Legendary Brands
Book

Legendary Brands

Unleashing the Power of Storytelling to Create a Winning Marketing Strategy

Laurence Vincent
Kaplan Publishing, 2002
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

What makes a brand become the stuff of legend? Author and consultant Laurence Vincent says it's the power of a good story. Vincent, whose specialty is forging alliances between consumer brands and entertainment properties, presents an interesting parallel between marketing and storytelling that makes sense in today's increasingly cluttered media environment. Vincent introduces you to the basics of myth and storytelling. He explains how these concepts apply to marketing strategy and offers plenty of real-world examples and case studies to illustrate his points. Except for predicting the coming integration of advertising and content (it's been around for decades), Vincent's book is full of fresh insight. getAbstract recommends this book to brand managers and marketing executives who want to learn how to turn their brands into powerful icons. Legendary Brands takes the reader step by step through the process - just like any good story.

Summary

The Rise of Legend

Consumers can choose among thousands of available products and services. For each category, they can select amid scores of brands. This vast landscape of brands can be divided into two groups. One brand group is enormous; this is where the majority of brands reside - including some of the most recognizable, durable and profitable names in consumer products. The brand loyalty they receive usually stems from price, habit or other reactionary factors. The other group is significantly smaller, but contains the brands that have come to mean more to consumers than just products or services: people identify with these brands and are emotionally attached to them. These brands stand for more than just sneakers, computers or motorcycles. They achieve cult status. They've become legendary brands.

What makes a brand legendary? Advertising plays a crucial role, although not the only one. The size of the advertising budget isn't the critical factor. Neither is it the value of the stock. It's not product longevity or even superior quality. It's certainly not geography or reach. Like celebrities, legendary brands rise above their counterparts by personifying values...

About the Author

Laurence Vincent is the chief strategic officer of Cabana Group, a marketing agency based in Los Angeles, California, that specializes in marketing alliances between entertainment properties and leading consumer brands. He previously managed global corporate alliances for The Walt Disney Company. He has a BA from the School of Cinema and Television, and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business, both at the University of Southern California.

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