Customer Reviews

Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Trusting the positive comments of other reviewers I purchased Schmetterer's book. To start with a positive comment, the author digs deep into his great experience to share some very interesting real life stories with the reader; these stories earned him the 2 stars in my review. Other than that, the book turns out to be a big disappointment.

If you are already familiar with the concept of branding and brand management, many of the examples for Schmetterer's CBI concept sound extremely familiar and - from a conceptual point of view - not very innovative. Brand essence, brand experience and the like are - or should be - very familiar concepts for managers in almost any industry nowadays. Also, for people outside of the advertising industry it's not a big revelation that advertising alone doesn't constitute an integrated marketing concept and that marcom is only one part of a marketing strategy. Overall, in my opinion the CBI concept doesn't really add much to current marketing and/or strategic thinking.

In today's business environment, you can't blame an agency man for his attempt to expand his business beyond classical advertising into the fields of marketing and business strategy consulting. Also, you can't blame him for emphasizing the one asset that his industry can provide better than most others, namely creativity. However, as there is a difference between simple DATA and INFORMATION, there is also a difference between CREATIVITY in itself and true INNOVATION. What counts is not just the ability to come up with good ideas but the ability to turn these ideas into actual INNOVATIONS in the marketplace.

One reason why most advertising agencies to this day are NOT strategic business partners for their clients is because creativity is "only" a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for successful strategy development. And, unlike most agencies, managers, marketers, and strategy consultants are "in the business" of creating product, process, and strategy innovations and making them count in the marketplace. Being an expert for the creative execution of a communications strategy doesn't turn an account manager or copy writer into a business strategist.

You can only wish Schmetterer a lot of success in trying to familiarize his fellow ad industry professionals with the fact that marketing and business strategy require much more than developing an advertising campaign. So, if you work in advertising, get this book! If you work in marketing or consulting, don't expect more than some interesting real life stories.

Every executive pays lip service to creativity, but truly unusual ideas are tough to find among the button-down set. When it comes to encouraging and developing groundbreaking ideas, most organizations are at a loss. Enter advertising exec Bob Schmetterer and his focus on creative business ideas. These strategies, such as Volvo's emphasis on safety, set a brand apart from its rivals. How do you get creative? It could be as simple as tearing out your office doors and walls, and hiring a few dyslexics. Schmetterer`s clear, crisp writing style, bold suggestions and liberal use of intriguing corporate case studies make this book a joy to read. We suggest it to any executive whose brand must cut through the clutter.

Apparently the juggernaut of Euro RSCG'ers have been rating Bob's book on Amazon. That is the only explanation I can find for so many stars.

For anyone who doesn't work for Bob, this book does not deserve more than an executive skimming.

And while you're at it, you might as well skip the parts about how top management need to encourage creative thinking, or being a renegade, or the need for trust and a good relationship for the client. And oh yeah, you get to hear a lot about what a great job Bob did for his clients. I mean really, didn't we read this stuff in Fast Company in 1998? And shouldn't a book about creative business ideas be a bit more creative?

I love creative ideas and look forward to the day that agencies step up to the plate and actually propose them to clients. Until then, if you're looking for a way to institutionalize creative ideas, I wouldn't recommend starting with Bob's book.

Perhaps a company-wide subscription to Fast Company...

The book is inspiring and well written with examples that are diverse, didactic, and illustrative. 'Leap' has its momentst force you to think twice your regular way of doing business. And here comes the 'but'. You do get the sneaking suspicion that you've heard one or two of those ideas and examples somewhere before, or that you've heard the same 'tune' before... maybe it is that advertising and business books have lost their 'Leap' factor or may be it is time to leap for another refreshing book genre!!

The value of this book comes more from the entertaining story-like approach, rather than the business value. This is your book if you are looking for ideas/phrases like: the end of advertising; revolution in creative business strategy; left brain meets right brain; brand and company DNA; we face new times that require new tools.
The lack of research behind it makes this book more a local man's tale and a long opinion, which in turn causes the book to fall into repetitive ad and business jargon clichés. Probably the common mistake of many successful-business-man-turned-author.
My recommendation: approach this book with a great deal of business skepticism, but with a great sprit of enjoying a good story (especially if you are part of the madison ave crowd).

As a small-business owner, I constantly face the challenge of harnessing the creativity of my colleagues AND clients, and making our work fresh. And this book isn't the same old same old "how to motivate" genre. It's a solid read because it isn't didactic; it uses examples and anecdotes to illustrate how thinking differently absolutely leads to success. And it was interesting to learn about the origins of some of business' most enduring products (the Walkman/Discman) and advertising's longest-lasting taglines ("it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.") It helped all of us here realize that business is more than just solving the same problems we always have, in the same ways.

Just finished reading Leap and have to say, it made me question some of the ways I've approached business problems heretofore. That is, the Bob Schmetterer book got me questioning what's innovation, when is innovation vital, and how to work the system to ensure my innovations make it. I like reading about Perdue and Intel Inside. Now if only I can invent my own Leap maybe 2003 will be MY year!

Book came in a timely manner, however; was not forewarned about the writing and the highlighting throughout the book. Had I known, I would not have ordered it, I find it very distracting.

In working with Management teams charged with business development, our perspective is to always challenge the purpose of an effort or endeavor. No `work' exists that ignores the business product, clear communication, and an experience. All three components apply to anything we do either working for ourselves or companies as a: consultant, customer service agent, gas station attendant, secretary, CEO, insurance agent, factory worker, and of course, an advertising and marketing agency representative.

Bob Schmetterer offers a framework for you to get at Why you do what you do, and How do you do it. This book is an inspiration for taking whatever you are engaged with, turning it on its side, and challenging the very premise of its existence. As I read the book, I have made so many notes that I must be careful not to overwhelm my customers with too many questions, challenges, and ideas.

If you soak-up all the principles awash throughout the book and apply what you learn to your work or experiences you already know, you could walk into the Kroger and redesign the Experience of the produce department, propose a new Brand perspective to AAA insurance, or redefine how your customers `use you.'

To be inspired, the reading material has to be inspiring. Bob Schmetterer's LEAP will go down in business literature as a fairy tale come to life. Bob, please conscript me into your service!

The book is inspiring and well written with examples that are diverse, didactic, and illustrative. 'Leap' has its momentst force you to think twice your regular way of doing business. And here comes the 'but'. You do get the sneaking suspicion that you've heard one or two of those ideas and examples somewhere before, or that you've heard the same 'tune' before... maybe it is that advertising and business books have lost their 'Leap' factor or may be it is time to leap for another refreshing book genre!!