Book Description
If there's one thing that's consistent in today's business world, it's rapid change. So how do you not only stay steady but actually grow—and quickly enough to stay safely ahead of your competitors? Built for Growth delivers specific solutions to create a brand and presence that generates true customer passion, as you lay a solid foundation for long-term success. Author Arthur Rubinfeld was a major driver in Starbucks' unprecedented retail expansion from 100 stores to more than 4000-- and its transformation into one of the world's most recognized brands. Here he draws on his singular expertise to present a proven, holistic approach to conceiving, designing, and executing your business plan: creating exciting concepts, growing them to fruition in local markets, expanding rapidly, and keeping your brand fresh and relevant as it matures. His revolutionary approach to business strategy embodies strong personal values, promotes exceptional creativity, leverages scientific methodology in finance and market analysis, and brings it all together with 'old-time' customer service. Each lesson is clearly distilled with detailed examples from one of the best business writers, Collins Hemingway, co-author with Bill Gates of the #1 bestseller Business at the Speed of Thought. So whether you're seeking to reignite growth or planning your first store, Built for Growth will be utterly indispensable. Foreword by Jeff Brotman, Co-founder and Chairman of Costco, the world's #1 warehouse club.
Download Description
"""A valuable primer on all aspects of retail: brand, location, people, finance, property management, expansion strategy, and long-term thinking. Rubinfeld understands the difficulty of the small guy getting started and the big guy keeping the brand fresh. Even an experienced retailer will want to stop and reflect at his insights, which come from many years in every aspect of thebusiness.""
¿From the Foreword by Jeff Brotman, Chairman, Costco
Built for Growth shows exactly how to create winning retail brands, how to create a unique, compelling brand even as you establish a rock-solid foundation for long-term success. Arthur Rubinfeld architected Starbucks' expansion from 100 stores to nearly 4,000, helping to establish Starbucks as one of the world's most-recognized brands.
Now, drawing on his singular expertise with Starbucks and as a consultant to Oakley, Gateway, adidas, and Washington Mutual, he offers breakthrough strategies and techniques for all facets of retail: choosing locations, recruiting management and associates, defining organizations and systems, designing stores, merchandising, day-to-day execution, and more.
Together with Collins Hemingway, coauthor with Bill Gates of Business @ the Speed of Thought, Rubinfeld introduces a proven, holistic approach to conceiving, designing, and executing your retail business plan: creating exciting concepts, growing them in local markets, preparing for aggressive expansion, and keeping the brand fresh and relevant as it matures. This revolutionary approach integrates strong personal values, exceptional creativity, the latest scientific methodology, and passionate customer service. Whether you're seeking to reignite growth or planning your first store, Built for Growth will be absolutely indispensable.
- Retail brands that win, brands that last
- A complete framework for retail success: conception, design, and execution
- Imagination, courage, and drive
- Start by believing: you can become a national or international brand
- ""Go long"": execute on rapid growth
- Retail organizations and models that scale rapidly and ""put the game out of reach""
- Your retail presence: capturing the essence of your brand
- From locations to store design: generating real customer passion
- ""Main & Main"": own the best locations and markets
- From demographics to street traffic: all you need to know about choosing locations
- Push the envelope: innovate to maintain brand leadership
- How to reinvigorate product, design, service, and quality¿over and over again
Arthur Rubinfeld achieved breakthrough results for such premier companies as Starbucks, Oakley, Gateway, adidas, and Washington Mutual. In Built for Growth, he shares his unparalleled knowledge about envisioning, building, launching, expanding, and sustaining winning retail brands. The book delivers battle-tested advice for crafting retail plans that work, executing them systematically and aggressively, generating genuine customer loyalty, and innovating to keep your brand fresh, year after year. The lessons herein can mean the difference between success and failure. So whether you're opening your first store or you are an ""old hand"" in retail, don't just read this book¿live by it."
Customer Reviews:
For Big And Small.......2006-05-28
Rubinfeld has credibility, being the person who commanded the domestic and global expansion of Starbucks. Here, Art Rubinfeld gives very specific advice on not only the "what" but the "how." His well-rounded and varied background has has enabled him to perceive things the way he does and then implement his ideas. He worked as an architect and as a construction manager. Later as Brand Development Consultant for Adidas and Washington Mutual Bank, prior to joining
Starbucks. He took Starbucks From 100 stores to over 4,000
worldwide. The concept of Starbucks is, and has has been unique. Who thought, back in the early 1990s that this new coffee outlet would do what it has done? I didn't.
Rubinfeld presided over and directed the Starbucks corporation's
growth in the 1990s, but he's also served as an independent
consultant for many other companies, so this adds to a more
multi-dimensional level of knowledge and numerous experiences of which to draw from. He specifically sites successes - and failures - with specific and detailed examples. Because of his background he can apply theory and also apply actual practice: from upper-lever strategy to front-line consumer. ( E.g. the 80:20 rule.)
Another concept: location plus people. The emphasis is on the
concept of retail and retail expansion, and the author doesn't stray from this as the foundation. Even of course, down to the store design which (Starbucks contains elements of the natural Earth, and presents the entity of the coffee bean and it's progression to the cup of java you get in-store). The complete retail puzzle involves many pieces. Strongly integrated throughout this book on retail is the concept of brand.
This book is categorized into 4 categories, with each category having a couple, to seven chapters. The Chapters zero-in on such areas as creativity, and customer loyalty; finding the best locations for your brand, management, staff and organization, for the big or small operations; implementation (translation: doing it). How to adapt, and continue to being dynamic and change, to maintain your customers. One useful term is what Rubinfeld calls "ideation." This is the
creation of new ideas. In the changing market place, this is the corner stone separating those who stay, from those who fade. Lots of proven ideas and concepts in this book.
