Brand Against the Machine E-Book

John Michael Morgan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 325

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Ditch traditional corporate branding to create a powerful, recognizable brand

Brand Against the Machine offers proven and actionable steps for companies and entrepreneurs to increase their brand visibility and credibility, and to create an indispensable brand that consumers can relate to, thus becoming life-long customers. Discover the aspirational currency that makes your brand one that people want to be or want to be friends with. Learn how to be real with your audience and make strategic associations to establish credibility. Brand Against the Machine will help you stand out, get noticed, and be remembered.

Brand Against the Machine is the blueprint for how to market your brand to attract better clients and stand out from the clutter that is traditional corporate branding and marketing.

• Instant Positioning Method: How to instantly stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a resource, not just another service provider
• The 20/60/20 Rule: Why it's important to take a stand and why it's okay to have haters—because it creates a stronger bond with those who love you

Ditch your traditional corporate branding and marketing, and exchange it for something memorable. Your customers will thank you for it.

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Endorsement

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

1: The Machine

2: Why Branding?

3: The Brand Framework

4: Visibility versus Ability

5: Attention Doesn't Equal Trust

6: The Right Position

7: The Master Plan

8: Marketing versus Branding

9: Do You Believe?

10: Anchor Belief

11: Death of the Mundane

12: The Creation Story

13: Extra Ordinary

14: Bring the Noise

Four-Letter Word

15: Content Explosion

16: Top Yourself

17: Welcome to the Social Parade

18: The Brand Conversation

19: Many Shades of You

20: Celebrity Currency

21: The Uncommon Brand

22: Dissident

23: Your Brand's Home Base

24: Shock and Awe

25: The Presentation Age

26: Video Made the Internet Star

27: Brand Alliance

28: Dirty Little Secret

29: Little Things

30: Race to the Bottom

31: Longing to Belong

32: Brand Without a Cause

33: Why Your Website Sucks

34: Misunderstood

35: The Hangout

36: Light the Fuse

37: Overnight Authority

38: Everything in Twos

39: Point of View

40: Back and Forth

41: Feeling Good

42: Everything You Do Is Branding

43: Hidden Brand Advocates

44: Come as You Are

45: The 20/60/20 Rule

46: The Real Thing

47: What's in a Name?

48: The Prospect Cycle

49: Viva La Failure

50: Know Your Enemy

51: Erase, Then Replace

52: The Sound of Silence

53: The 10:100 Method

54: Your Online Presence

55: Raise Your Standards

56: Warning: You've Been Lied To

57: Monitor and Measure

58: How to Ensure Your Brand Fails

59: What Is Killing Entrepreneurs?

60: Twenty Rules

61: Parting Shot

Special Offer

Acknowledgments

Index

Praise forBrand Against the Machine

“John is a rebellious leader of a new form of branding. He doesn’t pull any punches and delivers straightforward advice you can’t afford to ignore.”

—Barry Moltz, author of Bounce!

“As a business owner, it’s easy to get lost in the crowds and noise, which is why a powerful brand is crucial. Other so-called brand experts seem to be riding a trend of what business owners see as the next miracle cure. But John Morgan is different. Branding is a lifestyle, a signature, and, quite simply, what he breathes on a cellular level. Don’t waste your time studying branding with anyone else. Just read, listen, and watch John. I know I do.”

—Carrie Wilkerson, author of The Barefoot Executive

“This ain’t your mother’s world of branding anymore. Brand Against the Machine is a punk rock look into the world of branding. This book will help you get ahead of the crowd by surfing right over it and jumping right into the mosh pit of business.”

—Amber Osborne, aka Miss Destructo

“Brand Against the Machine is a wake-up call for business owners with its ruthless challenging of assumptions about branding and marketing. If you want to build a business that not only gets noticed, but also gets cared about, then read this book today.”

—Dr. Mollie Marti, author of The 12 Factors of Business Success

“John nailed it with this one sentence from the book: ‘The future of branding is marketing WITH people and not AT them.’ This book is filled with real wisdom from a super smart marketer and is one that every business owner should read immediately.”

—Ryan Lee, author, entrepreneur, coach, speaker

“There are thousands of people you can turn to for branding. But there’s only one who has the creativity, chops, and spot-on insight to help you perfectly connect to your market–John Morgan. Brand Against the Machine is your invitation to step out of the shadows and move from invisible to unavoidable.”

—Paul Evans, author and speaker

“John Morgan will definitely change the way you think about branding and marketing your business. John is one of the smartest branding experts around. His strategies are second to none. You owe it to yourself and to your customers to listen. Read Brand Against the Machine today!”

—Kristi Frank, celebrity, diet guru, and former star of The Apprentice with Donald Trump

“Branding is one of those topics businesspeople throw around in conversation but don’t truly understand. If you’ve ever been secretly confused about what personal branding is or simply want to know exactly how to create and communicate your own powerful brand so that you are in demand, you’ve got to read this book. John Morgan’s no-nonsense style had me laughing out loud while taking notes from beginning to end.”

—Felicia J. Slattery, author ofCash In on Communication; andCinderella Interrupted

“John has laser vision when it comes to brand development. John’s genius lies in his ability to identify brand hooks that are remarkable and memorable. I have always been amazed at John’s ability to see branding opportunities that increase his client’s bottom line without fail. John is a student and teacher of great branding. His ability to leverage brand equity and pinpoint opportunities has helped his clients increase their bottom lines exponentially.”

—Perry Lawrence, Mr. Video at AskMrVideo.com

“John Morgan is a leading authority on branding. John’s depth of knowledge and practical takeaways are both compelling and exciting. You can take action immediately on John’s advice. He explains things in a way that is relatable but at the same time takes everyone listening to a higher level of understanding. He’s my go-to guy on all things branding.”

