Rating: 
Summary: Only Average
Review: A disappointing book with no more real insight on how to build a brand than is available elsewhere. That Mr. Bedbury was instrumental in developing both Nike and Starbucks brands is beyond dispute. However I found little in the way of advice for small corporations that do not have the marketing spend that Mr. Bedbury obviously had at his disposal when heading up the marketing departments of said companies. Furthermore I found his frequent criticism of the second most respected company in the world (Microsoft) a little tiresome as the book went on.I agree with the previous reader - I thought the book was more aimed at a marketing tool for his consultancy business - i.e. give the readers (including prospective clients) some information but not so much as to enable them to act on their own.
Rating: 
Summary: Plain cliche and nothing new
Review: For anyone involved in branding this book gives very practical advice. A common complaint about business books is that they are all OK in theory but contain little in the way of explanations of how to do it - this book however offers not only theory and some good case study. Overall very impressive and a must read for anyone involved in sales, advertising or marketing functions. As someone has already said these guys really know their stuff and it works!! Another book I highly recommended is 60-Minute Brand Strategist by Idris Mootee. This book is LOADED with solid, meaty real world branding insights and techniques that can are being kept as trade secrets. You will probably find this book a real eye opener. If you're looking for a more balanced marketing book, suggest going for David Aaker's books, some Kotler's books.
Rating:
Summary: This may be the best book on branding ever written
Review: I have read dozens and dozens of books on branding. They are largely worthless drivel. I have taught marketing, pr and advertising for 20 years in addition to owning and running an agency for eleven years. This is the best book on branding I have ever read by far. A New Brand World is well written, insightful and filled with brilliant examples of how it is actually done by a master. If you care about branding you must read this book. I gave a copy to every employee in my agency. I'd give it six stars but they won't let me.
Rating:
Summary: A Contrarian View
Review: I look at this book a little differently, being one who is not a career marketeer but who is interested in learning more about its concepts and applications. Sure, Mr. Bedbury has tremendous accomplishments and credits to his name. He's definitely knowledgeable and talented. He also may be one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. But personally, I think his book was more a marketing vehicle for his consulting business than a book about branding per se. The book contains too much of "I did this" and "I did that" for my taste. Please don't misunderstand me. As an entrepreneur, I understand that you have to toot your own horn because no one else will. However, I think the content of this book can power the wind instrument section of any orchestra. It contains quite a bit of information but I think too much onus is put on the reader to extrapolate and infer. I think that leaves too much room for interpretation. That may be good; it may be bad. It may just "be" and that's that. I don't know. It seems that publishing a book is a prerequisite for credibility in any consulting field... and that's OK. I just want those books to leave me feeling sated, like I've just finished a big juicy burger, rather than like Clara Peller asking, "Where's the beef?", which is how I felt after reading this book. If you want to read a comprehensive, expansive, and thought-provoking book about branding, then I urge you to read Nick Wreden's (pronounced Vray-den) recently published book entitled, "FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future". It was a three-year effort and it shows. Mr. Wreden has produced a thoroughly-researched, logically-organized, thought-leading body of work. This is a thinking man's treatise on branding.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I was fortunate enough to work briefly with Scott Bedbury during an internship at Silicon Valley startup Tellme Networks in summer of 2000. So I can vouch for the fact that not only is he a visionary business thinker, but he is also one of the most genuinely likable people I have ever met. So it was with some excitement that I picked up his book ... As the wizard behind the brands of Nike and Starbucks, Scott probably has on of the best resumes on the planet for writing a book on developing a strong brand. The book is an excellent introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the concept of "brand", as well as a terrific resource for those engaged in the daily struggle of trying to build a powerful one. The book covers how to discover your brand, how to manage the growth of your brand, how to champion the brand within a large company where everybody might not "get it", and how to build a strong brand by helping communities. Real-life examples abound, highlighting the benefits that can accrue to a company with a strong brand and the disastrous consequences of ignoring issues of brand. Throughout the book we learn of brands that "get it" (Nike, Harley Davidson), brands that fell from glory (Marlboro, Levi's), brands that were revived (IBM, Apple), and brands that have never got it (Exxon, Microsoft). What makes the book stand out in particular is Scott's wealth of personal experiences that he peppers throughout the pages. Some great examples include:
- Scott's early efforts to widen Nike's brand focus from hardcore "sports" to the more inclusive "fitness".
