The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service into a World-Class Brand [Kindle Edition]

I can't believe some of these other reviews. Some guy gave it 5 stars and admitted that he hadn't read it yet! I assume that isn't a plant, because it's too stupid to be a plant.

The book is good, thought-provoking, and has some real insights. HOWEVER, it is a little simplistic, and it's written for the brand manager of Coke. For those of us without 80+ years of brand history behind us yet, some of his advice isn't relevant. Also, some of his conclusions are just too simplistic: "Symbols are overrated and don't matter much anyway" (paraphrasing). Come on. You can't tell me the swoosh isn't a powerful asset, and the authors admit it, but they poo-poo the entire concept.

Section on naming is very insightful. And the hard advice on expansion is right on! Overall, good, and worth buying for any marketing person. But, this is definitely NOT the bible. Come on, people!

How can a book which has almost no pictures be the ultimate introduction to branding?

I was highly sceptical, and only added it onto to my list of branding books to buy because it was cheap. How wrong I was.

In 172 readable, small-paperback pages, Al Ries and his daughter Laura unveil the fundamentals of branding, stripping away the most powerful myths and demonstrating with a mixture of brand successes, failures, falls and rises, that they know what they are talking about. What's more, what they say made sense of many things I have been dimly feeling towards in my 20 years as a communications professional.

I suspect that this book oversells itself slightly. The title made me suspicious, and the definitiveness of statements which go against what you find in other books makes you wonder, at points, if what it's saying is really this cut and dried. I probably would have disregarded this book if I'd read it ten years ago: but practical industry experience convinces me that what it is saying is right, and the other books, which focus on choosing your name and redesigning the logo, are the ones which only understand a part of the picture.

It took me about an hour and a half to read this book, and I will never see branding the same way again. That's good value for you. On the other hand, I probably won't be reading and re-reading it avidly. It makes its points, which can be quickly revised from the chapter headings. Now it's time to move on.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants (or needs) to learn about branding. I can't imagine a better introduction to the subject for someone who already has enough industry experience to recognise what it is talking about. I wouldn't recommend anyone to _only_ read this book: it is an extremely sound beginning, not an encyclopaedia.

In terms of what this book is trying to be, I don't think there could be any higher recommendation than that.

Superb.

This is one of the simplest yet most important books I read on branding. Al and Laura Ries outline 22 short rules for success in branding - or failure, if you go against them.

Some of these rules are very obvious, such as The Law of Credentials and The Law of the Name. Others are not and will you will have to take the odd deep breath and ask yourself if that really was what the authors meant. Once you think it, though, it all makes perfect sense and you're already on the next chapter.

The authors didn't even have to drown the reader with useless, obscure case studies, when examples of brands everyone knows about are so plentiful. The language is simple and relaxed and so very effective.

So, if you're not hoping for a treaty on marketing this is the right book for you. It doesn't matter if you're a student, a seasoned marketer or a consumer who wants to know what some people are doing to consumers' minds: you will find this highly informative, blunt, enlightening and very fun to read.