Branding

I just finished reading The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries. Jim Estill recomemded this book to me a few years ago.

I found this book good but it is a bit outdated. It was written in 2002 and some of the companies profiled have vanished or are not in the top position anymore. Google is not mentioned in the book, which makes sense because Google really only took of from 2002 to 2004.

The most insightful chapter for me is the Law of Publicity. The authors argue that advertising does not work any more, except for brand maintenance. They say, “We live in an overcommunicated society, where each of us gets hit with hundreds of commercial messages daily. Today brands are born, not made. A new brand must be capable of generating favorable publicity in the media or it won’t have a chance in the marketplace.”

Although I gained excellent insight for brand building from the book, I disagree with some aspects. I don't think that all 22 laws are Immutable. Perhaps the number 22 was a good number in terms of promoting the book.

The authors state that internet search engines will decline in importance. They believe that people will have a natural tendency to remember websites. Google has proven them wrong already and I believe search engines will become an ever more significant part for web users. Who does not use a search engine on the web today?

If you are interested in branding I would say it a must read. If not, read it anyways and if you are a believer in advertising you will change your mind.