Comments

Congratulations. That´s a really good marketing book. It sure deserves the honor.

Posted by felix gerena at April 11, 2005 10:52 AM

Thanks, Felix, Steve will be glad to know you like the book.

Posted by cathy at April 11, 2005 10:55 AM

What you mean he made the leap to "cool friend" status huh ?? Actually you'll ( Tom Peters.com) made the leap to Brand Harmony -- only now.

...tsk tsk tsk, you all are so slow on the uptake for cutting edge vision !! :)-

Posted by /pd at April 11, 2005 11:28 AM

Steve - which companies are using brand harmony to a high degree: Nike, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Amazon, Coach, Southwest Airlines, Wal*Mart?

Posted by Sean at April 11, 2005 11:44 AM

Generally, it's easier for small companies to create brand harmony than large companies, because there are fewer people who need to get in sync and "be the brand," working together to tell a compelling brand story. (The main reason why 'bigger isn't better' when it comes to branding.)

As for large companies, however, some of the best examples are Starbucks, who built their brand for years with no advertising, Southwest, whose employees do a great job of being the brand, and, yes, I'll agree with the Wal-Mart example. You have to admit, everything they do reinforces everything else they do, making it easy to say "I get it, I understand what Wal-Mart is all about."

Some of the worst examples are other airlines and cell phone companies, who think they can fake us out with powerful advertising messages, that are in conflict with actual experiences. Guess what? We can't be faked out.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at April 11, 2005 12:08 PM

It is interesting, even brave, to call your book Brand Harmony at a time when the idea of a business brand is so unclear. For most people, a brand begins and ends with a company's logo and taglines.

Where can a marketer begin to change their corporation's thinking?

It is hard to get support for ideas in our own departments, much less from the entire company. Companies resist such holistic medicine!

Posted by Brian Kovach at April 11, 2005 1:08 PM

Congratulations, Steve - glad to see others recognizing Brand Harmony's value to companies who intend to "Be the Brand". Our relationship with Steve is now about a year old, and the transformation at our company is gaining momentum. Innovation, creativity and collaboration are the cornerstones for brand harmony in our company, and we're starting to have our major customers say, "I get it! I want it, and I can't get it anywhere else".
Don't give up, Brian - start within the deparment and see if you can make headway, but also pitch the company daily on these concepts - you might be surprised when people start to "Get It", how far and how fast you can impact change.

Posted by Michael MacDonald at April 11, 2005 1:59 PM

Brian's right in that many companies resist ideas that unite the entire company the creation of a brand strategy. Ahh ... but this is where competitive advantage comes in. In the old days, competitive advantage in branding came from large marketing budgets. Now it comes from getting everyone in your company to collaborate to tell one unified, powerful brand story.

The few who can overcome the obstacles that plague the many will be the brand winners.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at April 11, 2005 2:29 PM

Great job Steve! I am only about half way through Brand Harmony and find it to be one of those books that is inspiring and frustrating all at the same time. Inspiring in that what it talks about is logical, reasonable and attainable all at the same time. Frustrating in that so many of the executives I deal with have difficulty seeing much beyond the tip of their nose to realize that true brand is all about the organization, its customers and employees and not just some basic marketing creative.

I live a dual life in both the corporate and consulting worlds right now and agree that creating brand harmony in a small organization is easier than in a larger one, but it is not impossible. The key, as Steve points out in his interview is the direct involvement of top-level management and their willingness to be true leaders.

I'm dealing with a situation right now where the executive level of a company, and specifically the CEO, is very risk averse, to the point where even the most basic decisions must be raised to the highest levels. Once there they tend to languish. Trying to get them to even address brand and brand harmony at the most fundamental level is a challenge. I agree with Steve's approach, if the top level is not willing to get directly involved, the situation is usually hopeless. In the case above, we actually have to work from the departmental level up, which is significantly more difficult.

Keep up the good work Steve!

Posted by Andrew Hayden at April 11, 2005 2:35 PM

This book is excellent. There is no other way to describe it! It's easy to read and sooooo relevant to any business sector. My company is small so it was much easier to get buy in, nevertheless the rewards are massive - we actually work together now and are driving to a common goal. A lot of stress has been relieved.

Thanks Steve.
Andre

Posted by Andre Googe at April 11, 2005 3:28 PM

Preach it!

While what you wrote seems somewhat dedicated to agencies needing to get a clue, I have a slightly different slant. Without getting into all the details here - I'll just say that not only do the agencies need to understand this...but equally as important - clients need to understand this.

Those of us who own, run or work at advertising agencies have the delightfully difficult task of facing a large wall of defense to this issue in the marketplace.

Ideas for a cure to that, Steve?

Posted by Tony May / Mayday Media at April 12, 2005 12:06 AM

Yes, Tony, outdated thinking about marketing and branding exists on both the client and agency sides of the aisle. Although there are many agencies who don't get it, there are many enlightened agencies out there, who look well beyond traditional media (for the simple reason that their clients' customers look beyond traditional media), but have clients who don't get it, or don't want to get it.

Doing brand harmony well is hard, because it requires everyone in a company to get in sync to create a sensible brand story. Running ads is easier! I find that the guys at the top are usually a much bigger obstacle than the "rank and file" employees. I like to start with the guys at the top, engaging them in a process that connects great branding with driving business results. (See chapter 5 in Brand Harmony.)

If there's interest, I can publish more ideas on how to implement Brand Harmony here on tompeters.com. Is there interest?

Posted by Steve Yastrow at April 12, 2005 1:24 AM

Steve

"Is there interest"

Personally I would say absolutely! You have certainly opened my eyes and made me think (anyone who makes me sit down and really examine my prejudices gets a big thumbs up in my book)

Posted by PaulH at April 12, 2005 4:59 AM

Steve - yes please do publish more ideas - the Brand You concept is outstanding - love to learn more.

Posted by Sean at April 12, 2005 7:34 AM

Definitely, Steve. I would appreciate any additional insights you'd be open to providing.

Posted by Tony May / Mayday Media at April 12, 2005 1:18 PM

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