Expert advice on retail chain locationing.......2006-04-14
Rubinfeld is one of the masters in the retail locationing process. I own about 50 books in English and German on retail management, but none has included the expert advice on the very specialized retail locationing process. At least not compared to Rubinfeld's understanding. Both from a very strategic point-of-view and down to the nitty-gritty details of the legal agreement.
Rubinfeld's experience from Starbuck's rapid expansion in the 90s is very helpful, but he also adds a lot of other interesting retail cases from his work as an independent consultant.
The book's website includes very interesting checklists, but is not as impressive as you would expect based on the references made in the book.
The title's focus on "Expanding your business ... across the globe" is misleading in my opinion. Rubinfeld's advice hardly crosses the Atlantic nor the Pacific Ocean. But if you are interested in his ideas and concepts, you'll soon see that it doesn't matter. The principles remain the same with some adjustments for local responsiveness...
Being a chairman of a small retail chain, I have already put the author's advice into practice in the negotiations for a new retail location. They are easy to follow.
I also highly recommend the book's excellent chapters on retail chain financials. It is one of the first books that clearly distinguish between retail chain earnings and store earnings. Rubinfeld's focus on having a robust proforma economic model is key - also in my experience. And this is irrespective of whether you own all the stores yourself or also include a franchise system.
Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business
Star of Starbucks gives insight into retail success.......2006-02-13
Author Rubinfeld took Starbucks to its place in retail dominance by creating a brand identity, yet assuring that stores did not have a "cookie-cutter" feel to them. The author points out for retailers, the store is the experience, and this is key to estabilishing a foothold. The way Starbucks stores were put together allowed them to be located even in historical building and other places where a normal outlet might not be desired.
The book doesn't just cover marketing strategy. It also discussing hiring the right team, and how locations are chosen. This information is golden.
Chapters include
* Make No Little Plans--core values, first store, maximizing retail experienc
* Go Long: blueprint for execution
* Own Main & Main: location, hot spots, how to grow rapidly without stumbling
* Push the Envelope: Path to Growth
Can't think of another book that outlines how to get to mega-success in retailing as well as this one.
A roadmap for retail strategy.......2005-12-24
“Who doesn’t want to run his own business? Who doesn’t want to have her own store? If you’re young, you think about it from time to time. If you’re older, you wish you had opened that little shop before the kids came – or you plan to open it when you retire. We all want to control our destiny. We all want to express our creativity. We all want to build something that will last. But how do you start a retail operation? That’s the question I am most often asked. How do you create a going concern, one that will grow and build long-term value? That is another common query. ‘Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe’ answers these and related questions (from the Introduction).”
Arthur Rubinfeld, the architect behind Starbucks’ expansion, helped build Starbucks into one of the world’s top brands, says that ‘Build for Growth’ distills what I have learned into a comprehensive view of what it takes to develop a winning retail concept. This shows you:
• How to combine core personal and company values with your business expertise to create a meaningful brand.
• How to creatively craft your on-the-street retail presence to capture the essence of your brand and develop customer loyalty.
• Hot to identify the best locations for your concept.
• How to build your management team, organization, and systems – whether you want to have one store or 1,000.
• How to systematically and aggressively execute your plans.
• How to successfully operate your business to keep customers coming back.
• How to innovate and renew your brand.
In addition, he says, “Other books deal with one or two of these topics, but none has taken a holistic approach to retail development, combining theory and practical ideas to cover the entire scope of what it takes to succeed in retail.”
In this context, this invaluable book has been organized into sections based on four fundamental principles: (1) Make No Little Plans, (2) Go Long, (3) Own Main & Main, and (4) Push the Envelope. Each of these sections has covered a major aspect of retail strategy, in order in which you will normally experience them as you grow your business.
I highly recommend.
At Last a Book On Expanding a Low-Tech Operation.......2005-12-04
There are any number of books that have come out in recent years on high tech business, how to start them, how to grow them and everything else. In spite of this, the really big growth companies in the past few years have been other areas, like Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Home Depot and the others.
For once, this book is on working with standard companies, not high tech. This book is written by the architect behind Starbucks expansion from some 100 stores to nearly 4,000 stores worldwide. He tells the story of evolving the stores as experience teaches what works and what doesn't. He concentrates on the details, always the details that have proven over and over to be successful.
Beyond the story of Starbucks he has generalized the experience to be useful in a wide variety of low-tech specialty stores. The lessons taught in this book can be used in a wide variety of operations and literally worldwide.
Book Description
What does it really take to succeed in business today? In A New Brand World, Scott Bedbury, who helped make Nike and Starbucks two of the most successful brands of recent years, explains this often mysterious process by setting out the principles that helped these companies become leaders in their respective industries. With illuminating anecdotes from his own in-the-trenches experiences and dozens of case studies of other winning-and failed-branding efforts (including Harley-Davidson, Guinness, The Gap, and Disney), Bedbury offers practical, battle-tested advice for keeping any business at the top of its game.
Customer Reviews:
Very Entertaining Indeed!.......2007-03-08
As someone who's new to the Branding craze I bought this book and I was very pleased with the purchase. This is a very easy read and quite entertaining - I enjoyed it immensely. I would definitely recommend this book to grasp the Branding concepts and practical examples.
Pretty much everything you need to know about branding.......2006-01-19
This is an intelligent, well-written book from a guy who has obviously had a great deal of experience marketing high-profile companies (Nike, Starbucks).
Bedbury lays out pretty much everything you need to know about branding in 190 pages. It's obvious he's a good writer and he's got great examples to back up his assertions in the book.
He is hard on Microsoft but, in my opinion, not hard enough. The reviewer who panned this book based on his treatment of Microsoft is short-sighted. This book is about much more than that. Microsoft is a very small part of the book and they are used appropriately as an example of what NOT to do in marketing.
