Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand [Hardcover]

Peter Arnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010

Little changes can make a big difference.
 
When some of the world’s biggest corporations need to revive their brands, innovate products, and rethink their images, they call Peter Arnell.
 
Now in his fourth decade of branding and marketing for such companies as Samsung, Reebok, DKNY, GNC, and Pepsi, Arnell explains how you can use some of the same strategies that famous brands do, in order to improve your own image, life, and career. Arnell knows this firsthand because he applied many of these same strategies to transform his own life by losing 256 pounds.
 
How did he do it?
 
Arnell created an idea he calls Shift.
 
With Shift, you’ll discover the steps you need to take in order to become the best you. Creating and revitalizing brands happens every day in business. Shift shows how you can make it happen for yourself and your personal brand. 

Innovative insights such as “go helium” are used by Arnell to explain how he reached his ultimate goal of 150 pounds—you can apply his techniques to reach for your own goals. You will see—through Arnell’s description of how he “went tiger”—how to exercise your own discipline and commitment, without apology, even if that means bucking the norm. And by learning to reach out to your brand audience, you will come to understand the importance of your network of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family—your fan club— in keeping you motivated and providing the feedback you need for success.
 
Weaving together personal stories of his own transformation with stories about how he created transformative change for brands such as Reebok and Pepsi, Arnell shares his unique vision on how each of us can rebrand and transform ourselves, both personally and professionally, to achieve the success we desire.


PETER ARNELL, founder of Arnell, is one of the foremost branding and design experts in the world. Among the companies he and his team have worked with are DKNY, Samsung, Chanel, Reebok, Mars, Pepsi, Home Depot, GNC, De Tomaso, Fendi, Mikimoto, Special Olympics and Con Edison. He and his family live in Westchester County, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Matt Tyrnauer Reviews Shift

Matt Tyrnauer is a special correspondent at Vanity Fair and a filmmaker. His documentary feature film, Valentino: The Last Emperor, was short-listed for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.

Advertising guru, branding god, industrial design maven, and man about New York Peter Arnell has written an astonishing, emotional, revealing, and very honest memoir in the form of a self-help book. Shift reveals how Arnell rose up from a bright and industrious kid in the last years of the old, innocent Brooklyn to make his mark in the rough world of Manhattan advertising, marketing, and publishing. When we meet Arnell in this vibrant and disarming book, the author has undergone a life transformation: the shedding of more than 250 pounds. Once a famous, kinetic Big Guy who wore un-tucked tent-like white shirts in his high-stakes account pitches in the world's fancier boardrooms, Arnell tells us how he remade himself after one visit to a diet doctor following some simple math about life expectancy for 407-pound short guys. Shift is, in part, the story of Arnell, master brander, rebranding himself, and, along the way, learning and relearning lessons about his present and past. The author is an intuitive edge player, who always dives in head-first to whatever he is doing, and what he is doing is beguiling: Inventing electric cars; re-inventing the fire extinguisher; helping Frank Gehry sell himself to a reluctant world; aiding Samsung in a bid to overtake the American market. It is fascinating to learn about Arnell's motives for his own rebranding (the weight loss, a totally new bespoke Italian wardrobe, and a reframed view of himself and his ability to contribute to the culture), and to go with him back over his own life and career and learn how his wildly eclectic mind synthesized tropes to create some of the most successful and artful corporate identity programs in history. Pepsi, Donna Karan, Home Depot, and McDonald's all benefited from Arnell's vision. Arnell brings us on a very personal voyage, introducing the reader to the countries he loves (Italy above all others), and the big players in the city that made him: New York, New York. The heroes of this book are the good friends (most of them highly accomplished people) and geniuses (some historical figures) from whom Arnell drew strength: from Michelangelo to Martha Stewart to the obscure, brilliant shrink, Milton Wexler, who taught to Arnell to "go helium," and rise above the petty problems of everyday life. Arnell shows us in fast-paced and exciting prose how we too can float on a helium jet stream to happiness, success, and fulfillment of our biggest dreams.

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Review

“Peter Arnell’s genius is that he creates a total 360-degree world.  Once you enter into this fantastical place with him, you can’t help but emerge changed for the better.”  --Frank Gehry
 
“He transformed my vision into a brand and our name into an icon. His passion and desire allow him to see endless possibilities and move dreams into reality.” –Donna Karan
 
“An intriguing look into the mind and creative genius of Peter Arnell...This is an invaluable read for anyone seeking true change in their life and business.” –Gwyneth Paltrow
 
“If you want to know how to change your life for the better, read Shift.  Peter Arnell is living proof that you can do it too.” –Mark Wahlberg
 
“Peter has the unique talent of integrating design, branding, marketing, and innovation. I have seen him work magic.” –Robert Nardelli 
 
“Peter Arnell has defied the odds to lose 256 pounds and keep them off. Anyone trying to make positive changes in their life will benefit from his inspiring focus and discipline.” –Dr. Louis Aronne, Weill/Cornell Medical Center

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038552627X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385526272
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not deep, but insightful and motivational, June 6, 2010

By 

Paul Gifford (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I was on the fence about ordering this book. I don't think of myself as a "brand", and while I could use some self-improvement I don't think I needed to "rebrand" myself. Still, I thought I'd give it a shot...the author has had some great successes in marketing, something that interests me, and I was curious to see how he tied the self-help and marketing together.

Two days and two hundred pages later...

