Publisher: Capstone
Reviewer: Jennifer Jason, MD at Six Degrees
It’s clear that Linzi Boyd is incredibly energetic and passionate about the work that she does – and it’s infectious. If your brand is after mainstream fame this should most definitely be on your reading list.
Boyd shares some inspiring stories in Brand Famous, and also offers really practical advice – pointing out, for example, that turning a standard brochure into a three minute video automatically makes your message more accessible and appealing. Smart advice that’s relatively easy to implement.
I found the toolkit section prompted me to think differently about the assets we create in our business and how they might be put to better use. The ‘what product am I’ section outlined the various baskets into which your current product or service might fall, which was helpful when it came to framing some of the other suggestions in the following pages.
The book promises to teach you how to get everyone talking about your business, but it is frustratingly light on detail about some of the more compelling suggestions. For example, Boyd points out the importance of attracting the interest of ‘tastemakers’ whose endorsement can go on to spark a flurry of interest in your brand. It’s a concept brands are likely to find extremely attractive. Reaching these tastemakers, according to Boyd, is simply a matter of having a ‘can-do’ attitude. I have absolutely no doubt that Boyd could make it happen, but I suspect claiming the can-do attitude is what drives it doesn’t really take into account the talent, contacts and experience built up by her and her team.
There’s one point on which we might need to agree to disagree. The book seems to suggest that a great brand will drive a great business (or the purpose and passion within that business). To me, that’s the wrong way around. I believe that a company that behaves in line with its purpose and values, and hires people with a shared purpose and passion, will drive a great reputation.
This aside, there’s no doubt that this book includes lots of food for thought, some fun stories and lots of tips and advice.
Star Rating: 4/5
