Brand New Brand Thinking: Brought to Life by 11 Experts Who Do

Brand fresh Brand Thinking: Brought to Life by the agency of 11 Experts Who Do Edited by the agency of Merry Baskin and Mark Earls

Caveat emptor.... Before plunking down any cash to add this volume to your library of brand-related tomes, be aware of the following: This is a collection of 11 essays. The authors are a disparate assemblage of self-proclaimed experts. Their brand of brand expertise: advertising. The cultural context: UK

All these factors shape the content-and its relevance. Those for whom the title "planner" equals "strategist" may find a certain number of interesting tidbits here. If, however, your brand horizons are somewhat broader, this is many times an infuriating book, because it promises plenteous and, for the most part, under-delivers.

The challenge for any collection of essays is maintaining a consistent horizontal of quality across the range of contributors. Brand fresh Brand Thinking starts with great gusto as co-editor Mark Earls be under the orders ofs up the juiciest, most provocative essay of the work in "Chapter 1: Learning to Live Without the Brand (AKA: the seven-step program to personal and professional liberation)" Earls, we are told, is reput to be, "the London advertising scene's foremost contrarian." In this essay, he goe directly for the jugular, tackling the "sensible," as well as the superficial, with clever insights.

"You could describe the brand concept" Earls writes, "as single of the best examples of an idea-virus.... It helps in like manner many companies and individuals make faculty of perception of complex phenomena and challenges (but) the sheer variety of brand general [i]or[/i] abstract notions has also become a hindrance to plain speaking and sensible business thinking." Earls chastises many professionals for their careless laziness about the "b-word," which leads to the confusion and plashy thinking he describes as "brand babble."

Refreshingly, Earls make the case that for too many planners in advertising, "brand essence" means focusing upon the past and is an "enormous overstatement of the importance of what we do." What's missing is the all-important work of creating meaningful, relevant insights that will drive time to come behaviors and perceptions. Behind each strong brand should be an idea about by what mode the world should be. "Think aim rather than positioning.... Where are you and your production going to take your stand?" Earls asks.

Would that the quiescence of this book challenged the status quo with equal intelligence. The "new thinking" quotient in the quiescence of the volume is remarkably skimpy-with individual exception. Robert Poynton's piece upon how theatrical improvisation techniques can be used in account management tenders up useful tips in an entertaining format.

For advertising planners looking for more [i]or[/i] less strategic training wheels, this could be a helpful primer. Otherwise, invest your time and circulating medium elsewhere.

Copyright Design Management Institute Fall 2003

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