BOOK REVIEW: BEYOND BRANDING
BOOK REVIEW: BEYOND BRANDING
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 08:58
After the year 2000 release of NO LOGO, Naomi Klein has been much heralded or lambasted depending on which side of the branding divide was reviewing her work. One thing is for sure though, she has not been ignored. “Beyond Branding”, while compiled by hard core branding people, takes a both balanced and authoritative approach to the subject. Edited by Nicholas Ind, a writer and brand consultant based in Scandinavia, the book incorporates the thoughts of several world renowned brand specialists including the likes of Sicco van Gelder, co-founder of Placebrands. In the publisher’s words, “In response to international business scandals and growing perception that brands can’t be trusted, ‘Beyond Branding’ argues that brands are neither inherently good nor evil but that marketing must move “Beyond Branding” to survive.
The book is divided into twelve chapters, each penned by a different brand expert. Topics as diverse as “leadership branding” and “brand narcissism” are tackled in a sober and objective manner. One can tell that the various contributors boast of vast experience by the way the tackle their chosen topics with clear practical examples and balanced arguments. Many of the contributors are published authors in their own right. While they all agree on the importance of branding and the pivotal role it plays in business, they are of the opinion that brands are not ends unto themselves. Today’s marketplace demands more responsibility than ever before. Brands must now have a human focus to be sustainable.
The contributor who hit the nail on the head for me is Allan Mitchell. Allan, a business writer and author of “The New Bottom Line” and “Right Side Up” tackles the issue of brand narcissism. He starts his chapter with a quote from Doug Daft, a Coca-Cola CEO, who once warned against both complacency and brand narcissism, describing the latter as the temptation to stare into the mirror when one should be looking out of the window. He went on to say that business is not about understanding our brand but understanding people. Allan Mitchell outlines the attributes that qualify one as narcissistically wounded and describes how brands amazingly seem to exhibit all of them. Narcissism has made brands believe in their self importance, a stance that is likely to lead to their downfall.
The contributors agree that if brands are to survive the future, they shall need to be more consumer-centric and embrace a more holistic approach. They also agree that we cannot do without brands. They are the property of stakeholders and not management and the sooner organizations realize this, the more they are likely to succeed.
© Brandscape
First published in SOKONI magazine
