How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design

Worst "book" I've ever purchased in my life. Nothing useful in that book, it's worthless. It was just waste of money for me. My suggestion to the author is this: If you don't have anything to say then don't write a book.

Neumeier, in "The Brand Gap," gives the reader a thorough introduction and education in the world of branding. It is a quick, captivating and fun read, while guiding "brand novices" gently into the world of marketing.

The Brand Gap gives the reader both historical exposure to what branding used to be, and what it has become. The development of the technological era has drastically and quickly changed what branding looks like. Neumeier helps the reader understand what and why branding has evolved into what it is. Such as the death of logos and the rise of the avatar (2 dimensional trademarks tied to the printing press limitations and era), or the communication models changing from proclamation to now being about dialogue.

The skeleton of the book is Neumeier walking the reader through a 5 step process of branding: differentiate, collaborate, innovate, validate and cultivate. Within each step Neumeier walks the reader through why this step is important and what are some tools to use in this step of the process. Such as: in the differentiate step, Neumeier suggests to the reader to understand your own identity and why it matters. He compels the reader to work at keeping the identity of the brand different and offers, "selling has evolved from an emphasis on 'what it has,' to 'what it does,' to 'what you'll feel,' to 'who you are.' This shift demonstrates that, while features and benefits are still important to people, personal identity has become even more important" (Kindle Location 255). Neumeier doesn't just offer suggestions, he gives advice backed by compelling evidence and experience.

Ultimately the book hinges on the idea that "branding isn't what you say it is, but rather what they say it is" (Kindle Location 109-114). Neumeier invites the reader to journey in understanding why this truth is important and how to leverage this for the benefit of your brand. He develops the material to show the importance of adapting to the new world of marketing that revolves around identity and consumer rather than product and developer.

I am new to branding and I found this book easy to follow but incredibly informing. It is an excellent introduction to this topic.

Those who characterize The Brand Gap is a primer are missing the point. While the book does condense and clarify many existing theories of branding, it contributes one huge idea that has never been adequately addressed---namely, that unless strategy is connected to customer delight, there IS no brand. There's just a great business strategy that no one can see, or else there's a feel-good image that isn't based on business reality. Either extreme leads eventually to brand failure. In addition to the core idea of this book, I found a number of subordinate ideas that seem extremely fresh in the marketing world: the changing requirements for trademarks and identities, the collaborative brand-building model, and the need for Chief Brand Officers to coordinate the work, to name a few. The book may seem simple, but its simplicity is deceptive. I loved it so much that I attended one of Neumeir's workshops and was not disappointed. Both the book and the workshop are perfect examples of branding in action. They're different, collaborative, innovative, tested, and they lead to sustainable business success. Great stuff.

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.

---Summary---
The brand gap is an excellent book about the power of branding. It defines and presents what brand and branding is with simple yet powerful definitions and concepts.
The book points out that a brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service or company. It is therefore not what you say it is, it's what they say it is.
The brand gap is between strategies, marketing, and creative, between analytical, logical, linear, and intuitive, emotional, between concrete, numerical and spatial, visual.

---Model / Concepts---
The book presents the five disciplines of branding:
1. Differentiate - Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?
2. Collaborate - Outsource vs. internally with an integrated marketing team.
3. Innovate - Passion is magic, not logic: Creativity, naming, icons/avatars instead of logos, packaging.
4. Validate - Test distinctiveness, relevance, memorability, extendibility, depth.
5. Cultivate - Every person in the company has to be involved in the branding process. No decision should be made without asking: "Will this help or hurt the brand?"

---Impact---
If you are a new comer in branding, this book is worth gold: The basic definitions of branding and the clear focus into the branding exercise are key factors to bring a company into the market.
If you are a branding expert, I think that the book still brings you valuable information, especially with the disciplines and the virtuous circle created by them.

---Rating---
- rating the store - 4.5/5.0 (89 reviews)
- my rating - 4.5/5.0
- fun factor - 4.5/5.0
- simplicity - 4.5/5.0
- impact - 4.5/5.0

If I had to suggest three books on Brand Strategy, this one would be the third choice, after "22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries" and "Made to Stick by Chip Heath". This one is the shortest, but is the most interesting. Highly readable and helpful. Strongly recommended!

p.s. Below please find some of my favorite passages for your reference.

Our brains are hardwired to notice what's different. (A small remark below a single black circle on a double page full of white ones) pg37
Selling has evolved from an emphasis of "what it has", to "what it does", to "what you'll feel", to "who you are." pg38
Brand guru David Aaker likens growing a brand to managing a timber reserve: You plant new trees for future profit and you harvest old trees for profits today. The trick with brand is to know which is which. pg46
The most important shift in business today is from "ownership" to "partnership", and from "individual tasks" to "collaboration". The successful company is not the one with the most brains, but the most brains acting in concert. - Peter Drucker pg52
Would you persuade, speak of interest, not of reason? - Benjamin Franklin pg74
When people talk to themselves, it's called Insanity. When companies talk to themselves, it's called marketing. - Copywriter Steve Bautista pg118

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.

