Reviewer: Dr David Frankel from London
At last, the idea that a brand is an organic and potent means not only in competitive warfare but in securing the affections and loyalties of human talent. As more and more workers work for multiple 'employers', so a recognition of the values and uniqueness of the workplace of the moment becomes urgent, even essential. Gordon and Pringle cleverly make the jump between BRAND as external tool and as a bonding mechanism for employees, alliances and customers. Brands create communities, and, in an increasingly depersonalised world, the ability for brand to anchor meaninful dialogue and community has never been more essential.
The book wittily explains that brands have to be organic to take changing opportunity, environment and ever smarter customers/workers into account. For this reason, getting the brand 'right' is less important than keeping the brand contemporary and ahead of the pack. Being surpriseful (as much as strategically well-focused) is a theme of the book.
Most 'brand' texts view brand as a subset of marketing and product-positioning. Brand manners, however, takes a wider view where brand and culture/identity meet, and behaviour stems from that interface. It's marketing meets human-capital. I also liked the fact that old and new economy get equal attention rather than the unrealistic tilting to the latter.
Adroitly written, great cartoons, and unexpected case-studies. This makes Brand Manners a good book for a long plane-journey (I read mine when snowed up at Boston airport). It will be fascinating to see if Accenture (William Gordon is a VP there) will take Brand Manners to their heart as a guide to what their brand new brand can and might be.