Book Review: The Brand Gap
In 'The Brand Gap', Marty Neumeier sets the tone for the book by "cleaning the slate" and clarifying what a brand really means. That a brand "is not what YOU say it is. It's what THEY say it is." It's not your logo, product or corporate identity, is peoples "gut feeling" about your product, service of company. It is nothing revolutionary. It's not new. It's one of those points that when you understand it, when you 'get it', when you see the truth in it, it just makes perfect sense.
The book has many points on a similar level. Nothing revolutionary, just simple, perfect sense. It is the companies that understand this, that implement this kind of understand on all levels of their business, that are thriving today.
The book also covers a lot of practical methods on developing a charismatic brand, through "5 disciplines of branding." Using practical and some real world examples, Marty Neumeier effectively communicates these disciplines in easy ways to understand and implement.
"It takes a village to build a brand." How true. Building a quality and successful brand cannot be done by one person in an office, it cannot be forced by managers or executives. It has to be built and developed by a whole "village". Further more, the author refers to the concept of a brand being "human". That part of a successful brand is not just a highly polished entity, it is a living organism that grows and shifts. It is not always perfect. It will make mistakes. It has personality. Let it live.
'The Brand Gap' is packed with ideas for business, companies and organizations that will inspire and challenge. It is an easy read that "you can finish in a short plane ride." I highly recommend it.
