Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

BRAND sense

BRAND sense

BRAND sense – Building Powerful Brands Through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sign and Sound – Martin Lindstrom; Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY,NY 10030, www.simonandschuster.com; ISBN: 0-7432-6784-2; February, 2005; 256 pages, $26

Reviewed by: G.A. “Andy” Marken, president, Marken Communications Inc, andy@markencom.com



A few years ago Regis McKenna, long held to be a true marketing guru here in Silicon Valley, said positioning and branding were of no consequence any more because products and people changed so rapidly. Product life cycles have shrunk to 3-6 months and people seldom stay in their same job or with the same firm more than a year.

Regis’ contention was that in the now commodity world people bought almost solely on the basis of price rather than company/product image.

Well as is typical, we are in a new cycle. The difference is that Lindstrom doesn’t take the expeditious short-term view. In BRAND sense he steps back, way back and examines the long-range effects of branding. In fact he looks at branding (and specific brands) over the past 50 years.

The global marketing study that was conducted by Millward Brown which has been combined with his 20 years of marketing experience helped produce Lindstrom’s whack in the side of the head so the AhHa! light could go on.

Once you begin reading BRAND sense you immediately see the common sense of the importance of our five senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, sound. The senses are the basis for the survival and evolution of every species. From the moment a baby is first born – human or otherwise – they respond to their senses. As we get older we still respond to the senses but we cloak this response with logical and illogical rationale.

Lindstrom starts the book with a mind-boggling example of brand attachment, a young Aussie lad who so totally identified with Gucci that he tattooed the logo on his neck and the brand became a living, breathing friend to him. That was until Gucci lost its way. Then he left his friend behind and rid himself of the tattoo.

It made us think that we actually have a very real – but less fanatical – attachment with Jaguar. We got our first Jag used – XK-150 convertible – in college. Difficult to start in Midwest winters. Difficult to keep running. Almost impossible to keep tuned and keep oil in it. But it was a Jag…our Jag!

Since then we’ve owned 10 and even converted our wife from Mercedes to Jag. We did have a two-year period where we abandon the brand. When the air conditioning and differential go out and the company rep says, “what do you expect you do have 60,000 miles on the car,” you question the sanity of your loyalty. But when the retro look of the XK8s were introduced we were sucked back and the loyalty/love returned!

To explain and reinforce the importance of BRAND sense, Lindstrom presents a series of specific and detailed case studies. He also analyzes which of the senses are most important in branding specific categories of products and services.

We were surprised that he believes that sight plays a supporting role to the other senses. He points out that smell which is often overlooked is the most evocative and the one that creates the strongest impression. This is probably why auto manufacturers spray the interiors of their cars with new car scent. It is certainly the scent our wife requests the car wash people use for her car each time she has it cleaned and detailed.

Over the past 50 years, brands and brand sense have evolved and changed. We went through the USP (unique selling proposition) period. Then there we evolved to ESP (emotional selling proposition). Next we had OSP (organizational selling proposition). We soon passed into the BSP (brand selling proposition phase.

Today we are in what Lindstrom identifies as the MSP (me selling proposition). This is because businesses have been forced to abandon mass production because we live in the era of mass customization, Lindstrom notes that companies no longer own their brand but the consumer owns the brand.

In addition to lively, interesting case study and recommendation reading, BRAND sense is crammed with charts, action points and enough data to satisfy almost any researcher.

In addition to giving you a good foundation in understanding the importance of branding and brand ownership, Lindstrom also gives you insights into what he believes the future holds for those of us that have to create, develop and expand brand loyalty. In today’s chaotic, troubled world Lindstrom explains that people want a stake in the ground. They want something they can believe in.

He calls this new form of positioning HSP (holistic selling proposition) that gives consumers a footing in the past (tradition) while adopting some religious characteristics that enable you to spread the word holistically. Developing and refining that HSP for your products and services will enable you to fine tune your messages that embody shape, symbol, ritual and tradition.

Today’s marketplace is already crowded and it is going to get worse instead of better. BRAND sense is an excellent roadmap to help you guide your firm’s products and services into the future. It’s also a very informative and enjoyable book to read.





BRAND sense - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Kim Castle
With nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Andy Marken
(Visit Andy's Website) G. A. "Andy" Marken President Marken Communications, Inc. Santa Clara, CA Andy has worked in front of and behind the TV camera and radio mike. Unlike most PR people he listens to and understands the consumer’s perspective on the actual use of products. He has written more than 100 articles in the business and trade press. During this time he has also addressed industry issues and technologies not as corporate wishlists but how they can be used by normal people. He has been a marketing and communications consultant for more than 30 years involved in the wild early days of the Internet/Web, heyday of the videogame industry and the maturing professional and consumer video industries. His experience includes years with Internet pioneer CERFnet, TCG and AT&T. Andy has worked in the software, Web 2.0, video and storage industry with Panasonic, Philips, Dazzle, Atari, NTI, ADS Tech, Pinnacle Systems, CyberLink, InterVideo, Ulead and Verbatim.

Andy Marken is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Andy Marken's

Complete
List Of
Marketing
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Andy Marken's Complete List of Marketing Articles For FREE!

More Andy Marken
RIGHT PRODUCT RIGHT MARKET AREA RIGHT PRICE
Marketing vs TechConsumers Need Voice in Driving Products
Increasing Street Cred
ZEROIN ON THE ONE WHO SAYS YES AND NO
Saving Our Past for the Future
Ten Commandments for Managing People
DRMPirates Helped in Ways They Didnt Plan
Book Review Persuasive Business Proposals
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Plain Talk About Recordable DVD
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Dave Kurlan  
Casey Gollan  
Anne Barr  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Professional Networking Icon Professional Networking
Confidentiality Agreement Icon Confidentiality Agreement
Instant Press Release Icon Instant Press Release
NichePreneur Mindset Icon NichePreneur Mindset
Making SEO Decisions Icon Making SEO Decisions
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Productivity Blogs To Watch In 2009
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009
 
Choose A PR Topic
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Abra Klom Assahoun, Togo,
Abra Klom
Assahoun, Togo
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Brian Scudamore, $200k to $8 Mil in 5 years
Brian Scudamore
$200k to $8 Mil in 5 years
Gord Hotchkiss, $113k to $1.5 Mil in 5 years
Gord Hotchkiss
$113k to $1.5 Mil in 5 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Julie Aigner-Clark, Baby Einstein
Julie Aigner-Clark
Baby Einstein
Issy Sharp, Four Seasons
Issy Sharp
Four Seasons
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Timothy Ferriss, 4 Hour Work Week
Timothy Ferriss
4 Hour Work Week
Paul Kedrosky, Venture Capitalist
Paul Kedrosky
Venture Capitalist
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Automating Your Sales Processes For Success
By Russ Lombardo
     Customer Retention - The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Customers
By Russ Lombardo
     Dead Man Talking - Improve your listening skills and win more sales
By Russ Lombardo

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information