BRAND is a four letter word: Positioning and The Real Art of Marketing [Hardcover]

Austin McGhie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2012 | ISBN-10: 1599323273 | ISBN-13: 978-1599323275

In this breakthrough book, marketing expert Austin McGhie urges readers to set aside their obsession with “branding” and instead focus on the real work of marketing: positioning. In fact, McGhie believes there’s no marketing problem or opportunity that can’t be framed as a positioning exercise. He argues that brands are a marketplace response, not a marketer’s stimulus; if that response from the audience is simple, clear and on strategy, marketers can build a brand.

Drawing on his 30-year career working with some of world’s best-known brands, including Disney, ESPN, Nike, Google, Visa, Expedia, Best Buy, Microsoft, Anheuser-Busch, Abbott and YouTube, McGhie tackles the strategic essence of positioning and creating differentiated advantage. He deftly weaves the positioning discussion throughout the book with a series of real-life anecdotes to deliver a crisp, clear view of what it means to build a brand. McGhie has written a practical book that will guide and inspire marketers and in turn help them guide and inspire their audiences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Brand Is a Four Letter Word: Positioning and the Real Art of Marketing

If Sloan Wilson’s classic The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit personifies the top-down business culture of the 1950s, individuality rules today. And businesses must embrace this evolution, McGhie suggests in this perceptive exploration of evolving marketing doctrine. With the Internet impelling unprecedented cultural change, cookie-cutter conformity ensures mediocrity; the most differentiated, strongest products come from “oddball entrepreneurs.” Contrary to conventional thinking, McGhie argues that a brand is not imposed on the market but is awarded by the market; it is “a consequence, not an action.” This shift in perception manifests the need for a dialectic between producer and customer, with sincerity at the core. McGhie draws on his extensive marketing background to show how brands engage customers in company culture and persuade them to participate in the corporate “sense of mission.” Whether the reader accepts or condemns McGhie’s contention that the model of one-way persuasion is obsolete, the heightened significance of customer word-of-mouth reaction, or its electronic counterpart, seems unassailable. The customer, not the marketer, controls the brand in the brave new world of viral marketing. And McGhie’s argument that traditional marketing theories, though still adapting to new media, are not necessarily obsolete should intrigue both industry professionals and marketing neophytes.  - Publishers Weekly





“Creating a world-famous brand is easy. First, create a killer product. Next, read Brand is a Four Letter Word to get an idea of the kind of very hard (but very rewarding) work you’ll need to do to really make your mark on the marketplace. There may be no shortcuts on this journey, but this book is the road map.”

—Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

“I’ll tell you what I like about Austin’s work, and why it’s worth reading. He’s written an angry book about what’s not happening in the marketing world. To me, it’s time to get angry and restate what many overlook or just don’t get about building a differentiated brand.”

—Jack Trout, global marketing expert and author

“The same people who think you can ‘brand’ something are the ones who ask us to produce ‘viral’ videos. What’s with these people hijacking adjectives and verbs for dubious marketing purposes? Just as viral videos are outcomes of smart, insightful thinking, so are brands. I just hope the marketing pundits don’t brand Austin McGhie a heretic for his spot-on ideas. Wait, did I say that?”

—Tom Yorton, CEO, Second City Communications

From the Back Cover

Creating a world-famous brand is easy: First, create a killer product. Next – read Brand is a Four-Letter Word to get an idea of the kind of very hard (but very rewarding) work you’ll need to do to really make your mark on the marketplace. There may be no shortcuts on this journey, but this book is the road map.
                                                                                                                             -- Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND

Austin McGhie deftly proves that, despite its ubiquitous presence in culture today, the word branding is the least understood word in the business of branding. From his 'Opening Rant' to the brilliant 'User's Guide to the User's Guide,' Brand Is A Four Letter Word is an immediate mustread for anyone interested in understanding the real business of positioning and business strategy.
                                                               --Debbie Millman, author of Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits, President Emeritus of AIGA and Chair of SVA Masters in Branding

You might wonder why I would write a foreword to a book that often uses words and ideas that I’ve written many books about over the past thirty years. Words like “Positioning”, “Differentiation” or “Simplicity”. In many ways it’s déjà vu all over again. But I’ll tell you what I like about Austin’s work and why it’s worth reading. He’s written an angry book about what isn’t happening in the marketing world. “Positioning” and “branding” are widely popular words that everyone tosses around but few really understand. If you doubt this, just look at the corporate wreckage in recent years. Just look at the silly advertising that often runs on television. Just look at Wall Street encouraging companies to do stupid things. Look at the short lived tenure of chief marketing ofcers. To me it’s time to get angry and restate what many overlook or just don’t get about building a differentiated brand. These are lessons that can’t be repeated too often. So read on.
                                                                                                                   -Jack Trout, Global marketing expert and author

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Advantage Media Group (April 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599323273
• ISBN-13: 978-1599323275
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Reading for All Marketers April 25, 2012

By StrategicGenius

Format:Hardcover

Brand strategy gets a bad rap. It's a discipline that's often maligned as ill-defined, airy-fairy, and impractical. Sadly enough, this reputation is often deserved because the so-called "experts" come across like failed self-help gurus.