—Erin Blaskie, www.erinblaskie.com

“If you think your brand isn’t important, you need to hit yourself with a wet noodle and then crack open this book. John’s words will break you down, stir you up, and then help you be able to Brand Against the Machine.”

—Jason Dykstra, Absolution Mediation

“John Morgan is absolutely one of the most genuine, spot-on branding strategists I have had the pleasure of working with. He knows how to simply turn a person or a company into living a brand that speaks their message clearly and authentically, all while having fun and enjoying the ride. John has a unique ability to create a brand with you that feels unique, is completely you, and brings you the clients you can’t wait to serve!”

—Maruxa Murphy, marketing and business coach

“John Morgan is a branding powerhouse. He has a knack for cutting through the noise to get a brand to burst into the marketplace. I can’t count how many thousands of dollars he’s saved me with sage advice and, more important, the thousands of dollars his advice has made me!”

—Spencer Shaw, serial entrepreneur

“Branding is one of those things that if it’s done wrong, it can kill your business before it even gets off the ground, but if you do it the right way, the way John teaches, you can multiply your customer base, resonate more deeply with those customers, and have the successful business you envision.”

—Kyle Battis, Internet entrepreneur

“John Morgan has forgotten more about business branding than most have ever known. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from him. He has the unique ability to deliver and teach branding in a fun and entertaining way.”

—Josh Hinds, founder of GetMotivation.com

“When John Morgan speaks, I listen intently. If your goal is to build a lasting and powerful brand, this book will teach you how to navigate the murky waters of branding. Few people understand what makes a brand successful. John not only understands what others don’t, but he also shares actionable strategies that will have an immediate impact on your business. I know this because I’ve seen it firsthand in my own company.”

—Travis Robertson, peak performance coach and entrepreneur; owner of Don’t Settle Media

“John Morgan’s branding strategies and advice are both incredibly powerful and yet infinitely practical. Before I started working with John, I knew who I wanted to connect with, but I didn’t know how to position myself and my services in a way that stood out and attracted my ideal clients to me. After John’s coaching, I knew specifically who I was targeting, how to reach them, what to say to them, and how to position myself as the perfect person to serve their needs. John is the most honest, nonsalesy, clever, and down-to-earth branding expert I have ever met, and working with him was one of the best investments I have made in my consulting business.”

—Kendra D. Brodin, legal career and professional development consultant

“John Morgan is called the ‘Chuck Norris of Branding’ for a reason–he gives brands glistening biceps. Get ready for the gun show by reading this book, or take warning that your brand might go missing in action.”

—Janet Wallace, owner of Social Deviants

“John Morgan is not only an authority on branding, but also a genius at helping you discover your own unique voice. He is masterful at establishing credibility and adding fun to your marketing efforts. Without a doubt, John is an expert at helping entrepreneurs breathe life into their brands and their businesses. Every time I have contact with John, I never fail to be impressed at his marketing acumen and savvy.”

—Danielle Miller, coach, DanielleMiller.com

“Brand Against the Machine is to business books what film was to the movie industry. Everything before now seems trite and out of place. John has written a book that will not only change how you see your business; it will change how you see yourself. If you don’t read this book, you’d better start watching your back from those that have.”

—Joey Strawn, social media strategist

“John Morgan will push your boundaries. With John’s strategies I have gone from an unemployed website salesman to a business thought leader in my niche. John has helped shape the way I look at business.”

—Jason Elkins, Transparent Media

“John is one of those rare people who proves what he preaches. His critical insights on branding aren’t for everyone. But those who want their business to thrive can’t afford to miss him.”

—Joel Widmer, Fluxe Digital Marketing

“John Morgan is a cup of pure awesomeness. He’s got more branding know-how in his pinkie than most agencies have in their entire team. His ideas and recommendations are a great combination of wisdom, humor, and heart. Your business will be wildly impacted by implementing his suggestions and strategies. I know mine has been!”

—Mitch Matthews, founder of The Big Dream Gathering

“Building my personal brand has been one of the most, if not the most, important business decisions I’ve ever made. As a result of the strategies I’ve learned from my good friend John, I’ve been positioned by every major media outlet in my local area as the go-to expert in my market. Now I’ve got a platform where I can make a huge impact in my local city and give back.”

—Alejandro Reyes, blogger and speaker

“Swiping a Morgan-ism: if visibility gets you in the door and credibility keeps you there–John is well and truly cemented inside the house of personal branding.”

—James Reynolds, Incredible Inc.

“John takes marketing know-how, trims off all the fat, and serves it up to you in easy-to-follow bite-sized pieces. This book is not only for the novice but also for the pro who has become overloaded with too much noise!”

—Danny Griffin, real estate coach

Copyright © 2012 by John Morgan. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Morgan, John, 1961- Brand against the machine : How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-118-10352-4 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-16035-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-16034-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-16033-6 1. Branding (Marketing) I. Title. HF5415.1255.M67 2012 658.8′27–dc23 2011024074

To my amazing wife Brooke, for seeing something in me years before I saw it myself.

1

The Machine

IT WAS JANUARY 20, 1759, when English author Samuel Johnson said in his magazine The Idler, “Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises, and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic.”

That was 252 years ago. Nothing has changed.

Every day we are hammered with thousands of messages that are pushed on us by brands regardless of whether or not we want them. Interrupting people over and over with your marketing message is the craziest way to do business I know. Yet every day, it's like a machine is producing message after message and shoving them down people's throats, hoping they will buy. This is the machine you and I are setting out to destroy.