|
Book Review: A Clear Eye for Branding Julie LaSalle, Relationship Manager, The Anderson Group Rating  
What is a brand? Those of us working in the marketing communications world should know how to answer this question. However, this basic fundamental can be one of the most misunderstood concepts in marketing. If you have ever had the desire to better understand the concept of “brand,” you may have found yourself staring aimlessly at a bookshelf at your local Barnes and Noble or scrolling through the hundreds of search results on Amazon.com to find “the book.”
Look no more! Tom Asacker spells it out in less than 150 pages of pure genius, without the fluff—leaving you with a firm understanding of “today’s most powerful business concept.”
Asacker suggests that marketing is about creating a strong brand—a strong feeling. And, this feeling is validated by your audience’s experience with everything they sense about the company. In other words, your brand is what your customers perceive it be, to not what you want it to be.
This logic is clearly spelled out in 6 straightforward chapters.
• A brand is NOT a logo
• Marketing is NOT a place
• A mission is NOT a strategy
• Positioning is passe`
• Brand loyalty never was
• Innovation is the key
A Clear Eye for Branding raises the bar on books about branding. Presenting the argument as a dialogue between Asacker himself and an executive while on a business flight, he explains branding using practical examples and arguments that not only make the executive question his preconceptions about branding, but also the reader.
As I read, I found myself questioning the companies I had always thought to have strong brands. Did they truly have great brands or just really cool logos? And, as I tried to apply Asacker’s argument to brands as I know them, I couldn’t help but think of Apple.
If ever an example of how audiences shaped a brand, it’s Apple. Steve Jobs was an innovator and visionary, but he also truly understood that every interaction Apple had with its customers would ultimately shape the brand—defining everything we all know it to be today. Great brands are a product of their customers.
It was like the light bulb went off, a true a-ha moment for me. I encourage anyone reading this review to add A Clear Eye for Branding to your business winter book list. You will walk away with a new philosophy on the importance of brand and be compelled to take the steps to push your brand to the next level.
Rating: Similar to other books on the subject. Disappointing. Would not recommend.
|