My biggest problem with the book is Bedbury's assertion that companies are becoming more vertical. It simply isn't true. Companies are not vertically-integrating; they're outsourcing many of the tasks associated with building their products. Witness the Apple iPod. No Apple employee has ever assembled an iPod or built the circuit board. It's simply too expensive. If Apple was vertically-integrated and built the iPod, they would probably cost around $5,000.
My second biggest problem with the book is the final chapter "Brand Future." Bedbury comes out of "left" field and uses almost the entire final chapter as a kind of platform for some liberal agenda. I won't spoil it for those of you who subscribe to those ideals (I'm an independent); but, suffice it to say, the chapter felt out of place. Bedbury talks intelligently about branding for 190 pages, and then the book turns into a political white paper for the final 20 pages.
Don't let that distract you from buying the book, however. This is what business books are supposed to be: erudite, thought-provoking and entertaining. Having read hundreds of business books (I teach Business and Marketing), I can tell you that those three traits are in short supply.
In Branding, Everything Matters.......2005-10-08
A quick, but impactful read worth its weight in coffee beans and sneakers, Author Bedbury manages to take branding principles and techniques that work in the ether of mega-branders Starbucks and Nike (and other corporate examples) and port them down to language we can all benefit from. Packed with interesting anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, a New Brand World offers helpful take-aways in the areas of commodity branding, the brand mantra, and proven ways to live the brand. My favorite line: When it comes to branding, "Everything matters." Bedbury goes on to say, "For every grand and finely worded statement by the CEO, the brand is also defined by derisory consumer comments overheard in a hallway, or in a chat room on the Internet. Brands are sponges for content, for images, for fleeting feelings. They become psychological concepts held in the minds of the public, where they may stay forever. As such you can't entirely control a brand. At best you can only guide and influence it."
Bedbury's experience at Nike & Starbucks proves valuable.......2004-08-02
The many things we should do for our brands (and the ones we have to avoid at all costs) are clearly presented in Bedbury's eight brand principles. Instead of using financial models and correlations, Bedbury tells stories of how each one of these things makes the difference on the company's bottom line. His experience at Nike and Starbucks thoughout the entire positioning process before and after these companies became power brands gives him the credibility and the parenthood needed to teach decision-makers about branding.
BRANDING, FOR EXECUTIVES. READ IT FOR THE CASE STUDIES........2004-04-14
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 Bedbury's 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". Let's 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 Bedbury's intended?
As a comprehensive introduction to the field of branding, I'd still recommend "Strategic Brand Asset Management" by Keller. For a discussion of some innovative yet reasonable forms of brand creation, especially on a shoestring, I'd 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 aren't expecting a summary of last decade's JCR.
Book Description
". . . competition, we see now, is destructive. It would be better if everyone would work together as a system, with the aim for everybody to win. What we need is cooperation and transformation to a new style of management."
In this book W. Edwards Deming details the system of transformation that underlies the 14 Points for Management presented in Out of the Crisis. The system of profound knowledge, as it is called, consists of four parts: appreciation for a system, knowledge about variation, theory of knowledge, and psychology. Describing prevailing management style as a prison, Deming shows how a style based on cooperation rather than competition can help people develop joy in work and learning at the same time that it brings about long-term success in the market. Indicative of Deming's philosophy is his advice to abolish performance reviews on the job and grades in school.
previously published by MIT-CAES
Customer Reviews:
Smart, Smart Guy.......2007-10-22
Wow. After 25 years in the quality business I am still not ready to claim I completely 'understand' Deming. He was of course, a brilliant statistician and business optimization theorist . . . but he was also a physicist. His famous quip, "Water turns to ice . . . same molecules. . . what happened?" I finally realize, was his way of speaking to the state change that occurs in a phase transition, the same phenonmeon that occurs when organizations cross over to quality. Deming was the real Superman.
also read Superperformance
H.kazemi.......2007-06-02
I really liked the book , it was easy to read although I don't like the way that he writs , the good thing about the book is that consist of real cases and this make it much easier to relate to the book, another good thing about the book is that it doesn't repeat the same thing over and over again, what I don't like about the book is the way that he jumps back and forth and mention different books without any brief explanation about those books; this was sometime confusing for me, but other than that I would recommend everybody who is interested in management read this book and refers it to others. It was amazing that lots of thing in this book beside the last 4 chapter is commonsense.
The New Review.......2007-06-02
Dr Deming has some magnificent ideas.
Unfortunately this is Deming's Last book before he passed away. Deming is a major proponent of the PDSA Cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act). His 14 points are very viable from a business situation. If managers were to read this book, they would be better for it. Actually this book is recommended to everyone, as it can be applied loosely to all walks of life. I've never been good at picking apart a book, so if there are any weaknesses, they aren't apparent to me. 5 Stars....also pick up "Out of The Crisis". Great Book for anyone to read!
IME 415 the new economics review.......2007-06-02
Dr. Demming introduced in this book a new style of management which he basically covered in his simple 14 points of management using the idea of profound knowledge. It was very interesting the way he approached different scenarios with multiple examples that he encountered first hand through his time in industry, stressing the fact that ranking within a system is completely wrong and should be completely removed. Demming pushes group work and cooperation instead of programs such as incentives and commissions due to the fact that they turn into individual profit centers and ultimately lead to the collapse of the system. His ideas were simple to follow throughout the text and is a great book for people in management positions to read and consider.
Definitely a MUST READ!!!!.......2007-06-02
The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming, from start to finish, was quite an easy book to read. It never became so overly technical to the point that it makes the reader just want to give up and grab a different book. Great examples were used to help illustrate, as Dr. Deming put it, "the tyranny of the prevailing style of management". His 14 Points of Management are well defined and straight forward. Dr. Deming also gave a brief description of Shewhart control charts, tampering and variation, along with some excellent examples to aid in further understanding their uses and misuses.
