Author: Nigel Hollis
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Reviewer: Steven Anderson, group creative director, Smith & Milton
Sir Martin Sorrell’s quote on the back cover of ‘The Meaningful Brand’ is a fitting summary of the book: “…successful marketing people will find themselves first nodding in recognition … then delighting in the newer insights…”. Basically if you’re a marketing director of any note, there’s lots in here you already know, but may have forgotten, as well as some true insight into how brands grow.
The first thing to state is that the first third of this book is hard work. It does a great job of selling Millward Brown and all its clever processes, but ultimately, it takes about 100 pages to tell you brands are important. Hardly a eureka moment. But when we reach parts two and three, author Nigel Hollis offers one of the most concise and useful texts on not just what a meaningful brand is, but a practical guide and workbook on how to build and cultivate a powerful brand. It’s all there; be clear on your purpose i.e. ‘why do you exist?’, ‘what makes your brand different’ or ‘why should I buy you?’It also offers great insight on delivering your brand to market, ‘how should we be?’. Yes, this is well trodden ground, and the conversations are hardly new, but what makes this book so useful is that it tells you exactly how you go about answering these simple, but fundamental questions about the brands we serve.
The second thing to say is this isn’t an obvious read for a B2B marketer. The book is full of interesting fmcg examples and case studies, and there are sections and references to service brands and what make those different (which will be directly applicable), but there is little on specific B2B product brands. However, in my opinion this doesn’t matter. The principles laid out in this book apply to any marketer involved with steering and developing a brand, no matter who it is.
On top of all the insight and practical tools there is also great tips on how to build a solid case for marketing and brand investment and usefully, where you may be going wrong. All-in-all The Meaningful Brand is a great reference tool, and one I will be recommending to my clients and colleagues to read, B2B or B2C.
Star Rating: 4/5
