It is difficult to review a book that one has enjoyed reading and then say that it was not up to the mark (in terms, of course, of only my expectations.) No doubt that Scott Bedburys 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". Lets 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 Bedburys intended? As a comprehensive introduction to the field of branding, Id still recommend "Strategic Brand Asset Management" by Keller. For a discussion of some innovative yet reasonable forms of brand creation, especially on a shoestring, Id 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 arent expecting a summary of last decades JCR.
Scott Bedbury, the architect of building the Nike and Starbucks brands, invites us into the inner sanctum of building statement brands. For someone who loves both business biographies as well as strategy, I found this book as entertaining as I did informative and useful. It is no wonder to me why Scott was able to navigate two distinct brands to a lasting impression in America. As someone who is building my own brand (TotallySoccer), I found that Scott is right on: you must have the vision and the imagination as well as the ability to execute. A great and entertaining read.
This book was interesting and had some good information in it, but I wouldnt recommend it unless you want to read a book on Starbucks and Nike. I found myself dreading another story about how wonderful Starbucks or Nike are, and how great a manager the author was. It really starts to get old. The principles are good, but you can read about most of them in any college marketing textbook.
