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The Invisible Grail
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The Invisible Grail

In Search of the True Language of Brands

John Simmons
Thomson Texere, 2003
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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

King Arthur and his knights sought the Holy Grail. Brand managers seek another shining goal: public adoration and identification. Author John Simmons shares that quest, but his knights in shining armor are writers. If the real legacy of King Arthur isn’t the still-missing Grail, but the magic of enduring storytelling, Simmons is a sword-carrier in that crusade. He somewhat self-indulgently advocates a creative experiment in brand management based on examples from his firm. In his experience, the most effective approach to brand building is to have "creative" writers - not corporate managers and certainly not non-creative writers - devise stories that are "true to the brand." Such stories, he believes, are the most powerful medium for conveying brand strengths. As with most myths, readers may wish for more empirical evidence, even while enjoying his observations about the English language and its limitations. getAbstract.com recommends this book to brand managers and corporate communicators who want to use language more creatively in hopes of creating that "Holy Grail" of a story.

Summary

The Word is Mightier than the Picture

Brands are the most common expression of a global corporation’s identity. In the minds of most consumers, a brand is a surrogate for an entire global business and all of its various worldwide operations, sub-businesses and products. Just think Coca-Cola.

So when a consumer makes a decision about whether to purchase a product - that is, whether to stay loyal to an old brand or affiliate with a new brand - the decision is based on the consumer’s positive identification with the brand. Of course, consumers must also decide if they like the product and if they are attracted to it. Brand indifference is not good enough, since it injects doubt into the purchasing decision. In today’s advertising dominated marketplace, branding is the way to conquer the hearts and minds of consumers.

Due to the high cost of cultivating and maintaining customers in this competitive market, building brand loyalty is a critical element of a corporation’s long-term business prospects.

The brand management department is responsible for putting a human face and personality on a corporation. Traditionally, it has accomplished this goal most successfully...

About the Author

John Simmons is verbal identity director for Interbrand, a London brand consulting firm. Simons is credited with inventing the discipline of brand identity as the companion to visual identity. His former clients include Guinness globally, Air Products in the U.S., Orange in the U.K. and Sasol in South Africa. Simmons is also the author of We, Me, Them and It.

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