Customer Reviews

Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back, Foreword by Guy Kawasaki

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As you probably noticed, I'm the author of this book - so coming here and adding a review for my own book might seem like an odd thing to do. Not giving it five stars probably seems even odder, but let me explain. This book is all about why brands need to have a personality. It is about avoiding being faceless and finding a way to add more authenticity into marketing.

Reading a book description written by a publisher is a faceless way to describe a book. I wanted to give you more than that. For a more real inside look, you can see the "making of PNI" section on the official book website - at the full name of the book (Personality Not Included), followed by dot com. There you can see photos, illustrations, original manuscript copies and lots of other material that will give you an idea of what the book took to write - as well as download the full introduction to get a sense of what the book is about.

Of course, I'd love if you buy the book here. More importantly, you'll find all my contact information on that site because I really want to hear what you thought about it. And to answer the question about why only 4 stars ... it's because I think the book is pretty good, but whether or not it deserves the top rating is really up to you.

Guy Kawasaki illustrates in his foreword to Rohit Bhargava's excellent new book that it's not enough anymore to produce something great, rather, an absolute necessity to create something "insanely great." Otherwise, you are simply pushing your great product out into the market flush with other great products.

So how do we ensure we create something "insanely" great? We cultivate personality.

Luckily, cultivating a personality is - when boiled down to its basic elements, one of the easiest things in the world to do. Unfortunately, the exact same can be said of golf.

The power of Bhargava's book stems from its ability to take high level marketing themes and elements and make them instantly relatable through exercises, case studies, and pop culture analogies ranging from The Simpsons to Fletch Lives - from Die Another Day to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Of course, sharing themes is only one half of the battle - and also almost exactly one half of this book.

It's second half is stunning in that it exists as a virtual how-to guide sharing new, yet proven, marketing techniques that can turn even the stodgiest, faceless corporations into the next corporate darling - seemingly overnight.

Techniques shared include karmic marketing - or doing something good without asking for a reward, antimarketer marketing - or making fun of traditional marketing techniques in general to prove you are above it all, and fallibility marketing - or playing up your own mistakes to build a personality.

In the end, "*Personality Not Included" exists in equal measure as a text book new marketing students will find themselves hiding behind the jackets of stodgy, traditional marketing tomes; and as a vital "how-to guide" for rapid cultivation of something many corporations will be embarrassed to admit they may have never had.

Students and kings of industry alike are encouraged to hold this book close at bay.

Should a business have a "face"? Should an enterprise exhibit human-like traits to set it apart from straight-laced, by the book and bureaucracy-deep "corporations"?

The answer to these two questions is unequivocally "yes", according to this excellent book.

I must confess he had me at hello on this one, because my bias was already pointed firmly in this direction, but nevertheless, Rohit did a great job of drawing me in with his no nonsense writing style, intelligent pacing and organization, and a clear passion for the subject.

Once drawn in, I was impressed by the way Rohit lead me through the process of properly "building" a company personality.

First he outlined all the key elements. I especially liked his "UAT Filter"- the three core qualities of a company personality: Unique, Authentic and Talkable

Spot on. And he presented great examples from several companies for each element.

Then Rohit did something that many book writers do not do - he wrote a "Part 2" that showed us how to actually put those elements into action, and gave us a bunch of tools to use to boot.

I'm all about the human side of a business. Actually showing that side to our customers is surely a good thing - it's the key to delighting them and making sure they stay with us for a long, long time.

Because people just aren't buying a product or service - they are buying "into" a positive experience. Rohit Bhargava, by virtue of his great experience as a marketing consultant, gets this "big time", and better still he's written a definitive book that explains it all in a practical, understandable and actionable way.

Rohit's book is a must read for businesses seeking to understand the new landscape of branding. It's equally good at explaining how an individual can benefit from standing out in a crowd, but as the primary reader of this book will be a business, let's stick to that. Simply put, the book delivers.

What Rohit Bhargava shares with us is that companies who dare to expose their human side are the ones who will keep our business. As I write this, the economic downturn is throwing financial ripples in all directions. Good service is one thing, but a human-feeling relationship with your customers is most certainly equally important.

Filled with examples and suggestions on how you can implement similar efforts, the book delivers lots of actionable value. There are worksheets, web-based extras, and lots of easter eggs included in PNI.

I'm a big fan, and recommend this highly to companies looking for advice from an industry leader.

Rohit Bhargava is the author of the leading "Influential Marketing Blog" (IMB) and is a founding member of the 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy. That means he is no "feather weight" in the world of marketing.

His first book "Personality not included" is a solid attempt to explain to marketers why many of the old corporate habits of dealing with their customers and the general public iare obsolete. Who came up with all the stupid policies anyway? If you are in marketing you might not find that book ground breaking because it just reiterates what you can read in the blogosphere pretty much every day. Rohit is not as radical as Seth Godin would be.

Actually Rohit is a very good showcase for his own book: He has a mind of his own and has no problems sharing his thoughts. At the same time he works for a large organization with over 10,000 employees. He is a watch and learn case for many guys who think that blogging and working a corporate job simply don't go together.

This is a book that everyone in business can read and get something out of. It is not too academic or plastered with acronyms that nobody but 50 people in the world would get.