Branding and selling must live in peace. They seldom do - and that's not good for anyone.

One reason there is confusion regarding brand/sales harmony is due to the over complicated nature of most books on branding. Branding has turned into a high concept domain of intellectuals and creative types that leaves the sales force feeling like strangers in a strange land.

The good news is that Marty Neumeier has taken the time to write with clarity. He brings brand into clear focus with a direct and easy to read book entitled The Brand Gap.

Here are seven branding truths from The Brand Gap that just may create sales-brand peace in our time!

1. Neumeier posits a simple, to the point, definition of brand, "A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company." Sales professionals understand gut feelings and ought never to forget this definition. Too often a sales process will treat the customer as a logical, rational being that will make the best choice based on the evidence. That kind of left-brained approach to selling ignores what people are really like. Yes, reason plays a part, but not nearly as dominate a part as sales people would like. It might be comforting to think that all you need is a well-reasoned argument for your product or service, but sales and brands are more complex than that. Too often brand managers have worked hard at creating that "gut feeling" only to have it undone by a "nothing but the facts" sales process.

2. The Brand Gap says - "The foundation of brand is trust". This is THE common ground of branding and selling. Trust is always the first goal. No product, service or company will ever communicate value without first establishing trust. Without trust, customers cannot assign value to you or what you are selling. Great brands create a context of trust. The sales person still needs to build individual trust, but without a brand addressing the fears and establishing a safe context - sales will continue to be at a disadvantage. Great salespeople will understand how the brand seeks to create trust while making sure their sales process builds on it.

3. This book establishes the value of a brand in a way with which every salesperson can fully agree. "The value of your brand grows in direct proportion to how quickly and easily customers can say "yes" to your offering." I think I can hear an "amen" in the sales department. But I would add one bit of caution: Very few sales are ever a matter of simply "taking the order". No matter how strong the brand is, salespeople must never hurry past the need to get what I call "the second yes". The first "yes" is the client's positive response to creative branding. The second "yes" is the client's positive response to a sales process that uncovers their individual needs.

4. Neumeier challenges salespeople to get beyond features and benefits. The lazy will resist this - the wise will agree. Brands these days are about "symbolic attributes". Product features can be quickly copied in a marketplace where mass customization techniques are available to all. But symbolic attributes get inside the heart of the client with a series of branded answers to key questions.
- What does the product look like?
- Where is it being sold?
- What kind of people buy it?
- Which "tribe" will I be joining if I buy it?
- What does the cost say about the desirability?
- What are other people saying about it?
- Who makes it?
This is all good for salespeople hear. When branding folks insist on a list of standards that salespeople find needless; salespeople would do well to remember there are very valid reasons for managing the "symbolic attributes"!

5. Our brains filter out irrelevant information; letting in only what is different and useful. It's good to see brand managers being told to get "different" and be "useful". So much that passes as advertising is neither. But salespeople need the same lesson! In branding it's called market research. In sales it's called listening and interviewing. The day has come when brands and sales must be creatively relevant. Fail here and everyone should plan to be ignored.

6. Neumeier says design ignites passion in people. He's right. But traditional adversarial and manipulative sales processes are certain to put the fire out! I know from personal experience that, in its heyday, Saturn's brand fire burned all the more because of a sales process that was as distinctive and relevant as the brand. Well-designed products and services deserve well-designed sales processes. Keep the fire burning brand builders and sales makers!

7. Finally, The Brand Gap introduces the "brandometer" - a durable set of ideas about what the brand is and what makes it tick. Sales is not excluded from using the "brandometer"! No one is excluded! Everyone must ask the million-dollar question: "Will it help or hurt the brand?" This is the discipline question. I know sales people might want to fudge here. They live with the pressure of making their numbers. But don't give in to the temptation. Ask that question often enough and sincerely - and, you will be making millions by selling millions.

I purchased this book for a graphic design course, and I didn't realize how incredibly insightful and game-changing it would be. Reading the first two chapters, I was highlighting every. single. sentence. because it was so incredibly insightful, concise, and useful. I wish I could get every person in my company to read it, because I really believe the concepts in this book change the marketing game. Fantastic read! I would definitely encourage anybody who works in sales, marketing, or selling anything (service, product, doesn't matter) to read this immediately.

This book would be great for someone new to marketing, or someone entrenched in the 'old ways' of doing business marketing. It is about opening your eyes to what can be done, and why some brands seem to speak louder than others. The book has some fairly interesting attempts at explaining ideas visually but if you're a visual thinker, they are pretty primitive.. I believe they are more for the non-visual person to have some 'eye candy' in the book.