Overall, this is an excellent book to read, especially for those who are in a position of management. When I say management, however, I do not refer simply to individuals dealing with employees at the working floors of industry. Dr. Deming's 14 Points of Management can be used in schools, hospitals, business, industry and countless other disciplines, from teachers to CEOs. Upon reading this book, readers will open their eyes to present practices and hopefully, taking this newly found knowledge, apply it and make a better change for the future.
Book Description
It's the new reality no one wants to concede - and it's the cold, hard reality behind success in the new millennium. From the schoolroom to the boardroom, everyone succeeds - or fails - by the rules of Personal Branding.
Personal Branding isn't the product of ad agencies or corporations; it's a continuous process that's as old as society. A Personal Brand - the values, abilities, and personality traits people associate with each of us - affects our careers, our relationships... our lives. You have two choices: surrender to the process, or seize control of it.
The Personal Branding Phenomenon is about taking control, whether you're an ambitious professional or entrepreneur. Instead of focusing on the right suit or business card, you'll take a high-level, clinical look at how and why Personal Branding works - and how to leverage it to your advantage.
Along the way, you'll discover the Eight Unbreakable Laws, the core principles behind every great Personal Brand. By analyzing some of the world's greatest brands, from Madonna to Tiger Woods, you'll learn what makes them irresistible.
In the end, The Personal Branding Phenomenon walks you through the development of your own new Personal Brand - to help you convert human perception into your lifelong competitive edge. It's the authoritative guide to the art and science of managing personal identity.
Discover the Power of Personal Branding:
* Not being paid what you're worth? Improve your brand and supercharge your income potential.
* Ready for advancement? Ensure that your boss sees the promise of your brand, and reap your rewards.
* Learn to build a brand that's so influential that when you speak, people act.
* Why branding affects everyone - from parents to politicians, entrepreneurs to entertainers.
Customer Reviews:
Do You Know Where Your Brand Is or What It is?.......2006-03-01
"The Personal Branding Phenomenon" by Peter Montoya is another winner as a business reference book. I read this immediately after reading "The Brand Called You." For anyone who cannot answer the question of do you know where or what your brand is? - then this is a book for you. If you want an insightful look at the power of personal branding, then read this book.
Reviewed by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. EBERSOLE ASSOCIATES and THE RENAISSANCE GROUP (tm), Lancaster, PA. and Author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" newsletter www.renaissanceman4u.com
Branding rebranded.......2005-09-23
The book had some interesting points and useful exercises, but do not be over-sold based on the hype ("double your income in under a year" seems like a stretch). There is a lot more to personal branding than what appears in this book and I doubt that most people will see a 100% increase in their personal earnings in under a year based on the advice in this book alone.
All in all, a useful, interesting read and some sound exercises and advice.
Advance oneself and one's career.......2002-11-05
The Personal Branding Phenomenon by advertising professional and trainer Peter Montoya is a solid guide to using the process of "Personal Branding" to advance oneself and one's career by enhancing a personal ability to influence others. Personal Branding involves taking control of how an individual is perceived, including the perception of the personal values, abilities, and personality traits that other people associate with the individual in question. The Personal Branding Phenomenon presents Eight Unbreakable Laws behind great Personal Brands, such as The Law of Specialization - that a great Personal Brand focuses on one area of achievement, and trying to be a jack of all trades makes other people think that you are a master of none. The Personal Branding phenomenon is very highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to improve their skills and abilities to affect others and to enhance the emotional, financial, and social qualities of their personal and professional life.
a handbook for success.......2002-08-02
Having been a broker and worked in the securities industry for more than a decade, I have a fairly sound perspective on selling intangibles. In so many cases, the first sale is yourself.
Montoya provides a practical and motivating roadmap to establishing a credible and attrractive brand that can provide the basis for a secondary sale of virtually anything - from stocks to services to widgets. Anyone who knocks on doors, cold calls or represents a product will find value in reading and heeding the Personal Branding Phenomenom -- from the entry level salesman to the executive looking to jumpstart a career.
Marketing Genius.......2002-07-26
This book is great! Montoya is so insightful. After reading this book I will never look at my life the same. I think this book is a must read for anyone who wants to take their business or life to a different place. The information is so powerful I bought several copies to give to my employees.
Book Description
Be Your Own Brand offers readers a compelling personal development tool to help them succeed by building and using unique “branded” relationships throughout their lives. A brand is a relationship, not a statement. It's a special type of relationship fueled by a strong belief system and tied to an emotional connection. Companies and products with strong brands are always the most successful in their industry. Strong, enduring personal relationships have many of the same qualities of a business-related brand. This book uses the proven business axiom of brand equity as a basis to demonstrate the importance of relationships to drive personal success. Success is defined by each individual's belief system. In an accessible and personal style, Be Your Own Brand presents this compelling, novel approach to personal relationships, which is based on proven business practices of building loyal relationships with consumers.
Customer Reviews:
Self help for marketers- one useful idea.......2006-05-06
This book re-casts in marketing speak Adam Smith's old injunction for businessmen, that they ought to be honorable, because dishonorable behavior will damage their reputation, and thereby damage their business. Of course, those who have not noticed that other people judge them by their behavior, are probably so far gone that this book wouldn't help them anyway.
That said, thinking of oneself as a commodity, like toothpaste or hamburgers, can be a useful heuristic device for understanding the perceptions other people make about you, and where their understanding might not align with your own. It is, as the authors point out, not enough to simply be a good person. If other people do not "perceive" you as a good person, then you're unlikely to get many of the benefits of being a good person. The authors' most interesting peice of advice is to use metrics to measure how well your behavior matches your "brand" (the kind of person you want to be) and to also actively measure how well your "brand" accords with others' perceptions of you.
This is a rather starkly utilitarian perspective on self-development. This book contains several ideas in the details that are useful thought-experiments for understanding where there may be a disconnect between what you think you are, and what other people think you are.
