books:

	• A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the Twenty-First Century Scott Bedbury, Stephen Fenichell Penguin (Non-Classics), 2003 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

No doubt that Scott Bedbury's work is a fast paced read, his writing is lucid and quite frequently quotably light-hearted. There is a lot of material here for people in larger corporations or even general marketing folks. And where Bedbury truly shines is in the case studies he presents in the 8 chapters.

But if, like me, you set off on this book looking for some newfangled insights into the world of branding, then this is not the book for you. The title claims to proffer "8 principles". Let's face it, at the end of the day, principles are not that hard to create and this becomes quite painfully clear when you reach the end of this book and wonder if you have learnt anything new.

But I am being unfairly critical. From his style, it seems an approachable business book was precisely what Bedbury's intended?

As a comprehensive introduction to the field of branding, I'd still recommend "Strategic Brand Asset Management" by Keller. For a discussion of some innovative yet reasonable forms of brand creation, especially on a shoestring, I'd usually point to a PR related book, or perhaps the rapier wit "60-minutes Brand Strategist."

But as a gentle introduction for executives in to the nebulous world of branding, or as a non-technical business book for business folk in general who place less emphasis on a structured analytical framework and are more interested in a soft springboard into the field, then "Emotional Branding" and this book from Bedbury are pretty near the top of my list of recommendations.

Very accessible and insightful stuff, if you aren't expecting a summary of last decade's JCR.

for more information click here

Pretty much everything you need to know about branding


This is an intelligent, well-written book from a guy who has obviously had a great deal of experience marketing high-profile companies (Nike, Starbucks).

Bedbury lays out pretty much everything you need to know about branding in 190 pages. It's obvious he's a good writer and he's got great examples to back up his assertions in the book.

He is hard on Microsoft but, in my opinion, not hard enough. The reviewer who panned this book based on his treatment of Microsoft is short-sighted. This book is about much more than that. Microsoft is a very small part of the book and they are used appropriately as an example of what NOT to do in marketing.

My biggest problem with the book is Bedbury's assertion that companies are becoming more vertical. It simply isn't true. Companies are not vertically-integrating; they're outsourcing many of the tasks associated with building their products. Witness the Apple iPod. No Apple employee has ever assembled an iPod or built the circuit board. It's simply too expensive. If Apple was vertically-integrated and built the iPod, they would probably cost around $5,000.

My second biggest problem with the book is the final chapter "Brand Future." Bedbury comes out of "left" field and uses almost the entire final chapter as a kind of platform for some liberal agenda. I won't spoil it for those of you who subscribe to those ideals (I'm an independent); but, suffice it to say, the chapter felt out of place. Bedbury talks intelligently about branding for 190 pages, and then the book turns into a political white paper for the final 20 pages.

Don't let that distract you from buying the book, however. This is what business books are supposed to be: erudite, thought-provoking and entertaining. Having read hundreds of business books (I teach Business and Marketing), I can tell you that those three traits are in short supply.

for more information click here

for more information click here

In Branding, Everything Matters

A quick, but impactful read worth its weight in coffee beans and sneakers, Author Bedbury manages to take branding principles and techniques that work in the ether of mega-branders Starbucks and Nike (and other corporate examples) and port them down to language we can all benefit from. Packed with interesting anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, a New Brand World offers helpful take-aways in the areas of commodity branding, the brand mantra, and proven ways to live the brand. My favorite line: When it comes to branding, "Everything matters." Bedbury goes on to say, "For every grand and finely worded statement by the CEO, the brand is also defined by derisory consumer comments overheard in a hallway, or in a chat room on the Internet. Brands are sponges for content, for images, for fleeting feelings. They become psychological concepts held in the minds of the public, where they may stay forever. As such you can't entirely control a brand. At best you can only guide and influence it."

for more information click here

for more information click here

for more information click here

hot

or

not?

What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!

twenty-first

	Computers for Twenty-First Century Educators (6th Edition) Customer Service: Building Successful Skills for the Twenty-First ... Managing Labor Migration in the Twenty-First Century American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, ... Twenty-First-Century Feminist Classrooms: Pedagogies of Identity and ...

principles

	Saddle Up Your Own White Horse: 5 Principles Every Woman Needs to Know The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and ... Forensic Art and Illustration Kingdom Principles The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

leadership

	Leadership: Theory and Practice Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box Monday Morning Leadership: 8 Mentoring Sessions You Can't Afford to ... Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company