A good book to source some mantras to tell your clients when you are trying to focus their brand strategy.

This book may have been more comprehensive if it included a bit more pro-active ways of coming to brand decisions. It probes and asks you to consider the main elements of a successful brand, but doesn't really show you how.

A better book that is really similar but includes the 'how' to go about creating a brand strategy is 'Eating the Big Fish' by Adam Morgan.

Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders (Adweek Book S.)

If you want to be inspired about how to differentiate and focus, this book has more substance.

For those who are really interest in understand the flows, meanings and errors on strategic corporate identity programs, it is quite fundamental the analysis and careful reading of this book.
Neuimeyer is a character well known in the topic of brand and identity and with this issue allows to understand the whole universe he has on his library and in his mind.
Simple, direct and funny the text appear two us as a revelation, freeing it of dark bounds or mysterious theorems.
Brand is for many people a key to well-work and i can assure you as a former teacher Neuimeyer will help you a lot with this book. It is a collectible.

With no educational and professional background in sales and marketing, I have never understood any of the related jargon.

It was a surprise of the stock I bought today at a charity bookstore in Rapperswil, Switzerland.

The book is written in such an easy language that I could finish it in few hours and the design of the book is awesome. I must say, this book has not only made me understand the concepts behind branding, it has also helped to instill some respect for the sales and marketing professionals.

A MUST READ.

I was recommended this book by a graphic designer friend, who was raving about it. He was giving me so many superlatives that eventually I had to find out what it was all about. I'm glad I did.

I write marketing texts for a living and have done so for over 25 years, yet Marty opened my eyes to a new approach. Not only are his comments on branding very pertinent, but even more so is his writing style. You really cannot put down the book once you have started it.

That is the key point in today's media-drenched age. We have to transmit our messages in the most attractive way possible. Sometimes this means writing shorter. Sometimes it means using analogies. But always it means writing with your reader in mind.

Well done, Marty! You have given me a new perspective on writing and communicating.

I purchased this book because of all the good reviews, but if you are a graphic designer, this is waaay too basic. It gives you an outline of what branding isn't, but doesn't go much into what branding Is, or any critical information on how to build a brand. Honestly, it left me more perplexed than before! I did learn a couple of things hence the three stars, for instance, logo's are dead, and icons or avatars are better, and the theory of the "Living Brand" was right on. The author said that he wanted to take out the fluff, but I think he left it a little too light.

`That's the question that both haunts me and excites me.

I saw this book while presenting at a publisher's conference and was intrigued. I perused it and was hooked. I bought it and was convicted and entertained.

Marty Neumeier has provided a concise and amazingly simple analysis of the how and the why of branding. He explains how a company can both clarify their message and create a unified brand from both business model and strategy through design.

I spent the other day on a plane underlying key sections and then getting copies for my advisory board. Now we start to answer the key questions he poses.

1) Who are we?

2) What do we do?

3) Why does it matter?

I'm simple and impatient. The Brand Gap is straight-forward yet profound, brief yet thorough; right up my alley. Get it, you'll be glad you did.

Like many business texts, this book could easily be written off by some... but what this book lacks in length, it more than makes up in its ability to quickly and completely convey not only what brand is, but why anyone should care.

As the author points out, there really can only be one low price leader. Everyone else must compete on brand.

Whether you are begining the process of attempting to understand your own brand or are looking for some reminders of what you've known so long you've forgotten, this book has a little bit for everyone.

I really enjoyed the addition of the brand dictionary as one of the free prizes inside.

Finally, a book that slices like a hot knife through all of the turgid, pseudo-academic nonsense that surrounds branding. Neumier provides clear, unforgetable object lessons in a compelling, beautifully designed format. Students of branding will not find a better, more inspiring primer on this subject. Bravo to Mr. Neumier for using his unique career experience in design and business to provide the kind of compelling read that was long overdue in this arena. It has been placed on the course list for my graduate students and each new member of my team at Ogilvy recieves it alongside their other training materials.
I wish I had written it myself.

I can't believe how informative this book is.....
Short and very easy to read....it's one of the few books that I read in a day. Very useful...with amazing examples from author's working experience.
I highly recommend this books to product managers, marketing managers, brand managers, product designers, usability specialists, and etc......
It's in my bookshelf right now.

This book defies categorization. It's a business book, but it's designed and illustrated like an art book. It's thoroughly grounded in research, but you can read the whole book in an afternoon. Clearly, none of these traits is an accident. Neumeier is using the book to demonstrate one of the tenets of his thesis: When companies combine the "logic" of strategy with the "magic" of creativity, they find that "1+1=11". What's reassuring about THE BRAND GAP is its insistence that branding is not about building a facade to hoodwink the hapless customer, but embedding respect for the customer at every level of the company. I bought this book to read on the plane, and as I boarded I saw two other people with the same book!

