Title: The Global Corporate Brand Book
Author: Michael Morley
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan
Reviewed by: Anna Foster, strategy director, The Media Foundry
In a market saturated with books on branding, I found The Global Corporate Brand Book by Michael Morley a genuine breath of fresh air.
Morley covers all aspects of corporate branding, analysing various companies – both large and small – exploring the impact leadership has on a brand’s personality and reputation.
He also looks at the issues surrounding rebranding; dealing with crises, corporate social responsibility and the role of PR in building a brand.
Morley splits his chosen subject into digestible and easy-to-read chapters, perfect for dipping in and out of. As someone with a goldfish’s attention span for such things, this made a perfect companion for my commute.
His style is readable without being simplistic. This book is straight- talking and Morley approaches the subject in a very down-to-earth way without the arrogance and jargon found in so many books of this ilk.
Morley doesn’t use complex theories or models to illustrate and prove his points, but instead draws on numerous topical and interesting case studies from all over the world and a in variety of sectors. The examples cover a range of challenges to both B2B and B2C corporations including Starbucks, DeBeers, GE, Tesco, Virgin, Coca-Cola and UPS.
This approach ensures the reader is left with memorable proof points that can be easily used.
Whilst he tackles the topic of global branding from the perspective of the public relations professional, Morley does take a balanced outlook on the subject and presents an unbiased view, which marketers of any specialism will find enlightening.
The book gives those new to the world of branding a thorough grounding in the subject without over-complicating it. More experienced practitioners will find the case studies Morley draws on both anecdotal and engaging.
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