Daves review.......2002-08-27
"I approached this book with great skepticism. Seeing myself as a brand was not appealing but the truth is we are all 'branded' in the eyes of others. What struck me immediately was the observation that people cannot see inside of me, they judge me by my actions. In the end I found the ideas in this book to be intriguing and compelling"
Be Your Own Brand.......2002-06-04
This is one of the most valuable books I've read. It's very insightful concepts and ideas inspired me to go after some long-held career goals just by using my natural abilities. Thanks to the author, it's working!
Newt Shoup
Lansing, Michigan
This Is A Must Read For Everyone In Business!.......2002-05-30
"BE YOUR OWN BRAND" is a great book with a powerful premise. Instead of regurgitating all the old marketing themes about branding, David McNally and Karl Speak, uncover the fundamental truths. Creating a unique stand-alone identity requires a commitment to build special relationships - with yourself, your co-workers, your customers and the public. The authors make it easy to read and understand. In addition, there are lots of practical strategies that will inspire you to take action. This is a must read for everyone in business!
Everyone should read this book.......2002-05-30
Be Your Own Brand is a great book that is a must read for anyone. This book illustrates the importance of determining and sticking to your personal values. It truly makes a dfference in all the relationships in your life.
Amazon.com
There are no two ways about it with Jack Trout. Either you've got a product or service that you can say is different, or you don't have much at all. In today's global marketplace and at its lightning-fast rate of change, there's no point in inventing and presenting a product only to sit back and hope that consumers everywhere will discover its greatness. It's not simply about what you or your product can do, it's about what you do differently from everyone else. Coauthors Trout and Steve Rivkin say it all in their no-holds-barred title, Differentiate or Die.
A disciple of the marketing guru Rosser Reeves, who introduced the concept of the "unique selling proposition," Trout relays his vision of what can help you differentiate in blunt, tell-it-like-it-is prose. First he breaks the bad news that product quality, advertising creativity, price advantage, and breadth of product line are rarely successful ways to differentiate your business. Consumers expect the best quality, he says; they don't think it's a bonus. In the same vein, your competitor can slash prices just as quickly as you. After dismissing these common marketing techniques as futile, Trout concentrates on which differentiating ideas will set you apart from the pack: Being first (and staying there), owning a discernible attribute, having a heritage, becoming the preference of a particular consumer group, or even being the most recent arrival in a product arena are just some of these useful differentiates. Though the book's fast and quippy narrative style may leave some readers looking for more substance behind his adamant assertions, Trout's recommendations act as inspirational spurts of energy. A slim manual packed with punchy points, Differentiate or Die won't take you long to read but could make a lasting--you guessed it--difference to the success of your business. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
"Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith, and perseverance to create a brand."-David Ogilvy
In today's ultra-competitive world, the average supermarket has 40,000 brand items on its shelves. Car shoppers can wander through the showrooms of over twenty automobile makers. For marketers, differentiating products today is more challenging than at any time in history yet it remains at the heart of successful marketing. More importantly, it remains the key to a company's survival.
In Differentiate or Die, bestselling author Jack Trout doesn't beat around the bush. He takes marketers to task for taking the easy route too often, employing high-tech razzle-dazzle and sleight of hand when they should be working to discover and market their product's uniquely valuable qualities. He examines successful differentiation initiatives from giants like Dell Computer, Southwest Airlines, and Wal-Mart to smaller success stories like Streit's Matzoh and Connecticut's tiny Trinity College to determine why some marketers succeed at differentiating themselves while others struggle and fail.
More than just a collection of marketing success stories, however, Differentiate or Die is an in-depth exploration of today's most successful differentiation strategies. It explains what these strategies are, where and when they should be applied, and how they can help you carve out your own image in a crowded marketplace. Marketing executives in all types of organizations, regardless of size, can learn how to achieve product differentiation through strategies including:
* Revisiting the U.S.P.
Rosser Reeves's classic unique selling proposition approach, updated for today's marketplace
* Positioning
Understanding how the mind works in the differentiating process
* Owning an Idea
Techniques to seize a differentiating idea, dramatize it, and make it your own
* Competition
How to use differentiating ideas against your competitors in the marketplace
Consumers today are faced with an explosion of choices. In this environment, distinctive product attributes are quickly copied by competitors, perceived by consumers to be minimal, or both. Still, those who fail to differentiate their product or service in the mind of the consumer won't stand a chance.
Differentiate or Die outlines the many ways you can achieve differentiation. It also warns how difficult it is to achieve differentiation by being creative, cheap, customer oriented, or quality driven things that your competitors can do as well.
Praise for Differentiate or Die
"Another great book by the king of positioning!"-John Schnatter, CEO, Papa John's International
"Differentiate or Die differentiates itself on the groaning marketing bookshelf with its lucid prose, its clear vision of the future marketplace . . . and its sensible solutions for surviving the frenzied competition we're sure to find there."-Dan Rather, CBS News
"What I like about Differentiate or Die is the book's emphasis on the power of logic, simplicity, and clarity-getting to the essence of a problem. In Silicon Valley, attributes like that can make the difference between having lunch and being lunch."-Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
"Trout and Rivkin marvelously illustrate that differentiation is the cornerstone of successful marketing." -Philip Kotler, S.C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing,
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
"We've built our business by being first-and executing best. Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin are doing the same, delivering the timely, powerful insights that will drive tomorrow's marketing strategies. A must read for anyone looking to win in an unforgiving competitive marketplace."-Mike Ruettgers, CEO, EMC Corporation
"Dotcom executives must learn the lessons of Differentiate or Die. If they don't, I pity their investors."-Aaron Cohen, CEO, Concrete Media; Co-Founder, Bolt.com
Customer Reviews:
Tactically sound, despite the hype.......2006-03-04
Today markets are driven by customer choice, and there are more possible product choices than ever before for the customer. Companies that fail to address the whims of the marketplace will not survive. It is more important that ever before to differentiate your product from its competition. According to the authors, companies must address differentiation in three ways:
1. If you ignore your uniqueness and try to be everything to everybody, you will undermine what differentiates you from the competition.