I am completely enamoured with the style and content of Neumeier's new book and am recommending it to all of my clients! Having worked in the flavor and fragrance industry for my entire career I find this to be the perfect vehicle to explain one of the most powerful aspects of flavor and fragrance application in consumer products, packaging, and advertising - multi-dimensional and multi-sensory brand building! Neumeier's treatise is just too short not be read and enjoyed and applied to modern consumer product development and management! Trout and Ries; and now Neumeier to add meaning to it all! YEE haw!

The Brand Gap picks up where Trout and Ries leave off. It gets into areas that traditional marketing and positioning books fear to tread, namely the role of aesthetics in building brands. As a 30-year veteran of Madison Avenue, I've learned the hard way that it doesn't matter how great your strategy is---it's execution PLUS strategy that moves products. Neumeier is one of the first to recognize this simple but elusive truth. It's enough to give one hope for the future of the marketing business. For that matter, for the future of business. Period.

if you want a quick and entertaining way of understanding what is a brand in the modern sense of the word, get this book. Even if you know already what "brand" and "branding" mean, this book will reset your brain into rethinking your business and where you are going with it. It is a must read for anyone involved in selling stuff or services out of an established franchise or license.

Good, quick read for creatives who have a business knack. It is a great reference tool for small and medium businesses or for multinational companies. Well done and easy to digest.

Cheers,
Ivan
Mohawk Bomb Records
[...]

Also recommend: Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands

Fantastic, a quick-read with deep insights, packed with timeless, necessary wisdom anyone who sells anything will benefit from reading. The Take-Home lessons in the back are a bonus (bullet points from the book), and the pages I'll review over time.

this book is an must have for designers and marketing people, don't hesitate to buy it right now!, that's what i call a few bucks well spent.

author is master of keeping it simple and although book doesn't have many words or pages it will twist your knowlege about branding. I'm recommending this one with all my heart

At last a book about branding by an experienced designer. Someone who understands and explains it simply, in a commonsense way without a need to impress their business school friends. Branding and how to manage it (without the undergrowth). If its guidance you require as opposed to theory this is the book you should be reading.

From our conversation with Marty Neumeier: "The Brand Gap is 'a whiteboard overview' that presents his unified theory of branding in a clear, direct and visually entertaining format.
"Marty Neumeier talks about the relationship between a company's brand value and its actual market value, what a 'brand gap' is, his experience publishing Critique and what he really thinks about Meet The Makers."

If you need to understand branding, you need this book. Unlike many business tomes that read like consultant voodoo, this one is authoritative, practical and as gratifying to look at as it is to read. I finished Neumeier's book energized with new ideas and ways to apply them.

I'm an Acount Executive in the online advertising industry and I must say, the knowledge I gathered from this book is priceless. I recommend it to e verybody who is in adverting or has anything to do with marketing.

Fantastic, a quick-read with deep insights, packed with timeless, necessary wisdom anyone who sells anything will benefit from reading. The Take-Home lessons in the back are a bonus (bullet points from the book), and the pages I'll review over time.

this book is an must have for designers and marketing people, don't hesitate to buy it right now!, that's what i call a few bucks well spent.

author is master of keeping it simple and although book doesn't have many words or pages it will twist your knowlege about branding. I'm recommending this one with all my heart

At last a book about branding by an experienced designer. Someone who understands and explains it simply, in a commonsense way without a need to impress their business school friends. Branding and how to manage it (without the undergrowth). If its guidance you require as opposed to theory this is the book you should be reading.

From our conversation with Marty Neumeier: "The Brand Gap is 'a whiteboard overview' that presents his unified theory of branding in a clear, direct and visually entertaining format.
"Marty Neumeier talks about the relationship between a company's brand value and its actual market value, what a 'brand gap' is, his experience publishing Critique and what he really thinks about Meet The Makers."

If you need to understand branding, you need this book. Unlike many business tomes that read like consultant voodoo, this one is authoritative, practical and as gratifying to look at as it is to read. I finished Neumeier's book energized with new ideas and ways to apply them.

I'm an Acount Executive in the online advertising industry and I must say, the knowledge I gathered from this book is priceless. I recommend it to e verybody who is in adverting or has anything to do with marketing.

every person in marketing should read this book (several times).
actually, EVERYBODY should read this book--whether they are in marketing or not--because, essentially we're ALL in marketing.
buy the book now, maybe buy two, so you can give one to a friend.

I really hated this book, it never really tells you what the branding gap is or what the solution to it is. The book is so crappy the author thought he'll attach a glossy to it at the end explaining words that were never mentioned just to give people a reason to buy it. Testimonials in the back of the book were written by people who were quoted in the book. Don't buy this book, it is a waste of time.