I enjoyed the book. Arnell certainly has a lot of stories to tell (many surrounding his prodigious weight loss) and he tells them well. I was engaged from the first page - he begins the book by telling us he eats 50 oranges a day. Something like that will certainly get your attention.

Arnell has a formula he sticks to throughout the book and it makes the book easy to read. The chapters are short and he usually tells one or two stories in each chapter, relating them to the point he's trying to make. His writing is energetic - the passion he has for his subject clearly comes through. He's helped companies revitalize brands, he's changed himself, and if you follow what he writes then you'll be able to change yourself. The sky's not the limit, he writes.

It's good, entertaining material (it's fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at marketing, even if it is a light treatment of it) which makes the book a quick read. However, is there any substance to the book?

If the first half of the book is the appetizer, the second half is the meat. That's where Arnell tells you how to shift your life. He continues his engaging formula of short chapters peppered with stories while he reveals the secrets to bringing out the best in yourself.

You know what? There are no secrets. You probably won't come across anything you didn't know already.

That doesn't make this book worthless. The strength of this book is two-fold: first, the plan, the path to success, the methods to stay on track are all laid out succinctly. Despite the stories, Arnell makes his points quickly and directly. Secondly, Arnell's enthusiasm is contagious...I couldn't help but be motivated to make some changes in my life.

Sure, there are other self-help books that are longer...a lot longer...than this book. This book wouldn't benefit from being any longer. The truths Arnell lays out (e.g. "go tiger", meaning "be yourself") don't need lengthy explanations. Arnell's role here is part coach and part cheerleader. He'll remind you what to do and how to do it, and make you believe you can accomplish what you set out to do.

Does it work? I don't know yet. I'm going to re-read the second half of the book and try some of his strategies. I'm certainly motivated to try and that's half the battle right there.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly About the Author's Weight Loss. Less about business and advertising., June 6, 2010

By 

Loren Woirhaye "Direct Response copywriting ... (Easthampton, Massachusetts - Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I wasn't expecting a book about weight loss. Since the author is a prominent brand strategist I expect his book would be about that. It's not, much.

The book goes on for nearly 80 pages talking about the author's weight loss and formative experiences before he starts talking about advertising. If you don't care about his personal battle of the bulge, but are interested in gaining marketing insight you might skip to chapter 12 and read from there.

The central idea of the early chapters seems to be that Arnell was morbidly obese and disciplined himself to lose 256 lbs. so as not to put himself in an early grave.

He goes on about it quite a lot, I suppose because it's a real triumphant victory for him personally. But I was, like, "yeah, I get it," after his accomplishment was mentioned 2 or 3 times.

Arnell is a good writer. The early chapters of the book are arranged more like a collection of short essays and I didn't see much structure underneath it.

As an advertising book it has some valuable insights. I liked that about it. I read a lot on advertising, but I don't pay that much attention to the "branding" stuff, because most of what's out there focuses on "branding" for clients with enormous financial resources and a willingness to burn through millions of dollars a year testing branding ideas for, mostly, mass-market products like soda, clothing, soap and so on.

I'm in direct response advertising for small businesses who would usually be ill-advised to invest in the brand advertising Peter
Arnell creates. We're at different ends of what works in advertising - he does stuff for huge corporations like Pepsi and McDonald's, and guys like me help small businesses get measurable money-making results from marketing.

Around page 160 the author decides he really just wants to talk about his weight loss through the end of the book. Ostensibly he's teaching us about personal transformation and re-branding. That's a laudable goal and I think his intentions are noble.

Since about 67% of American adults are overweight or obese, and many would like not to be, this book may have an appeal I am blind to. I am not and never have been part of that 67%.

I found the author's name-dropping annoying. He only focused on the business of advertising for about 80 pages, but he does have good insights - he has a sharp mind for the game, but the book has a split personality. The rest of the book, about 120 pages, is rooted in his weight loss journey.

I give it 3 stars because it's well-written and does have a section containing some insights into what interests me. Not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An easy (but lightweight) read, June 13, 2010

By 

Damodar Chetty (Minnesota, US [www.swengsol.com]) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

The author of this book is a celebrity in advertising circles, and I was looking forward to reading this book.

Unfortunately the book left me very underwhelmed.

First, it focuses more on his personal triumph with weight loss (not a mean feat by itself, but there are better books on that subject out there) rather than on his prowess as a marketing/branding genius. For instance, the discussion on branding/positioning triumphs are too cursory to make it into any text on marketing.

Second, the personal reinvention advice provided is too vague to be of much use. It feels like a motivational book that has a few pages missing in each chapter. Do note that I didn't disagree with the concepts - but that was the problem - there was nothing to get excited about, one way or the other. For example, the whole "Go Helium" idea is nothing but recycled 'aim for the sky' advice.

Third, the author indulges in serious name dropping - which begins to grate after some time. Anecdotes with these "big-names" mostly tend to focus on how much of a visionary and high-achiever the author is, rather than providing any specific insights to the topic at hand. For instance, comments from Eunice Shriver and Bill Clinton laud the author's ability to think big and achieve the impossible.

In conclusion, the biggest disappointment to me was not what the book was, but what it wasn't. The author is one of the most colorful characters in the advertising business - an eccentric genius according to some and a fraud according to others (see the Newsweek article by Daniel Lyons for a quick snapshot).

Instead of providing a cool view into the mind of a visionary, this book ends up being little more than a 30-second commercial spot.

Happy Reading!
~Damodar