 |
||||||||
|
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
“The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands There's marketing theory, and then there's marketing theory. Heavy, dramatic accent on the last. And, usually, overly heavy, attempted dramatics in the text. But Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson's book, "The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes," manages to be both very cerebral… and very useful to hungry marketers on the make for tangible ways to strengthen a brand. Cerebral and useful, this work also manages to be very entertaining and interesting. So the quick take for those of you who won't read any further – go buy this book. It will help you understand why America (and much of the world) cherishes certain brands, and why some have fallen by the wayside. And, if you apply their principles, it will help you guide your brand from an amorphous golem into a powerful giant in your category. The title of the first chapter explains Mark and Pearson's thesis: "The First System – Ever – for the Management of Meaning." That may be stretching a point – for example, Plato might take exception – but, then again, Plato never related his discussions directly to the topic of brand image management. The authors explain very clearly (and with fine examples) that many brands and social icons have, either intentionally or accidentally, been given greater weight due to their archetypal nature. Ivory soap, they observe, is no longer "associated with innocence; it embodies it." In case study after case study, they show how a harmony between business behavior and appropriate archetype is useful… and how breaking with your archetype can be deadly. Their explanation of why New Coke failed so miserably is, alone, worth the price of the book. Their work is broken into seven parts, the first of which examines the concept of archetype in detail. Parts two through five examine twelve archetypes to be explored fully; the innocent, explorer, sage, hero, outlaw, magician, regular guy/gal, lover, jester, caregiver, creator and ruler. Reader beware – you will find your brand in here, often in an eerily accurate way. It's almost a kind of fortune-telling in reverse; they set out the characteristics, fates and flaws of their archetypes, and you will find your brand among them. Their point, however, is not just to describe, in an academic fashion, the way in which meaning accrues to various symbols and icons. Parts six and seven detail the ways in which you can uncover the archetypal meaning of your brand, tell its story and make an impact in your category. This is a how-to book for brand wizardry. It truly is a system for managing the meaning of your brand. Mark and Pearson's hypothesis itself is exciting. And I enjoy a good theoretical tome as much as the next bearded intellectual… but when it comes to marketing, give me meat. I want something that I can cook up on the grill and serve to my clients and their customers. To be blunt, this book is a juicy steak. It smells good from the next room, looks great on the plate and tastes even better. For those who are serious about building a powerful and valuable brand, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. For my vegetarian friends… I'll work on a better metaphor for the next review.
|
|||