2. If you ignore changes in the market, your differentiation can become less important.
3. If you stay in the shadow of your competitors, without establishing your "uniqueness" you will always be weak.
The authors then outline four steps to successfully differentiate yourself from competitors:
· Step 1: Make sense in context. Your message must make sense within the context of your market category. Start first with a "snapshot" of customer perceptions about yourself and your competitors.
· Step 2: Find the differentiating idea. There are many ways to set your company apart from the competition. However you differentiate yourself, set the difference up as a benefit to the customer.
· Step 3: Have credentials. Your claims to the customer must be real and believable. You should be able to demonstrate the difference to the customer. That demonstration becomes your credentials.
· Step 4: Communicate your difference. You need to build a strong perception of your product in the market. Every aspect of your public communication should emphasize your difference.
Too simplistic to rest business success primarily on uniqueness .......2006-02-28
I work for a book summary company. One of the books selected for summary is this.
In today's proliferation of products, what sets a product or idea apart is its distinctness or uniqueness. And authors Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin focus on the idea that unless companies strive to make their product or concept interestingly different and evolve a unique identity, their business is bound to bite the dust. The book reiterates the need for companies to promote the `unique selling proposition' or the USP in their product in order to stand out from the `also-rans'. Indeed Jack Trout, who had pioneered the concept of `positioning' which has become the fad word in the ad world today, makes blunt assertions on the common practices adopted by most companies to gain that competitive edge over others. He dismisses the well-entrenched marketing ploys such as stress on product quality, use of creative advertising, competitive pricing, and unveiling range of product line as futile exercises that could prove unsuccessful in the long term. To him, being a pioneer, having a distinct attribute and peerless heritage, cultivating particular consumer group (s) or being the first or new arrival are the features that single out a product from the cluttering crowd. The author provides success stories alongside some others that failed. It seems rather too simplistic to build the entire logic of success on a single attribute of uniqueness or distinctness. Indeed while there is no gainsaying that exclusivity undoubtedly lifts a product, there are other concomitant factors, which are too real and important to be ignored, for ensuring the long term success of a product. Nonetheless, this slim book could be an interesting read for gaining additional inputs to ensure success in business.
Great book on positioning.......2005-10-28
This is a wonderfully written book with one of the best book titles ever. I loved how Jack gets to the point and makes you think about establishing your product. No punches pulled in this book...he points out "Being first with a stupid idea is just, well stupid, it won't get you anywhere." One of his best books.
One of the best business books.......2005-08-05
I have read several books of Jack Trout's books before, but when I first listened to the MP3-CD audiobook (...), I was amazed as how true Jack Trout's research about companies trying to be everything in the name of Market Share and tainting their "brand" in the process. Every business has to clearly distinguish themselves as what kind of business they are in or they are lost in the shuffle of consumer minds. Jack's book gives a straight forward data about companies trying to be everything. I sometimes wonder why companies like Amazon keep selling "Pet Supplies" and "Gourmet Foods" when a consumer thinks of Amazon as book company. In this digital world when a consumer is bombarded with hundreds of advertisements a day, it is clearly very important that a company has to distingush what business they are in and how to leverage that strength.
A must read for every business professional and a good read to take plenty of notes.
Line Extension and questionable concepts........2005-04-03
I liked very much Trout and Ries, Positioning and Marketing Warfare. Reading this book, I had an impression that most of the professional knowledge the author has, was distilled in his previous books.
Mr Trout is doing something he said was not a good practice in Advertising (see Positioning): Line Extension. The good parts of this book you will find in his previous books, maybe with different phrases and examples.
The other thing that is hurting is that he is trying to give advice in areas where he has limited knowledge and experience.
Looking at some titles of the chapters in this book you will find:
Chapter 4 - Quality and Customer Orientation are rarely differentiating Ideas.
Toyota and Honda achieved a position in the mind of customers worldwide that they make high quality products for a good price. Well, it will be difficult for the other automakers, who are actually working to catch up in quality, to differentiate themselves on quality, for they are also runs. I would say that is a hell of a strategy, maybe is not for everyone, but them differentiation is by definition for a few, and not for everybody.
How many companies have positioned themselves as high quality products? Does it pay? Go ask Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, Volvo, Patek Philippe...
Chapter 5 has as title: "Creativity is not a differentiating Idea"
I guess I cannot believe that Mr. Trout has read his own phrase. Does he mean that lack of creativity is a differentiating Idea? Does not make sense. I think quite the opposite, when you are not able to create something unique, is when you go out trying to do something else to differentiate yourself.
I have seen creativity applied to Advertising, the results were fantastic. In Brazil, sometime ago, Brastemp, (a Home Appliances company with financial links with Whirlpool) run an ad campaign that stressed the Quality of Brastemp products using the phrase: " it is not a Brastemp !". Each ad told a story about something (not related to appliances) and the concluding remarks would be " it is not a Brastemp !". The phrase got so popular, that became incorporated as an expression of our language. The end result was that Brastemp established itself in the market so strongly that still today people in Brazil position Brastemp as the top quality producer of home appliances. In the mind of the Brazilian consumer Brastemp is top quality, better than GE, Electrolux, ex-Westinghouse, etc...
I have seen creativity applied to Product Design with similar results.
This book should be read with a critical eye, for it has some impressive phrases but when you think a second time and compare with some practical experience you find problems.
I am not an advertising professional, I just enjoy reading books that come with good new ideas.
Book Description
As we learned from New Coke, Pets.com, Apple's original handheld device, the Newton, and the reissued Ford Thunderbird, all the promotion in the world won't save a product that somehow isn't right. Robert Cooper is the world's leading expert on making sure your new-product introductions are more like Apple's iPods and less like Newton's.
Cooper invented what's called the "stage-gate" process of new-product development-a process used by 60% of all businesses today.
