A hundred and fifty years ago, branding was limited to cattle and convicts. Today, it encompasses sciences ranging from concept to ideology, and in some way or another, we are all
its prisoners.
Now the good new: From The Idiot's Guide to Brand Management to the latest compilation of essays, Kellogg on Branding, and the hundreds of books in between--there's
something for everyone.
To help you decide where PR is, or should be, on the branding continuum - or what roles PR professionals should play in helping their organizations manage their destinies and
dominate their markets - below are brief descriptions of three interesting books that run the gamut from "the origins" to "the philosophy" of branding.
The Origin of Brands, Al & Laura Ries (Harper 2004)
Prescience seems to be the domain of father/daughter duo Al and Laura Ries. In 2002 they wrote a book (not well received in advertising circles) titled The Fall of Advertising
and the Rise of PR. Two years later, using Darwin's The Origin of the Species, they authored The Origin of Brands.
They argue, "In nature, changes in the environment create the conditions that cause species to diverge. In business, changes in technology and in the cultural environment create
the conditions that cause categories to diverge."
Using television as a prime-time example, they point out for years that the prophets of profit have claimed that TV and the PC will converge. Far from converging, TV distribution
has diverged into broadcast, cable, satellite and pay-per-view. And the hardware has diverged into analog and digital, regular and high definition, rear projection and flat
screen.
Ultimately it is for readers to decide whether divergence is the Holy Grail of branding or only a theory du jour, but they will find much to think about with this book.
Primal Branding, Patrick Hanlon (Simon & Shuster 2006)
Fans of public television history may remember the award winning 10-part series titled "The Power of Myth." The format was simple: Bill Moyers interviewed Joseph Campbell, author
of more than 20 books that chronicled the creation, rebirth and heroic myths of every known culture.
Campbell's gift of explaining six decades of multidisciplinary scholarship in terms of topical events resulted in a reexamination of the role of myth in contemporary society. Fast
forward 20 years and Hanlon seems to be trying to continue the discussion with a specific focus on branding.
Irrespective of the word "primal" in the title, Hanlon defines brands as, "any product, service, personality, organization, political or social cause, even civic community,
searching for public appeal."
Hanlon states that brands are belief systems and draws from psychology and anthropology to advance the idea that belief systems have seven key factors: a creation story, a creed,
icons, rituals, words with special meaning to the believers, a group of doubters or non-believers and, finally, a leader.
With the above template, Hanlon deconstructs many successful brands from iPod to Virgin Airlines, and in straightforward language he incorporates relevant anecdotes and
insights to show the reader how brands are alive, dynamic and evolving.
The Philosophy of Branding, Thom Braun (Kogan Page 2004)
Philosophy is all about asking questions, right? So what can an ordained priest in the Church of England possibly know about branding? Quite a bit if his day job is director of
Unilever's global marketing academy.
If you're tired of brand management books because they recycle old ideas, then take a look at The Philosophy of Branding for some really new perspectives on old ideas --
with an important difference. Braun knows his thinkers from A to Z, or at least from Aristotle to Wittgenstein.
For starters, Braun defines philosophy as a rational investigation of being, knowledge and right conduct. With sections of the book labeled "All Greek to me," "I think, therefore I
brand" and "Searching for certainty," he uses contemporary examples and pragmatic insights to segue into different periods in the history of philosophy.
Academics or public intellectuals may argue semantics or nitpick about simplistic approaches to important works, but Braun has a talent for extracting key ideas from over 30
centuries of philosophy and connecting them with the 20th century phenomenon of branding.
In the final chapter, he offers a way of looking at social responsibility and ethical conduct that will resonate with all who are stimulated by new approaches to moving forward in
these interesting times.
CONTACT:
Peter Brinch is a director at Levick Strategic Communications and can be reached at [email protected]. Look for his recurring "Between the Pages" feature in
upcoming issues of PR News.