A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands [Hardcover]

Michael P. Levine (Author), Michael Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2003

The head of a celebrity public relations firm offers expert advice on the art of PR and branding
In A Branded World, renowned celebrity publicist and bestselling author Michael Levine explores the fascinating and complex world of branding. He explores the many facets of PR in the branding process, including packaging, damage control, and e-branding. By actually creating a fictional product and using it as a branding template throughout the book, this definitive work offers extraordinary advice for PR executives and marketing managers on how to build their brands and use the appropriate media to effectively promote those brands. With examples of successful and unsuccessful branding campaigns and an exploration of the idea of personalities as product, this is the definitive guide to branding.
Michael Levine (Los Angeles, CA) has represented hundreds of major-name celebrities as head of a prominent public relations firm with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and London. His client list includes Janet Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, and Reebok, among others. His essays have appeared in USA Today, the National Review, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Branding is ultimately the way you differentiate your product from the competition. Whether you’re selling a celebrity image, automobiles, or a financial service, your goal is to make your brand the most recognizable by the consumer. But there’s much more to effective branding than a memorable slogan and ubiquitous advertising–public relations is becoming key to the entire strategy. PR is much more than just damage control for when something goes wrong; it’s an effective way to communicate the story of your brand through media outlets that the public trusts.

A Branded World looks at branding from the unique perspective of one of America’s premier PR executives. In it, Michael Levine–whose clients include major Hollywood stars and top musicians–proves PR is a tool just as effective at turning everyday products into widely recognized brands as it is at turning talented artists into household names. Though it has a certain mystery to it, there’s nothing mystical about PR. Behind the scenes, it’s a discipline, one that can be taught and learned, practiced and analyzed.

A Branded World utilizes real-world examples and anecdotes from Levine’s experiences to show how PR fits into and supports a branding campaign. It follows a fictional product–in this case, a brand of ice cream–through the entire branding process, illustrating the many ways PR can help marketers build that once-in-a-lifetime brand. Levine offers a PR professional’s trenchant analysis of common branding concepts and looks at some of the inspired choices and phenomenal flops in branding history, explaining why some brands become almost sacred while others are simply forgotten. He also looks at the many ways PR impacts some of the most vital aspects of branding, such as e-branding, first impressions, and brand loyalty.

Filled with engaging stories and nuts-and-bolts tips for leveraging PR to build brands and communicate brand identity to consumers, A Branded World shows marketers and brand managers how to tap into the power of PR to build stronger brands.

From the Back Cover

Praise for A Branded World

"A Branded World is a real insider’s guide to the elusive science of branding. With tremendous command over his subject material, Michael Levine has provided us with a primer that is a must read for all those who pursue careers in public relations and brand marketing."
–Howard J. Rubenstein
President, Rubenstein Associates, Inc.

"At last, a PR man who really understands what branding is all about. It certainly is worth learning what he appears to have learned. A good read."
–Jack Trout, author, A Genie’s Wisdom: A Fable of How a CEO Learned to Be a Marketing Genius

"The most valuable, indispensable part of the branding process, according to Michael Levine, is PR. He goes on to prove his point with dozens of pertinent case histories, including the imaginary launch of a new ice cream brand. A terrific guide to the role that PR plays in marketing today."
–Al Ries, author, The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471263664
• ISBN-13: 978-0471263661
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Book Or Just A Sales Pitch?, March 8, 2004

By 

Daniel S Jordan (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands (Hardcover)

I have to agree with Steven Willis from Los Angeles. This book might hold up a little stronger if it wasn't written by a publicist who seems like he is just trying to drum up some business. It's like those chiropractic offices that set up booths for free spinal exams at various sporting events. They give you the free exam, then surprise, surprise! Turns out they seem to think your back needs some chiropractic work. It's the same idea here, and while the book has a few instances of making good points, they aren't really strong enough to persuade the reader to adopt the author's point of view. On the positive side, it is written in a manner that is pretty easy to understand so you can finish it quickly enough, but it's just never all that compelling.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately Disappointing, May 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands (Hardcover)

This book is not without its good points, particularly the author's ability to address the audience equally regardless of PR background. However, the downsides cannot be ignored. The central theme of the book is credibility and how PR is the surest route to building it. As other reviewers have pointed out, there are a number of arguments based on correlation, rather than cause-effect. Even more irritating are the armchair assessments of what other companies/countries should have done when building their campaigns with no real supporting evidence that the recommended strategies would have been effective. In addition, even though the author asserts that PR is the best way to build a brand, it doesn't appear that the professional PR organizations (which are few and far between) even mention this fact in their charters. So, what it really comes down to is a very specific view of PR, using a very specific PR strategy which, as luck would have it, can't be found at a local PR firm.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pointless, March 2, 2004

By 

Steven Willis (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands (Hardcover)

It is painfully obvious that the author of this book, also a publicist, is desperately trying get some high-end companies to hire him. Why else would he write a book so utterly useless and void of anything relevant to the marketing of a brand name?

As any CEO with half a brain knows, PR companies are all well and good to protect or rebuild an image that has been depicted poorly within the media. However, to get the brand name out there, they are certainly one of the last places to look.

The author does manage to point out the difference between advertising and PR, to his own fault unfortunately. Companies are looking to use their tightly plotted budgets to get their name out there the best way they can. That way is through advertising, not public relations. You need to be guaranteed that your brand's ad will be seen by the public, and advertising can do this much more effectively than PR. In advertising, you basically get what you are willing to pay for. In PR, there is too much of a gamble that you can spend a lot and see nothing in return.

Sadly, Levine's writing style is also very ineffective in enhancing one's opinion of him as a publicist. He may have done a little research and found the right buzzwords, but it is obvious he doesn't really grasp the meaning of what he is talking about.

I can honestly say I would never hire this guy to represent my company. Even if the day does come when we need to hire a PR firm (God forbid), I would look elsewhere.