So if the book is not ground breaking in my eyes, why should you read it?
1. Stories: Rohit has a lot of first hand experience to share and throws in many other stories to add to his theories. That is valuable information for any marketer.

2. This book will make you more conscious about your marketing. Many potential readers might apply some principles of the book in their daily work already (myself being one of them). Rohit makes a good effort of structuring and organizing what many of us "feel" is the right thing to do.

3. It might give you some more ammunition when you are arguing with other in your organization on what is the right thing to do: How open do you want to be to the public? How do you portray yourself? How do you deal with your mishaps? Sucking a little less than your competition would be nice, wouldn't it? :-)

4. Power to the people: The book makes a very strong case that the employees of a company are their strongest asset - if they are empowered and have a face and aren't just XYZ employees. Companies embracing this thought will advance and it will make our (corporate) world a nicer place to live in.

The book has only 6 chapters in part one. Rohit explains that almost all marketing books tend to be most interesting until chapter 6 and then become repetitive or boring. So he stopped right there. But then he continues with a nice hands on part that serves as a good reference point for making changes to your own organization (or the ones of your clients).

So even if you are super-smart and know much more than I do you can read the book, put a check mark on every page and know that the top guys at Ogilvy don't know more than you do. That should be worth the price of the book.

Note:
Rohit is a humble man: He only gave himself 4 stars for his own book. Many people will disagree and give him 5 stars and I know he will continue to be in high demand.

[...]

Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back
Rohit gets it. I have heard him speak at several forums and I watched as he spread the word about this book implementing and practicing what he preaches. The book itself is a unique product ( cartoons from Hugh Mcleod, tags and place marks that let you go to the relevant worksheet), Its written in a very simple authentic way so you can read it like a book. ( I did on a 4 hour flight). Its talkable having some new things like a "Intermission". If you watch enough Bollywood movies you know you need an intermission.

Every small or large business wil find things in this book that will hit home. If they don't then pat yourself on the back that you are doing the right thing. In case you need to be walked through step by step the book also contains worksheets that you don't have to tell your boss about but they will make you look good.

As for me I bought 3 books for everyone above me in the reporting hierarchy and now I am expecting a promotion. Thank you Rohit for writing a great book. I hope it becomes a NY Times best seller

Author Rohit Bhargava pushes for companies to use social media and an array of other marketing tools to develop sales-boosting corporate or brand personalities and regain their "authenticity." He presents a step-by-step plan for creating a distinctive, compelling corporate personality, from friendly employees to a unique brand identity. Some of his case studies of exemplary corporate personalities could be stronger and more unified, but Bhargava is well-informed and encouraging. He splits the book into two sections. The longer first section explains various approaches to distinctive branding. The second outlines 10 marketing tactics, and provides a "guides and tools" implementation appendix for each chapter. getAbstract welcomes this useful battle plan for marketers who want to give their products consumer-friendly personalities - not just for promotion, but for sales appeal.

When I initially "grazed" this book, it seemed like another Purple Cow. Fortunately I took the time to actually read it. Purple Cow, while inspirational, seems to emphasize the gimmick aspect of marketing. I.e. You're nothing without one brilliant idea. This book has more of a process to ensure that you create the right Purple Cow(s) for your business. In fact, the second half of the book is a pragmatic guide. Orthogonally, this book had extra value for me. It emphasized the importance of touching clients AFTER the purchase. How many of the thousands of organizations that you have patronized have done this? That in itself is a Purple Cow. And even if your business model doesn't involve repeat sales, you can always use a referral. In summary, this book is defintely worth retaining as a reference.

Aristotle once said, "Character is the most effective means of persuasion." But according to the latest book by social media expert Rohit Bhargava, perhaps personality might be an even more effective means. Bhargava's Personality Not Included proposes that great brands or products must project an engaging personality to persuade and attract impassioned consumers. The author states that many corporations have effectively bleached the concept of personality out of their respective organizations, as well as the profits that can accompany a strong brand personality. Via a collection of real-world examples and ideas the importance of developing, recognizing and sharing a brand's unique personality becomes apparent - this is why Soundview highly recommends this fun and interesting read. Bhargava proposes that three sub-trends comprise the master-personality trend. Those micro-trends include embracing social media; leveraging word-of-mouth marketing and being more authentic with customers. It's safe to say that companies who take these insights to heart, might win more of the hearts, minds and wallets of impassioned customers using the power of personality.

Personality Not Included is a great read for anyone involved in building a brand. The basic premise is that brands need to have personality to really connect with consumers. It includes lots of examples and a great mix of theory and tools/techniques.

Rohit defines personality as "the unique, authentic, and talkable soul of your brand that people can get passionate about" and is what moves people from passive consumers to active, passionate brand enthusiasts.

The book structure is one of the things that really makes this book great. The first part covers the theory and includes some great sections on "accidental spokespeople" and how to craft a back-story. Both extremely interesting and relevant concepts, with enough detail for application.

The second section has tools and techniques, which you can actually use to build a personality for your brand.

The only thing that I didn't like was Chapter 5, which I would recommend skipping all together. It is basically about organizational change, and unless you work for a huge company and are in a position to attempt to bring about wide-scale change, you should skip it.

Overall great book - definitely worth a read! It will inspire and enlighten you!

You can read my entire review and a brief summary of the key points of the book here http://www.themarketess.com/2009/01/book-review-personality-not-included/