Customer Reviews

Elephant Walk, Balancing Business Performance and Brand Strategy for the Long Haul

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Patrick Smyth's book is one of the best books for the seasoned or budding entrepreneur in my eyes. His years of experience in the world of business provide a solid basis and his vision and insights are incredibly valuable. Most people when thinking of a brand automatically equate it with a logo, marketing, etc. Patrick clarifies this and shows just how crucial to success the branding strategy, affinity and message are to a business and that it must be adhered to from the top down. I feel fortunate that I had the pleasure to meet Patrick; he cares deeply about entrepreneurs and goes far beyond where others will and wants only success for everyone. I have gained so much and continue to do so as I read it over and over. I'm sure anyone that purchases this book will benefit as much as I have. I highly recommend this book and it should be on EVERY entrepreneur's bookshelf!

A quick read with takeaways clearly marked for the reader. I especailly related to "the first 100 days" and how one might compare lauching a new initiative to a presidency. The first 100 days marks the best opportunity to initate change before the political realities set in and set up.

I just finished reading "Elephant Walk: Balancing Business Performance and Brand Strategy for the Long Haul" and, other than a small quibble with books that have too long a title, I can strongly recommend this book to anyone starting trying to make sense of brand-creation or brand management.

Business books can frequently fall into two big traps and this book deftly avoids them both:

Trap 1 this book avoids: Having only one idea/thought. That idea can be summed up in a review and so why buy the book?
---> This book has a diverse and interesting set of explanations and ideas. It covers brand value and management, customer management, and overall business planning around a brand concept.


Trap 2 this book avoids: Dry dry dry... hard to get through.
---> This book is relaxing to read. Written in a non-technical non-intimidating way with a few wry comments and memorable images the book is a relatively fast and fun read and then a useful reference to have around.

Great insight! Since Patrick is from South Africa he has had the opportunity to see things in a different perspective than those of us who haven't seen elephants in the wild and then be able to take that perspective and relate it to business. I was impressed with his approach to branding your company and taking a strategy to get there. It is a good read and informative. I recommend it.

Can you brand an elephant? Only on paper please! When you see an elephant's footprint, you immediately know it is an elephant. When you brand and direct your company using the advice contained within Elephant Walk, your company's footprint or "brand" will be instantly recognizable...worldwide. You choose the size of your company's success when you apply the lessons taught so powerfully in Elephant Walk. Our company has taken giants steps toward success after reading Patrick's book. It is a must read and a must do!
Author- Dawn Walls-Bain, Ph.D. - CEO

Experienced business consultant and Leadership Navigator Patrick Smyth gives readers a lot to chew on with this in depth look at marketing and branding. The #1 message - everything matters. Every single connection, communication and touch point with the customer can make or break your brand. I walked away with a more coherent vocabulary through which to communicate branding ideals and I also found Patrick's discussion of leadership's role in the organization to have a deeper tie-in than I'm used to with many business books. It would be a mistake to overlook this finely produced and well-executed effort. I definitely recommend it. The cover art is also beautiful and it makes for an attractive addition to the bookshelf in addition to the great content.