- Scott's decision at Nike to avoid traditional outsourced market research in favor of internal Brand Strength Monitor (BSM) focus groups. (Interestingly, Scott blames Nike's abandoning of BSM for its inability to properly anticipate or respond to its labor controversy)
- Scott's involvement in the difficult decision to allow Starbucks coffee to be served on United Airlines, highlighting the difficult decision Growth versus Brand Dilution. (how do you recreate the "coffee house" atmosphere and serve a perfect cup at 30,000 feet?)
- Scott's hot tub encounter with Microsoft's Steve Ballmer (you'll have to read it to find out) Overall, Scott has done an excellent job of effectively communicating his experiences. A New Brand World is an excellent read for anyone interested in learning about or mastering the concept of branding.
Rating: 
Summary: BRANDING, FOR EXECUTIVES. READ IT FOR THE CASE STUDIES.
Review: It is difficult to review a book that one has enjoyed reading and then say that it was not up to the mark (in terms, of course, of only my expectations.) No doubt that Scott Bedbury's work is a fast paced read, his writing is lucid and quite frequently quotably light-hearted. There is a lot of material here for people in larger corporations or even general marketing folks. And where Bedbury truly shines is in the case studies he presents in the 8 chapters. But if, like me, you set off on this book looking for some newfangled insights into the world of branding, this is not the book for you. The title claims to proffer "8 principles". Let's face it -- at the end of the day, principles are not that hard to create, and this becomes quite clear when you reach the end of the book and wonder if you have learnt something new. But I am being unfairly critical. From his style, it seems an approachable business book was precisely what Bedbury's intended? As a comprehensive introduction to the field of branding, I'd recommend "Strategic Brand Asset Management" by Keller. For a discussion of some innovative yet reasonable forms of brand creation, especially on a shoestring, I'd usually point to a PR related book or "60-minutes Brand Strategist." But as a business book, to be read by executives on a plane and have ample to talk about, or as a non-technical introduction for neophytes to the branding industry who place less emphasis on a structured analytical framework and are more interested in a soft springboard into the field, "Emotional Branding" and this book from Bedbury are pretty near the top of my list of recommendations. Good stuff, if you aren't expecting a summary of last decade's JCR.
Rating:
Summary: Crack the Code
Review: There�s no shortage of books on this subject and I�ve probably read three-quarters of them. This one comes closest to cracking the code. In fact, the author uses that exact word in describing how marketers must go about �cracking the brand�s genetic code�.
While some may find the heavy reliance on his experiences at Nike and Starbucks limiting, I think it�s quite instructive. Mainly because while one of these brands, Nike, was created largely using traditional mass media, the other achieved its preeminence doing exactly the opposite.
In either case, Bedbury does a great job of defining what a brand is, why it is of such financial importance to a business, how to go about discovering its �genetic code� and how to maximize a brand�s value and ubiquity. And he does it in a very readable fashion. Definitely something anyone who places any stock in branding will want to read.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This is an extraordinary book. The best book on branding that I have read. (I have read almost all of them). Not only are the real world examples tied to two of the greatest brands in the world: Nike and Starbucks, but the author has a perspective on branding that I thought was keenly insightful and useful to almost anyone who needs to work with and understand brands. As a an owner of a marketing agency and a professor of strategic communications all I can say is I'm glad I read it (and wish that I had written it.)
Rating:
Summary: Packed With Knowledge!
Review: This pretty good book about brands and brand management is not as neat and orderly as the subtitle suggests - the so-called "8 principles" are rather vague meandering digressions. But the digressions are immensely entertaining and even educational. Learning how Nike and Starbucks handle marketing is quite worthwhile. Of course, the author oversimplifies, over-promises and over-promotes himself. But what do you expect of a marketing maven? The book's big virtue is that it repeatedly reinforces the fact that brand building boils down to having the common sense to think first about what you are trying to accomplish, and then set about doing it without getting distracted. How simple to say, how hard to do. If you want to try, we say this is just the book for you to read over your morning cup of coffee from guess who.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: While it's about branding, it's also a fascinating examination of how Nike and Starbucks achieved their brand identities to the extent that they are everywhere and are inescapable--much to the misery of non-coffee drinkers. To be honest, I found Michael Levine's Guerrilla PR: Wired to be slightly better, as his text explains how to achieve branding via low-cost methods. Bedbury's book is excellent material for those in larger corporations or work for a marketing company. It does have some fascinating tips that will surely contribute to stronger organizational branding . . . unless you are disinterested or dislike the very products and services being branded.
| 
