Friday, March 28, 2008

Book Review: Duane Knapp's The BrandPromise

The BrandPromise book is Duane Knapp's continuum of his last work, The BrandMindset. In his most recent brand philosophy, Knapp concentrates on how your brand can deliver a distinctive experience to all stakeholders and customers by making a Brand Promise.

It's not enough to make a promise, Knapp says, you must truly live that promise; and he shows you how in ten easy to read chapters. Knapp asserts that its not just business as usual, full of marketing tricks. Instead he offers a definitive solution of how to make a brand genuine.

Those who have read The BrandMindset will find that The BrandPromise is narrows the scope of what genuine branding is. Knapp delights readers with inspirational prose and concise examples of real companies experiencing real success in each chapter.

Throughout the book there is a reoccurring theme: provide unique experiences that enhance customers’ lives. Knapp believes that in order to do this, an organization must connect with its stakeholders on both a functional and emotional level. Customers must not only discover a practical benefit to a brand that will meet their needs, they must also have an emotional connection with that brand.

Much of the content from chapter to chapter identifies brand strategies for different organizations (corporations, non-profit groups and personal brands) each with the underlying “promise” theme. After several chapters the information seems repetitive. However, I believe this is intentional. Knapp wants his audience to understand the importance of his idea for distinctive branding. By the end of the book, the reader gets it, and the message sticks.

Knapp’s book also provides a blueprint for how an organization makes a promise. The chapter devoted to this process emphasizes that all associates from top to bottom must be involved in developing a brand’s promise. Further, Knapp dictates that once an organization has made its promise, it must stick to it. Any organization seeking to “make a promise” will want to pay special attention to that chapter and take it to heart.

The writing is simple, but clear and Knapp seems to be putting his philosophy to work in his own writing. It’s clear that Knapp himself wants his readers to have a distinctive experience and feel energized to employ their own brand promise. Moreover, many organizations could benefit from applying Knapp’s promise principles.

Every executive, celebrity, bureaucrat and association interested in taking the steps to energize his or her organizational appeal ought to read The BrandPromise. Doing so will not only transform your outlook on your own brand, but on every other brand you come in contact with every day. The BrandPromise is a must read!

Buy the book on
Amazon
Also, see this review at the book's Amazon page