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Best Sellers | | Home The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design | |
|  | |  | | | The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design | | | | | SKU:
HS9780321348104 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | THE BRAND GAP is the first book to present a unified theory of brand-building. Whereas most books on branding are weighted toward either a strategic or creative approach, this book shows how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a “charismatic brand”—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives. In an entertaining two-hour read you’ll learn:
• the new definition of brand
• the five essential disciplines of brand-building
• how branding is changing the dynamics of competition
• the three most powerful questions to ask about any brand
• why collaboration is the key to brand-building
• how design determines a customer’s experience
• how to test brand concepts quickly and cheaply
• the importance of managing brands from the inside
• 220-word brand glossary
From the back cover:
Not since McLuhan’s THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE has a book compressed so many ideas into so few pages. Using the visual language of the boardroom, Neumeier presents the first unified theory of branding—a set of five disciplines to help companies bridge the gap between brand strategy and customer experience. Those with a grasp of branding will be inspired by the new perspectives they find here, and those who would like to understand it better will suddenly “get it.” This deceptively simple book offers everyone in the company access to “the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet.”
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Marty Neumeier | | Paperback: | 208 pages | | Publisher: | New Riders | | Publication Date: | August 14, 2005 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0321348109 | | Product Length: | 8.02 inches | | Product Width: | 5.32 inches | | Product Height: | 0.56 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.64 pounds | | Package Length: | 7.9 inches | | Package Width: | 5.2 inches | | Package Height: | 0.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 43 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 43 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 How to Become a "Brand Gap Guru" Aug 21, 2005
By Robert Morris
This is an expanded edition of a book first published in 2003. In it, Neumeier develops in greater depth several basic ideas about how to bridge a gap between business strategy and design. My own experience suggests that on occasion, there may be a conflict or misalignment rather than a "gap." Or the business strategy is inappropriate. Or the design concepts are wrong-headed. Or the execution fails. Whatever, Neumeier correctly notes that "A lot of people talk about it. Yet very few people understand it. Even fewer know how to manage it. Still, everyone wants it. What is it? Branding. of course -- arguably the most powerful business tool since the spreadsheet." What Neumeier offers is a "30,000-foot view of brand: what it is (and isn't), why it works (and doesn't), and most importantly, how to bridge the gap between logic and magic to build a sustainable competitive advantage." Of course, that assumes that both logic and magic are present and combined...or at least within close proximity of each other.
As others have already indicated, Neumeier provides a primer ("the least amount of information necessary") rather than a textbook. His coverage is not definitive, nor intended to be. He has a crisp writing style, complemented by "the shorthand of the conference room" (i.e. illustrations, diagrams, and summaries). Some describe his book an "easy read" but I do not. When reading short and snappy books such as this one, I have learned that certain insights resemble depth charges or time capsules: they have a delayed but eventually significant impact. For example, Neumeier explains why "Three Little Questions" can bring a high-level marketing meeting to a screeching halt:
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?
I also want to express my admiration of the book's design features. They create an appropriate visual context within which Neumeier examines each of five "Disciplines": differentiation, collaboration, innovation, validation, and cultivation. Expect no head-snapping revelations. For many of those who read this book, its greatest value will will be derived from reiteration of certain core concepts which Neumeier reviews with uncommon clarity and concision. Check out the "Take-Home Lessons" (pages 149-157) which include
"A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It's not what you say it is. It's what THEY say it is."
"Differentiation has evolved from a focus on `what it is,' to `what it does,' to 'how you'll feel,' to `who you are.' While features, benefits, and price are still important to people, experiences and personal identity are even more important."
"How do you know when an idea is innovative? When it scares the hell out of you."
Readers having relatively less experience with the branding process will especially appreciate the provision of an expanded (220-word) "Brand Glossary." Neumeier also includes a "Recommended Reading" section in which he briefly comments on each source. When reading business books, I much prefer annotated bibliographies such as Neumeier's to mere lists. For whatever reasons, many provide neither.
