Scott M. Davis | Michael Dunn | David A. Aaker
1 More smoke and mirrors
Oh, the poor trees that suffered at the hands of this book.
What was said in this book could have been said in fewer than three pages. (In fact, it has been said in fewer pages in several Harvard Business School publications.)
This book fails in many ways, not the least of which is the manner in which it fails to give any new, substantive, useful or logical way to operationalize branding. Here is the book's central message: if you buy a "brand strategy" logo, identity, etc. from Branding Agency X get everyone to rally around it; otherwise, Branding Agency X will be held accountable for the brand failure which equals no new business for agency.
Save your money. Just re-read the section on branding in a Kotler text because this book is nothing more than hot air...
2 What is new here???
What is new here...that's the quesiton I have after reading the book. I prefer his previous book. I found the chapter on connecting business strategy to brand strategy to be particularly useful or helpful and this is the biggest challenge in branding...not designing ..but makeing it real. Quite frnakly I prefer another brand book 60-Minute Brand Strategist by Idris Mootee as it covers a lot more in less than 200 pages....and a lot of less words.
3 350 Pages of 'Everyone Live the Brand Now'
That's the Cliff Note version for those of you, like me, who have this as required reading before a big 'brand summit'.
Everything else was rehashed, renamed, or retreaded.
Read it on the plane in about 30 minutes, regardless of the heft.
4 Moves branding to the next level
Before I read this book, I never thought of a retail clerk or a customer service representative as a company's brand ambassador. But what the authors explain is that brand building should be supported by more than just the people in the marketing department. Certainly, brand has become the strategy du jour among marketing people these days, as evidenced by the number of books on the market. However, this book treats brand in a different context, defining it through the concept of "operationalizing" it, bringing it to life through a company's processes, systems and employees. It makes a great deal of sense that a company's senior executives must embrace the brand and its promise by linking it to the company's corporate strategy, so it becomes part of the culture. Several case studies in the book are helpful for understanding why so many well-known brand names have been successful by using similar techniques to bring their brand to life across the organization.
5 "Operationalizing" aside
Don't let the somewhat intimidating word "operationalize" keep you from investigating the pages of Building The Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth (Jossey-Bass, 2002). What authors Scott Davis and Michael Dunn show is that brand-building can and should be supported through more than just MarCom initiatives. The retail clerk who actually smiles at and is helpful to customers does far more to support the brand than the priciest ad campaigns - as Wal-Mart has long-since discovered and McDonald's apparently has yet to grasp. The authors posit that building those supporting behaviors and mind-sets (not to mention systems and processes) and then using the brand promise as an integral measure for business decisions is what "operationalizing" is all about. It's interesting positioning that's perhaps ahead of its time - but certainly one that non-marketing, senior decision makers should relate to. There's a lot of confusion among non-marketers as to what "brand" is and isn't. The authors make a case for elevating it to an entirely different level in the organization.
6 CEOs shoud read this book
Building The Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth (Jossey-Bass, 2002) is an excellent tool for organizations looking to drive bottom-line business growth. I found the chapter on connecting business strategy to brand strategy to be particularly insightful and helpful. In it the authors talk about developing and applying a brand lens -bringing a brand-based perspective to critical business issues - and how successful brand building efforts must be supported from the highest levels in the organization. That perspective is useful for building a case to get senior managers on board with the brand. This book is a great "how to guide," and the ideas put forth really provide companies the know-how to "take total control of their brand's destiny."
7 CEOs shoud read this book
Building The Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth (Jossey-Bass, 2002) is an excellent tool for organizations looking to drive bottom-line business growth. I found the chapter on connecting business strategy to brand strategy to be particularly insightful and helpful. In it the authors talk about developing and applying a brand lens -bringing a brand-based perspective to critical business issues - and how successful brand building efforts must be supported from the highest levels in the organization. That perspective is useful for building a case to get senior managers on board with the brand. This book is a great "how to guide," and the ideas put forth really provide companies the know-how to "take total control of their brand's destiny."
8 Recycled Material at Best!
This book says a lot without ever really saying anything. One thing is for sure, you have to give these guys credit-Prophet has created yet another book which is more about symbolism than substance and it still manages to sell the book to corporate lemmings who don't know any better. This book is yet another poor attempt at putting a shiny coat of varnish on old and tired material that has been written, re-written and recycled from the brand strategy grandfather, David Aaker. Insightful? Hardly. Read something by Kapferer instead. Nothing new in this book. Save your money!
9 Making it Real
There are so many books out there which talk about 'brand' -- finally here's one that will really help me connect the dots between brand and business strategy. As competitive advantages become harder and harder to maintain -- knowing how to 'operationalize' the brand will be the key difference for the future.
10 Graduate Level Branding
Davis and Dunn lay it all out in their new book, Building the Brand-Driven Business. If Davis' Brand Asset Management is branding 101, this is the graduate level text for those serious about building their organizational brand(s). Davis and Dunn use their Brand Touchpoint Wheel not only to ground their work with the customer, but also brand influencers which leads to a more robust and lasting branding effort. I found this a well thought out and insightful book which importantly furthers current brand thinking.