For this second edition Cooper has completed a major new study-the largest study of product development practices and results ever undertaken. He analyzed thousands of new success and failures from hundreds of companies, with a particular emphasis on high-technology products and services. Product Leadership won't just tell you what things are helpful to your company's success. Now it will tell you how and how much they help.
Customer Reviews:
Poorly written and boring.......2006-01-07
The most boring business book I have read. After 95 pages, I have yet to gain any 'nuggets' and am disappointed with the poor standard of writing. Not only does Mr Cooper fail to provide actual step by step examples where his process has been followed successfully, quoted statistics are unhelpful and are clearly provided solely to support his case.
One extract from the book (page 16/17) tells all:
"We find the average success rate of developed products to be about 67%. But averages often fail to tell the whole story: This success rate varies from a low of 0% to a high of 100%, depending on the company!"
I don't think one has to read a book to know that statistic!
Much of what Cooper writes is common sense and I believe of little value to a dynamic organisation wishing to promote the internal development of breakthrough products and their succesful launch thereafter.
I cannot believe that there are not better books available on this subject.
Book Description
No company can succeed without a great product or service, but in today's competitive market it also needs a brand. Transcending the tangible aspects of a commodity and nurturing a brand to build a deeper and more enduring emotional connection with customers has become one of the most critical and complex challenges facing businesses today, whether they are multinational corporations or small, local enterprises.
How did a company like Nike use "Just Do It" to launch its way to success and become part of global culture? How did Starbucks reinvent a familiar 900-year-old product and change the way people drink coffee around the world? In A New Brand World Scott Bedbury, who was at the heart of both companies as they became two of the greatest branding success stories of our time, explains how to apply the principles that grew these companies more than fivefold and established their trademarks as leaders in their categories.
With fascinating anecdotes from his own in-the-trenches experience and dozens of case studies (including companies like Harley-Davidson, Guinness, the Gap, and Disney), Bedbury offers practical, battle-tested advice and an analysis of why some brands succeed where others fail. A New Brand World will show any business-whether a Fortune 500 corporation or a neighborhood store-how it can begin to realize its full brand potential and build lasting value.
Inspiring, visionary, and witty, A New Brand World will become the key book for building brands in the twenty-first-century economy.
Customer Reviews:
A really delightful read.......2006-11-11
A New Brand world is mildly entertaining and provoking. It overdelivers in simple plain language and is easy to read. I finished reading this book within a few hours during my flight. I would highly recommend this book to any advertising, marketing or branding expert. It's really good and easy to comprehend and there are lots of real life situations thrown in as well. Plus I got this book at less than USD 10 ! A real bargain !
Halifax Chamber of Commerce Book Club.......2005-03-18
What's It About
The book takes the importance of branding to a new depth as it raises awareness of how a matured brand and its genetic makeup create an ever lasting experience between a business and it customers. It places much emphasis on the author's experience in the world of big business, so we caution readers that it has no mention of small business. It is a set of principles that can help improve a company's brand beyond a logo and letterhead. The author explains how a brand lends itself to everything from the day to day operations of a business right down to the smallest detail. A brand cannot be defined by any one thing. Whether a brand is built unwittingly or purposely, it can be subject to criticism, dilution, or it may achieve greatness. This book gives many examples of the principles he presents, giving a lasting experience and emphasizing the gravity of each principle.
Overall
The author is at the top of his vocation. He shares an insider's view of a decade spent developing both the "just do it" brand with Nike and helping Starbucks become an internationally known coffee experience. It was disappointing in the lack of examples of building brands in SME's and largely represents only one viewpoint. The members felt that it was a worth while read and they recommend it to others with the warning that this does not place any emphasis on SME. It gives valuable principles and important examples for building a brand that can evolve over time with a business's beliefs and values. The book was creative, sustaining, and it maintained the interest of our readers.
Style
The book was very well written and the principles flowed in an intuitive manner. It is not a handbook or guide to building and implementing a brand, but an overview of the principles involved in developing and nurturing a brand that delivers the essence of a company. The book clarified what a brand is for those members with limited knowledge in the area and included many stories on household names and their pursuit to stay on top.
Applicability to the Workplace
Even though this book focused on larger corporations, the information is valuable for organizations of all sizes and everyone felt that they will remember the book for years to come. The book explained the thought process behind building a great brand and stressed the importance of having a brand no matter the size. Everyone and everything has a brand, figuring out what the brand is and how it is to be executed successfully is another story. The book helps to raise and answer some of these questions, and its principles provide a foundation for building and maintaining a solid brand.
Rating
The opinion of the book and its rating did not vary much. Everyone gave it a credible value and the team felt it was one of the top books on branding. The club gave an overall rating of 7.9.
Packed With Knowledge!.......2004-06-03
This pretty good book about brands and brand management is not as neat and orderly as the subtitle suggests - the so-called "8 principles" are rather vague meandering digressions. But the digressions are immensely entertaining and even educational. Learning how Nike and Starbucks handle marketing is quite worthwhile. Of course, the author oversimplifies, over-promises and over-promotes himself. But what do you expect of a marketing maven? The book's big virtue is that it repeatedly reinforces the fact that brand building boils down to having the common sense to think first about what you are trying to accomplish, and then set about doing it without getting distracted. How simple to say, how hard to do. If you want to try, we say this is just the book for you to read over your morning cup of coffee from guess who.
This may be the best book on branding ever written.......2003-11-27
I have read dozens and dozens of books on branding. They are largely worthless drivel. I have taught marketing, pr and advertising for 20 years in addition to owning and running an agency for eleven years. This is the best book on branding I have ever read by far. A New Brand World is well written, insightful and filled with brilliant examples of how it is actually done by a master.
If you care about branding you must read this book. I gave a copy to every employee in my agency.
I'd give it six stars but they won't let me.