20 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Branding for the rest of us Jan 24, 2006
By Thomas Ahern
I am not a CEO, owner, entrepreneur, SVP of marketing, nor do I work in a company struggling to turn a fourth-tier brand into a world beater. Those are the native audiences for this wonderful, finish-it-in-a-plane-ride book. I'm a writer and consultant trying to explain branding to fundraisers, and what I intensely like about Marty Neumeier's brief "whiteboard overview" (his phrase) of branding is that it answers ALL my questions about branding and brand strategy quickly, simply, with nicely selected examples. It starts with what branding is NOT (not your logo, not your visual ID, not your products). Then it defines what it truly is, "A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company." That's in the first couple of pages. But of course there's so much more. I love a good, insight-rich how-to book the way others love a good mystery. The Brand Gap is among the best.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Simple, Straightforward, Sensational Aug 23, 2007
By Brittany Rose
Marty Neumeier has written two "whiteboard" style books both dealing with branding and innovation - this is the first one. By whiteboard style, Neumeier's book is light on written content, moderate on visual content and layout, and heavy on basic, important, sharp ideas.
The book covers 5 principles to help bridge the gap between strategic thinking and creative 'magic' and uses a variety of visual and written metaphors, examples, and logical knowledge to do so. If you are looking for a text-heavy, super explanatory, in-depth type of book, then this isn't the one for you. If you're looking to focus your mindset when it comes to innovative branding, this is a great, go-to book to get through in a short amount of time.
The two main things I liked about this book were the fact it actually followed a lot of its own principles in terms of how it was designed/set up etc. and it also packed a lot of universality into these generic yet focused, sensical tips.
Case in point...here is what you'll get out of the book if you are:
A Student/Novice in the Field: Students will love this book to help them review a lot of what's happening in marketing right now, and the 5 guiding principles can help them innovate at their future workplaces. The expanded edition of this book includes a 200 word glossary of advertising terms that'll also help students and novices talk the talk.
Agencies: will delight at the tests Neumeier asks you to go through when developing a brand, particularly graphically in the "icon/avatar" section. The real-life examples of successful businesses identify the longevity of the brands and how it is obtained, giving hints to marketing/advertising agencies how to get that same magic formula.
Businesses: whether small or large, this is a great book to have. If you have an internal promotions/marketing department, this book should be distributed to the head of your branding staff to help them focus your company's direction in the market. If you are the owner of a small business without an internal marketing department, this book can help introduce you to the fundamental principles of branding that you can then discuss with an external agency.
Overall a great quick read that kept me hooked, never bored, and always thinking. The summative list of the main topics discussed throughout the book at the end was extremely helpful, although the glossary was kind of out of place as half the words in the glossary aren't used in the text. Probably helpful for beginners in the ad industry though.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Mixed... Oct 28, 2008
By R
This book feels a wee bit dated (it's been a couple of years since I've read the phrase "World Wide Web). It seems to dance all over the place, and did not offer any particularly unique ideas. Feels like it's cheating a bit with the big text.
It might be of interest to individuals who want a good overview of branding. May be too simplistic for individuals in the marketing, advertising, or design.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Pleasurable and enriching read Feb 11, 2009
By Regnard Raquedan
I read Marty Neumeier's Zag before I read The Brand Gap. And after reading The Brand Gap, I would say I appreciate Zag more-- The Brand Gap paved the path to what could be one of the more practical contemporary marketing strategies encountered.
What makes The Brand Gap a pleasurable and enriching read is that it doesn't reach out to you like a normal book would. It uses visual imagery and interesting layouts to drive a point. The explanations are deft and nimble, but sometimes could frustrate the reader looking for a treatise in branding. The books is also not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom, especially on the marketing research side of things. Neumeier slams quantitative market research and focus groups.
To a web professional, branding should be a familiar concept. With design moving towards commoditization in my opinion, creating a strong web brand add value to the gradients, drop shadows and reflections in the web graphics.
The Brand Gap is highly recommended to web designers, web developers and website owners who would like to know more about branding and learning how to overcome challenges in creating a differentiated brand.
See all 43 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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