-winded, if the reader takes the time to parse through the chock-filled text and pop culture references, the reward is there in the content and even the clever punning. (We’re pushovers for a good pun here at brandchannel.). How Brown ever convinced Cyan to print an entire chapter backwards must certainly be magic itself. (RR, Jul-2005) |
|
|
|
| |
The US presents the ultimate regional branding project, due in part to its great diversity across sectors (government v. corporations for instance) and peoples (socioeconomic class). Much of Brand America is brand instruction and mini-history lesson in the context of messaging and symbolism. At the penultimate chapter, the authors (one Brit, one Yank) gently introduce the bad news—America’s decline, brand backlash—before suggesting a chipper strategy in the last chapter. Certainly a relevant topic for much of the world. The authors treat their bed of thorns cautiously, which results in well-meant advice somewhat lacking teeth. Read excerpt. (RR, Jun-05) |
|
| |
From the suicide of Ingvar Kamprad’s grandfather to what might happen to the retail giant beyond the founder’s own life, Lewis covers not just the history of the Swedish brand but also the unique language of the shopping experience, the innovation in materials and product development, and some of the marketing/advertising campaigns, particularly for the US and UK markets. She ends on a chapter that looks at IKEA’s worldwide expansion, and asks whether fans will begin to tire of the "identikit" design, or whether IKEA is losing ground with the next generation. Succession plans appear to be in place but whether that will involve change in direction, remains to be seen. Insightful, comprehensive and well researched. (RR, May-05) |
|
|
|
|
|
« First 36 | « Previous 36 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | Next 36 » | Last 2 »
|
|
Copyright © 2001-2013 brandchannel. All rights reserved.
|
|
| Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us | FAQ