BRANDING, FOR EXECUTIVES. READ IT FOR THE CASE STUDIES........2003-10-14
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 Bedbury's 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, this is not the book for you. The title claims to proffer "8 principles". Let's face it -- at the end of the day, principles are not that hard to create, and this becomes quite clear when you reach the end of the book and wonder if you have learnt something new.
But I am being unfairly critical. From his style, it seems an approachable business book was precisely what Bedbury's intended?
As a comprehensive introduction to the field of branding, I'd recommend "Strategic Brand Asset Management" by Keller. For a discussion of some innovative yet reasonable forms of brand creation, especially on a shoestring, I'd usually point to a PR related book or "60-minutes Brand Strategist."
But as a business book, to be read by executives on a plane and have ample to talk about, or as a non-technical introduction for neophytes to the branding industry who place less emphasis on a structured analytical framework and are more interested in a soft springboard into the field, "Emotional Branding" and this book from Bedbury are pretty near the top of my list of recommendations.
Good stuff, if you aren't expecting a summary of last decade's JCR.
Average customer rating:
- Brand Driven
- Great Book
- Very Good!
- A Unique, Substantive Approach - Not Smoke and Mirrors
- Finally a "how-to" application for branding
|
Brand Driven: The Route to Integrated Branding Through Great Leadership
Susan V Davis , and
F Joseph Lepla
Manufacturer: Kogan Page
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ASIN: 0749437979 |
Book Description
A sequel to the authors' highly acclaimed book" Integrated Branding," "Brand Driven" gives leaders at all levels the tools for integrating their entire organization with their brand. It shows how leaders, from the mailroom to the boardroom, can play an important role in the organization's ability to build and communicate a strong brand.
Customer Reviews:
Brand Driven.......2004-06-05
As director of a nonprofit association that is beginning a strategic planning process, I found Brand Driven a great resource. Its step by step description of the internal process necessary to ensure that organizations integrate the branding process at all organizational levels and the necessary role of leadership in overseeing the process was especially valuable. The chapter specific to nonprofits was an unexpected bonus. I highly recommend this book to organizations seeking to focus their mission and services through the branding process.
Great Book.......2004-06-05
I have always been a skeptic on spending a lot of money on branding in my industry (wholesale distribution). After reading Brand Driven not only was I convinced that I was wrong but we now have our biggest budget to date specifically for branding. This book opened my eyes on how important branding is and how it differentiates our company from the others. I read a lot of business books and this one has allowed me to put its priciples in action immediately and we are already seeing positive results.
Very Good!.......2004-06-03
Leadership and branding are both extremely important to our fast growing organization. Brand Driven has helped provide me with a framework for focusing our efforts around our promise to customers and how every employee can keep that promise, ultimately differentiating us in a competitive marketplace.
A Unique, Substantive Approach - Not Smoke and Mirrors.......2004-06-02
I totally disagree with a recent review about Brand Driven that says, "it has all been said before."
As a marketing professional of 20 years, I've read a lot of books on marketing. In this one I found a new, substantive approach to a subject other books approach with only smoke and mirrors. Rather than just expounding upon interesting philosophies, this book gave me actionable processes any company can use.
Many people talk about aligning a brand promise with employee actions, company culture, and leadership activities. But these guys have clearly figured out how to actually make that happen. And provide something of unique value - a starting place to help companies achieve those goals.
I particularly liked the authors' emphasis on tools that can be used to keep a company focused on a long-term strategy - and employees focused on achieving that strategy.
Also, I've never run across their concepts of strategic role or brand principle anywhere else - concepts they back up with specific case studies from the authors' own experience.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to go beyond the idea of "living the brand," and to learn how to actually put it into practice.
Finally a "how-to" application for branding.......2004-05-29
Reading Brand Driven filled in a big question mark I've always had about improving quality organization-wide. The question of how branding relates to programs such as Six Sigma and ISO.
While improving quality using these processes helps the customer experience, how can it be done in a way that differentiates us from competitors? If a competitor puts the same investment into quality that we do, won't we just be creating a very expensive (albeit high quality) commodity?
Brand Driven shows how a company can have a unique approach to its products or services that customers will recognize and value. Moreover, it provides a roadmap for how to accomplish this and align company practices to it based on the authors' own experiences.
Brand Driven is vsery usefull as a management resource.
Customer Reviews:
Very user-friendly and educational.......2005-11-20
Mr. Fombrun is the reputation expert. In this book he and Mr. Van Riel do a great job of ilustrating corporate reputation in simple and clear terms. The use of graphs, examples, metrics, and references to other authors makes the content very credible and useful. This book serves as a guide for quickly applying the concepts of reputation to any organization. It's very easy to read. Don't expect deepness, it's more of a excellent introductory text for those unfamiliar with the topic of corporate reputation.
What Your CEO Needs to Know!.......2003-10-04
Finally something I can use to convince my CEO that reputations can and should be managed! The book provides a comprehensive overview of the critical success factors of reputation management and discusses a number of interesting case studies to underline key points. Though its a complex subject the book reads pretty easy and I could relate most of it to my daily work as a communications professional. To me, the bottom line is I can now start a discussion in my firm about the need for managing reputation and use solid arguments based on both research and other companies' best practice. It seems that being able to explain what drives reputation and who should be involved in managing it is half the work...
Books:
- Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It (Basic Books Classics)
- Business Communication: Process and Product (with InfoTrac®)
- Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World with CD-ROM
- Business Research Methods with CD (McGraw-Hill/Irwin)
- Case Studies in Organizational Communication: Ethical Perspectives and Practices
- Correlation and Regression: Principals and Applications for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Management (Organizational Research Methods)
- Cost Accounting (12th Edition) (Charles T Horngren Series in Accounting)
- Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)
- Data Lifecycles: Managing Data for Strategic Advantage
- Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework (Addison-Wesley Series on Organization Development)
Books Index
Books Home
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