The best branding book you’ve never heard of.
Welcome, and thanks for stopping by! Subscribe to my RSS feed so you don't miss a single exciting post (or any of my regular ones). Thanks for visiting!
Primalbranding by Patrick Hanlon
There is no shortage of branding books on the market, and it’s no surprise that some real gems will occasionally slip through the cracks. Primalbranding by Patrick Hanlon is one of those gems. At least I had never heard of it until I saw it on the shelf at the library. (I love libraries. You get to try out books and other materials for free, which makes it more likely I’ll give something a try on a whim.)
What makes Primalbranding so great?
Through his company, also called Primalbranding, Hanlon has studied some of the most well-known and respected brands out there to see just what it is about them that makes them so successful. Specifically, he sought to find what comment traits they share that other less well-known or loved brands lack.
Hanlon found successful brands share 7 key traits, which together comprise what he calls a “primal code“–sort of a brand DNA. These traits are:
- The Creation Story
- The Creed
- The Icons
- The Rituals
- The Pagans, or Nonbelievers
- The Sacred Words
- The Leader
Hanlon takes great care to go through each piece of the “code” and provides numerous examples of companies whose successful brands incorporate that piece. The first brand that came to my mind to try this with was Apple, so after hearing the list (I had the unabridged audiobook version) I immediately tried to size up how well Apple fit his model. It was actually kind fun. (Okay, I have a strange sense of fun.) What did I come up with?
- The Creation Story Two guys create Apple in a garage.
- The Creed “Think different”
- The Icons The Apple logo, the Happy Mac
- The Rituals “Stevenotes”
- The Pagans, or Nonbelievers Microsoft Windows users
- The Sacred Words “Just one more thing.”
- The Leader Steve Jobs
Apple matches up pretty well. (Though, to be honest, “Think different” is an early motto that doesn’t really have a modern replacement.)
Not a perfect book, of course
Like most business books, it’s about one-third to one-half longer than it needs to be, as it’s padded out with unnecessary examples, some of which are a bit of a stretch. Also, while it does a great job of identifying key “primal” traits of a succesful brand, it doesn’t have a lot to say about how to attach those traits to a brand in which they’re lacking.
But then, maybe that’s beyond the scope of this book. And, really, once the traits for your own company have been identified, getting the word out is basic marketing.
Primalbranding worth reading
If you are involved in marketing or brand management, no matter how big your company (even if you’re flying solo), this book provides some valuble insight into making your brand successful.
Disclaimer: Just so you know, yes, the above link to the book is an affiliate link, meaning I’ll receive a small commission if you end up buying it after clicking through from here.
Resist The Power of Irrational Desire
This is not an Apple Macintosh fanboy post. There’s a bigger point to all this. Just stick with me.
Deciding to switch
It was late 2000 or early 2001 and my computer crashed. As a Windows (98 at the time) user, I was used to crashes and the occasional reinstall to keep things running smoothly, but this [...]
Financial Advisors Damaging Own Brands for Hyundai’s Sake?
Welcome to those visiting from Freelance Writing Jobs!
It’s an honor to do a guest post for Deb, and I appreciate you clicking on through! I hope you like what you find here. If you like what you’ve read so far, please feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed using any of the kajillion options [...]
