Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands [Paperback]

Marty Neumeier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0321426770 | ISBN-13: 978-0321426772 | Edition: 1

"When everybody zigs, zag," says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear "whiteboard overview" style of the author’s first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough—today companies need “radical differentiation” to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read you’ll learn:

- why me-too brands are doomed to fail
- how to "read" customer feedback on new products and messages
- the 17 steps for designing “difference” into your brand
- how to turn your brand’s “onliness” into a “trueline” to drive synergy
- the secrets of naming products, services, and companies
- the four deadly dangers faced by brand portfolios
- how to “stretch” your brand without breaking it
- how to succeed at all three stages of the competition cycle

From the back cover:
In an age of me-too products and instant communications, keeping up with the competition is no longer a winning strategy. Today you have to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition. The new rule? When everybody zigs, zag. In his first book, THE BRAND GAP, Neumeier showed companies how to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. In ZAG, he illustrates the number-one strategy of high-performance brands—radical differentiation.

ZAG is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA. For a quick peek inside ZAG, go to www.zagbook.com.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Each of [Neumeier’s] books is excellent, but ZAG is revolutionary.”
—JACK COVERT AND TODD SATTERSTEN, FROM THE 100 BEST BUSINESS BOOKS OF ALL TIME

“You already know that this book has the best title of any marketing book in a generation. What you don’t know is the details of the Intrusiveness Death Spiral and what to do about it. This little book ought to help. A lot.”
—SETH GODIN, AUTHOR OF SMALL IS THE NEW BIG

“Here’s a practical field guide on how to create and grow a world-class brand, so no more excuses—read it now and start zagging.”
—KIP KNIGHT, MARKETING VICE PRESIDENT, EBAY

“The revolution needs passion, imagination, and a dangerous handbook. Here
it is, born in the trenches yet written with enough verve and imagination to get you out of them—fast.”
—BRIAN COLLINS, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, OGILVY

“A big idea surrounded by 17 practical steps and presented in a delightful style.  The presentation alone is worth the price of the book.”
—DAVID A. AAKER, VICE CHAIRMAN, PROPHET, AUTHOR OF BRAND PORTFOLIO STRATEGY

“Awesome book—even better than THE BRAND GAP. It arrived at my desk like a familiar but new friend.”
—ROD SWANSON, DIRECTOR OF BRAND INTEGRATION, ELECTRONIC ARTS

“There are two strategy choices: Do what everyone else is doing, only better, cheaper, or faster. Or do something different and truly distinctive. Marty Neumeier offers essential insights into how to do the latter.”
—PROF. RON SANCHEZ, COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL, CO-AUTHOR OF THE NEW STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

"ZAG is the new GPS for marketers. Clear, crisp directions for building strong brands and keeping them fresh and relevant. Read it before your competition does and stay one zag ahead.”
—GARY ELLIOTT, VP BRAND MARKETING, HEWLETT-PACKARD

“Never has one author jammed so many good ideas into so few pages as Marty Neumeier has.”
—AL RIES, AUTHOR OF THE ORIGIN OF BRANDS

"It is part manifesto, part practical handbook, and you can read it between LaGuardia and Logan.”
—BUSINESSWEEK

About the Author

Marty Neumeier's professional mission is to "incite business revolution by unleashing the power of design thinking." He does this by writing books, conducting workshops, and speaking internationally about the power of brand, innovation, and design. His bestselling "whiteboard" books include THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY. His video, MARTY NEUMEIER'S INNOVATION WORKSHOP, combines highlights from all three books into a hands-on learning experience. Marty serves as Director of Transformation at Liquid Agency, and divides his writing time between California and southwest France.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (September 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321426770
• ISBN-13: 978-0321426772
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Management > Careers
  • #11 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Marketing > Product Management
  • #100 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Graphics & Multimedia

More About the Author

Marty Neumeier is a designer, writer, and business adviser whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of creativity to industry. His latest book, METASKILLS, explores the five essential talents that will drive innovation in the 21st century. His previous series of "whiteboard" books includes THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, about the role of design in corporate innovation; ZAG, named one of the "top hundred business books of all time" for its insights into radical differentiation; and THE BRAND GAP, considered by many the foundational text for modern brand-building. He has worked closely with innovators at Apple, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, HP, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft to advance their brands and cultures. Today he serves as Director of Transformation for Liquid Agency, and travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of innovation, brand, and design. Between trips, he and his wife spend their time in California and southwest France.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to "zag" when everyone else "zigs" June 28, 2007

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In a previous book, The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier explains how companies can bridge the gap between business strategy and customer experience, noting that brand-building isn't a series of isolated activities; rather, it is a complete system in which five disciplines - differentiation, collaboration, innovation, validation, and cultivation - "combine to produce a sustainable competitive advantage. " His intent in Zag "is to zoom in on differentiation to reveal the system within the system."

