Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands [Hardcover]

Kevin Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

Kevin Roberts passionately believes that love is the way forward for business. In his second book, Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, Roberts recounts the journey from Products to Trademarks to Brands - and the urgency of taking the next step up - to Lovemarks. Roberts offers a lively, critical assessment of brands and the problems that face them in an increasingly competitive world. His argument is straightforward. Numbed by the assult of commodification and customer indifference, brands have simply run out of juice. The solution? The creation of products and experiences that will create long-term emotional relationships with consumers. To get there, Roberts advocates infusing brands with three fundamental Lovemark elements: Mystery, Sensuality, and Intimacy. Mystery enters by drawing on the past, present, and future; the value of myths and icons; and the powers of inspiration; and by tapping into dreams. Sensuality and the five senses can be used to locate touch-points with consumers. Intimacy is created through commitment, empathy, and passion. The power of these dynamic forces is captivatingly presented with lively anecdotes, living examples, and graphic illustrations drawn from the world of advertising and beyond. The idea that consumers, not companies, own Lovemarks is fundamental. This book shows that not only business mavens, but the special people that Roberts calls "Inspirational Consumers," can shape the future of commerce. With a foreword by Procter & Gamble's Chairman and President, A.G. Lafley, the book also includes insights from business leaders, ideas people, and artists, including Cambridge University's Sandra Dawson, former rugby All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, Visionaire editor Cecilia Dean, author Malcolm Gladwell, Founding Editor of Fast Company magazine Alan Webber, Nike's Clare Hamill, and Toyota Motor Corporation's Yoshio Ishizaka. The book is an entertaining, elucidating, and ultimately inspiring vision of the rejuvenation of brands through the power of love and the responsibility of business to fulfill one of its key functions - to make the world a better place.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sellout "Brand" or just plain "Bland"? In Lovemarks, advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts delves deep into what mysteries lie behind the long-term success and unwavering customer loyalty for a can of Coke or a pair of Levi's, ultimately concluding that Love is the answer, and without some emotional connection to a product, it will dry up like a generic raisin in the sun. Enter Lovemarks, the new marketing buzzword, which will likely be bandied about at board meetings as vigorously as The Tipping Point.

But before Roberts can get to what in fact a Lovemark means in the worlds of advertising and marketing, he takes us on a virtual tour of his CV. There was his first post at Mary Quant in London, then the gig as New Products Manager of Gillette International in the Middle East, on to CEO of Pepsi in Canada, and later the same role at Lion Nathan in New Zealand. The list goes on, and so does Roberts--on and on--about his achievements and experience building brand awareness and shaking things up (he famously machine-gunned a vending machine at a presentation for a spot on the evening news). More importantly, he succeeds at blasting away the smoke and mirrors that might prevent a creative genius (or an ordinary consumer) from seeing what makes Superman the most beloved super-hero of all time.

Despite the somewhat egocentric approach to taking us there (he is, after-all, a pretty smart guy), we arrive at Roberts's point beautifully, and see what he sees: "That human attention has become our principle currency." And that, in these times, forming long-term emotionally charged relationships with customers is the only way to make a product weather the long haul. And while Roberts speaks to us in a spirited, conversational manner (that makes Lovemarks a pleasure to read), the design of the book seems to work against him, as convoluted typography and a general lack of layout consistency give the book a visually amateurish look. --Christene Barberich

From Publishers Weekly

Roberts, the New York-based CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, believes that his Love brand will change businesses, and this boldly designed volume showcases his argument that through Love, business will connect more deeply with consumers. "I was born an optimist," Roberts begins. "I always looked for opportunities where others faced up to threats or weaknesses. I believed if you were going through hell the only option was to keep going!" And that sentiment runs throughout his book, which weaves his personal history with his brand-making philosophy. While the layout is eye-catching, the text often reads like advertisement pull-outs: e.g. "the power of the edge is one of today’s most compelling ideas" and "to be out front can be lonely and uncomfortable, but remember, the lead husky gets the best view." In the end, it’s ad-folk who will glean most from this volume.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Power House Books (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576872041
• ISBN-13: 978-1576872048
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lovemarks - Kevin Roberts, June 16, 2009

By 

Joel Warady (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lovemarks (Hardcover)

Roberts is the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's largest advertising agencies. Keep that in mind as you read the book because the author uses many of his agency's clients as his examples of brands that evoke emotion. Even with the self-promoting, there are some great messages within this book. The message throughout is that for brands to grow, people need to fall in love with the brands. Not like the brands, LOVE the brands and products. As I write this review, the Chicago White Sox are in the American League Division playoffs. Why do I tell you this? Because no matter what happens with the White Sox, the fact of the matter is that Chicago will always LOVE the Cubs, and they will really, really like the White Sox. And because of this, the Cubs will always draw more fans than the White Sox. Here is one of my favorite take aways from the book; "Human beings are powered by emotion, not by reason." Brands need to generate emotions, and the more the brand is loved, the longer life it will have. Let's face it, a lot of people love Starbucks, but there is no rational reason to spend $2.00 for a cup of black coffee. It is the emotion that sustains Starbucks.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Packaging but Not New!, January 23, 2007

By 

Baris Ozaydinli (Istanbul) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lovemarks (Hardcover)

I have met Kevin Roberts and had a chance to chat with him about the "Lovemark" concept when he was giving a speech in Istanbul. I think he is a colorful and brilliant individual who has managed to package some great marketing principles that age back to Bernbach into a great new concept. Though many principles in the book are not fresh to those who are not a novice in marketing literature, I think the term "Lovemark" is brilliant in itself. The design of the book is great with lots of colorful pictures and helpful examples. You sometimes feel that many of the examples are overused and the book is self serving, but it is worth to spend some time with the Lovemark concept.

I have seen an interview with Kevin in Ad Age about how they launched this book to recruit new business into their agency. I think it is a great new business tool and brilliant strategy to lure customers to their shop. I personally think "the HOW" part is missing, how are you going to make your brand into a Lovemark remains a question.

If you are interested in entering into the hearts of customers not just their wallets, you should definetly lend an ear to Kevin.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Info on Business, April 16, 2008

By 

Dixie Dobbins (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lovemarks (Hardcover)

This is a good book for the entrepreneur who is interested in setting thier business apart from the pack. To create more than just a brand, but a "LOVE MARK." Its got some good points and Ive applied some of it to my small photography business. I recommend it, but only gave it 3 stars.