Matt’s Creative Advertising Blog

Honest Review – The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design

July 10th, 2011 Filed under: Internet Advertising Company — Advertising Author

The Lowest Price we could find is $14.95 $7.23

THE BRAND GAP is the first book to present a unified theory of brand. Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a charismatic branda brand that customers feel is essential to their lives. In an entertaining two-hour read youll learn:
a new definition of brand

the five essential disciplines of brand-building
how branding is changing the dynamics of competition
the three most powerful questions to ask about any brand
why collaboration is the key to brand-building
how design determines a customers experience
how to test brand concepts quickly and cheaply
the importance of managing brands from the inside

Also see: THE BRAND GAP second edition, which includes a 220-term brand glossary and premium softcover binding.

FROM THE BACK COVER

Not since McLuhan’s THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE has a book compressed so many ideas into so few pages. Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding — a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and brand execution. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by what they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly “get it.” This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to “the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet.”

“Finally, a book that cuts to the heart of what brand is all about — connecting the rational and the emotional, the theoretical and the practical, the logical and the magical to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Everyone in the company should read this book, not just the three people with ‘brand’ in their titles.” –Susan Rockrise, Worldwide Creative Director, Intel

“A pleasure to read. THE BRAND GAP consistently provides deep, practical insights in a light, visual way. Discover the power of imagery and the role of research in building a heavy-duty brand — without the heavy-duty reading.” –David Aaker, Author of “Brand Leadership” and “Building Strong Brands”

“Neumeier stands out among brand-savvy professionals. His experience as a designer, writer, and strategist lends realism to his five disciplines of brand-building. Anyone who needs a deeper understanding of the creation, management, and evolution of brands should grab this book with both hands and start reading.” –Patrick Fricke, Manager of Print and New Media Design, Kodak

“This is not just another book on brand. This is the only book you’ll need to read in business, engineering, and design school.” –Clement Mok, Design enterprenuer/President of AIGA

“THE BRAND GAP is an original. It describes the full range of creative interdependencies that need to be managed in concert, but in a language so plain, crisp, and simple that you suddenly ‘see’ the concept of brand–and can act boldly on it.” –Peter Van Naarden, Director of Global Brand for Hewlett-Packard Co.

“THE BRAND GAP couldn’t be more timely. Just when we’re at our most skeptical about corporate motives, along comes a book that shows how to evaluate and develop a brand in a straightforward and honest manner.” –David Stuart, Brand Designer and Co-Founder of The Partners, London

“This is an important work, with just the right level of accessibility. Despite our overexposure to brand theory these days, THE BRAND GAP is the first book that seems fresh and relevant.” –Richard Grefe, Executive Director, The American Institute of Graphic Arts

“A well-managed brand is the lifeblood of any successful company–and Neumeier shows us exactly how to do it. Read this book before your competitors do!” –Tom Kelley, General Manager of Ideo/Author of “The Art of Innovation”

Review:

Branding and selling must live in peace. They seldom do – and that’s not good for anyone.

One reason there is confusion regarding brand/sales harmony is due to the over complicated nature of most books on branding. Branding has turned into a high concept domain of intellectuals and creative types that leaves the sales force feeling like strangers in a strange land.

The good news is that Marty Neumeier has taken the time to write with clarity. He brings brand into clear focus with a direct and easy to read book entitled The Brand Gap.

Here are seven branding truths from The Brand Gap that just may create sales-brand peace in our time!

1. Neumeier posits a simple, to the point, definition of brand, “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company.” Sales professionals understand gut feelings and ought never to forget this definition. Too often a sales process will treat the customer as a logical, rational being that will make the best choice based on the evidence. That kind of left-brained approach to selling ignores what people are really like. Yes, reason plays a part, but not nearly as dominate a part as sales people would like. It might be comforting to think that all you need is a well-reasoned argument for your product or service, but sales and brands are more complex than that. Too often brand managers have worked hard at creating that “gut feeling” only to have it undone by a “nothing but the facts” sales process.

2. The Brand Gap says – “The foundation of brand is trust”. This is THE common ground of branding and selling. Trust is always the first goal. No product, service or company will ever communicate value without first establishing trust. Without trust, customers cannot assign value to you or what you are selling. Great brands create a context of trust. The sales person still needs to build individual trust, but without a brand addressing the fears and establishing a safe context – sales will continue to be at a disadvantage. Great salespeople will understand how the brand seeks to create trust while making sure their sales process builds on it.

3. This book establishes the value of a brand in a way with which every salesperson can fully agree. “The value of your brand grows in direct proportion to how quickly and easily customers can say “yes” to your offering.” I think I can hear an “amen” in the sales department. But I would add one bit of caution: Very few sales are ever a matter of simply “taking the order”. No matter how strong the brand is, salespeople must never hurry past the need to get what I call “the second yes”. The first “yes” is the client’s positive response to creative branding. The second “yes” is the client’s positive response to a sales process that uncovers their individual needs.

4. Neumeier challenges salespeople to get beyond features and benefits. The lazy will resist this – the wise will agree. Brands these days are about “symbolic attributes”. Product features can be quickly copied in a marketplace where mass customization techniques are available to all. But symbolic attributes get inside the heart of the client with a series of branded answers to key questions.
- What does the product look like?
- Where is it being sold?
- What kind of people buy it?
- Which “tribe” will I be joining if I buy it?
- What does the cost say about the desirability?
- What are other people saying about it?
- Who makes it?
This is all good for salespeople hear. When branding folks insist on a list of standards that salespeople find needless; salespeople would do well to remember there are very valid reasons for managing the “symbolic attributes”!

5. Our brains filter out irrelevant information; letting in only what is different and useful. It’s good to see brand managers being told to get “different” and be “useful”. So much that passes as advertising is neither. But salespeople need the same lesson! In branding it’s called market research. In sales it’s called listening and interviewing. The day has come when brands and sales must be creatively relevant. Fail here and everyone should plan to be ignored.

6. Neumeier says design ignites passion in people. He’s right. But traditional adversarial and manipulative sales processes are certain to put the fire out! I know from personal experience that, in its heyday, Saturn’s brand fire burned all the more because of a sales process that was as distinctive and relevant as the brand. Well-designed products and services deserve well-designed sales processes. Keep the fire burning brand builders and sales makers!

7. Finally, The Brand Gap introduces the “brandometer” – a durable set of ideas about what the brand is and what makes it tick. Sales is not excluded from using the “brandometer”! No one is excluded! Everyone must ask the million-dollar question: “Will it help or hurt the brand?” This is the discipline question. I know sales people might want to fudge here. They live with the pressure of making their numbers. But don’t give in to the temptation. Ask that question often enough and sincerely – and, you will be making millions by selling millions.