So it's refreshing to find a voice who cuts through the crap and explains brand strategy in a clear and actionable way. From the "Opening Rant" to the end, the author Austin McGhie cogently makes his case that marketing is, in fact, the art of positioning. If you can position something to someone, then you will in time end up with a brand. But it's a myth that you can "brand" something.

Unlike many business publications, this book is an entertaining read. McGhie's writing voice is clear and compelling, with a real sense of passion. It's almost as if the author is in the room dispensing words of wisdom like "Marketing is judo, not karate". It's also great that there are many case studies and analogs that bring the lessons to life. As a professional marketer, I found myself thinking about how to apply the book's principles to challenges in my work.

Whether you work in marketing or you're just curious about why certain brands succeed, this book is a must-read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun and Engaging Book June 19, 2012

By franklynj

Format:Hardcover

The last thing we need is yet another marketing book on branding. It's a topic that's been done to death. But wait - this book is actually fun to read, very accessible, and very engaging. The fact that the author writes from a position of strong, relevant experience helps a lot. So does his largely unfiltered attitude. Plus the book is loaded with anecdotes and stories all too familiar to all of us. Even if you are a veteran marketeer, you'll enjoy this. Good stuff and worth reading.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just the art of marketing, the art of writing a business book April 25, 2012

By Sara Schor

Format:Hardcover

If any part of your job has to do with marketing, then this is a must-read. Austin McGhie does an wonderful job of clearly laying out his thoughts on positioning and marketing such that you not only really get what he is saying, but you can also visualize how it might apply to your particular situation. The book is very readable, and dare I say actually entertaining. It's not often a business book captures your attention and imagination, and is enjoyable enough that you want to read and finish it. And of course and most importantly, he provides a wide range of compelling and actionable ideas about how to approach positioning, marketing and building a brand. Highly recommended!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful & funny; actually a fun read April 27, 2012

By Plastir

Format:Hardcover

A useful and practical book, even for someone (i.e me, a lawyer) who knows nothing about branding (if there is such a thing) and couldn't tell a strategy from a position. It is a succinct explanation of an entire field of endeavor, and enjoyable because the author doesn't take his subject matter, or himself, too seriously.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and insightful read (and fun, too!) July 15, 2012

By David McKay

Format:Hardcover

Lord knows the world doesn't need another "branding" book, so I was delighted when the author opened with the statement: "Simply put, you can't brand something".

From that opening salvo, McGhie sets out to tear down everything the modern marketer thinks they know about branding, and rebuilds it from the standpoint of classical marketing approaches like creating a useful product, positioning it appropriately, defining your market and competition, and using the right amount of data and intuition to guide it to success. And along the way he provides a well-thought out series of examples of those who did these things well, those who didn't, and how to learn from each. The reward for doing those things well is a "brand" - nice concept!

The book is written in a light and breezy style, with just the right amount of insight , humor, self-deference and practical examples from his storied past to quickly make you realize this guy is worth listening to. The short, one-note chapters make reading a delight. And the book has something I don't see often enough - a simple chapter by chapter recap at the back so you can quickly find that one relevant portion you need to revisit right then and there.

All in all, a must-read for anyone who consider themselves a modern, savvy marketer.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Common Sense July 6, 2012

By Daniel M. Aronovsky

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have known Austin for quite awhile. Austin can be a little obsessive- compulsive when it comes to soccer, bicycling, and wine.

He is also a very bright guy with a lot of common sense.

This book delivers. Austin's intelligence and common sense are there for eveyone to see. Leaders of Multi-billion dollar corporations listen to him...as they should.

If you are interested in branding, this is a great book, written by one of the leaders in the field.

Buy it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking read June 26, 2012

By Mktg Girl

Format:Kindle Edition

Author Austin McGhie, makes this a truly enjoyable read. And, makes a case that marketing is in fact, an art, and that positioning is critical to developing a good brand. If you build the position properly, a brand will result. Or, if you will, build it and they will come. Brand strategy is difficult to pitch and often can be viewed as one of those necessary "evils" or worse, one of those esoteric soft skills. When used to its best advantage, it can be the basis for a lasting brand platform.

With so many books on brand strategy and branding "done right," this was a very easy read and I found myself punctuating his points with my own, "Yeah! "That's right" and "So true." Well worth the time, kudos to Mr. McGhie.