Initially, he observes that the human mind deals with clutter the best way it can: by blocking it out. As a result, "the newest barriers to competition are the mental walls that customers erect to keep out clutter. For the first time in history, the most powerful barriers to competition are not controlled by companies, but by customers. Those little boxes they build in their minds determine the boundaries of brands." (Thomas H. Davenport and John C. Beck also have much of value to say about these boundaries and barriers in The Attention Economy: Understanding the New Currency of Business.) In his latest book, Neumeier explains how to overcome these barriers with radical innovation - "the engine for a high performance brand" - that requires mastery of four disciplines:

1. Finding your zag
2. Designing your zag
3. Building your zag
4. Renewing your zag

Everything begins with identifying the zag. That is, offering something that combines the qualities of both good and different. "When focus is paired with differentiation, supported by a trend, and surrounded by compelling communications, you have the basic ingredients of a zag."

OK, but how to do that? Neumeier provides a design process that consists of 17 checkpoints, each formulated as a question. He explains how to answer each of them correctly (i.e. an answer most appropriate to the given organization) by proceeding through a sequence of 17 checkpoints, each of which evokes a question to be answered correctly (i.e. appropriate to the given organization), with the first two previously posed as a trilogy in The Brand Gap: "Who are you?" and "What do you do?" Responding to them may prove far more difficult than it may first seem and a correct (i.e. appropriate) answer to each is essential to achieving radical innovation. The third question posed previously, "Why should I care?" creates an even greater challenge. Fortunately, a correct (i.e. appropriate) answer to that question will be revealed by carefully proceeding through the remaining 15 checkpoints.

It is truly remarkable how much substance and how many thought-provoking questions Neumeier provides within a narrative of less than 200 pages. With both rigor and eloquence, he explains how radical innovation can break through ever-increasing clutter in a competitive marketplace, whatever and wherever it may be. Special note should also be made of the book's production values. All of his core concepts, checklists, key points, observations, and recommendations are presented within a visually appealing context. The last time I checked, there are about 34,000 business books on the general subject of brands. Neumeier has written two of the most valuable among them. Bravo!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy it (unless you can answer the question) March 9, 2007

By Jeff Scurry

Format:Paperback

How do you know if you should read this book? Simple, finish this sentence:

Our brand is the only ____________that ______________.

If you completed that sentence with something only your brand can do then you don't need to bother. If not, stop reading and order now.

Although everyone says they are (probably) uniquely qualified to do whatever it is they do, few can actually plug the holes in the sentence. Zag will teach you how.

Zag teaches that the only way to differentiate yourself is to zag when everybody zigs. Go where no one else has gone before. Don't make it different - make it radically different! Don't worry, there is a 17-point checklist to walk you through it.

Like the Brand Gap, Neumeier has dropped the heft and delivered "easy-to-read, easy-to-use and easy-to-remember principles." No words or pages are wasted in Zag.

I give it my highest rating.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Ideas, None From the Author December 13, 2009

By Marcos

Format:Paperback

I guess if the author had stated clearly that this book was a pastitsio, or a mix of other marketing books, I could actually give it 4 stars. Indeed, it is a great short summary of marketing common sense, and one which I could easily refer students to. The core of the book is a check list from the company's mission to communication to the points of contact with the customer, much like a homework marketing managers should be doing already.

However, the book doesn't bring ONE new idea into the stage. They are all ideas from other authors, whom surprisingly recommend the book, when they should instead be suing Neumeier for plagiarism.

The very concept of ZAG, a catch word if there was ever one, is the same as Seth Godin's Purple Cow: a unique differentiation concept that would put you ahead of the competition. Then he spends a good time explaining how the consumer has a specific mind niche for each category, a concept that is present in the 1980 book "Positioning", by Ries and Trout. He uses Godin's "Tribes"concept a lot. Drop a little Aaker into the mix and you have ZAG.
I am mesmerized, because the author recommends these very books he got all the ideas from, in the end of his text.

So, is it ok now to almost cut & paste other works as long as you mention them in the appendix ? Is this an editorial marketing ploy ?
If you are not bothered by this, then go ahead and buy the book. It is an easy read and the ideas are useful.