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Citizen Brand
10 Commandments for Transforming Brands in a Consumer Democracy
By Marc Gobé
Allworth Press, 2002.
Reviewed by Jean-Léon Bouchenoire
Citizen Brand, a follow-up to Marc Gobé’s earlier book,
Emotional Branding, makes the point that today’s customers
are less predictable than in previous decades and that corporations
need to be in touch with their customers’ ways of life, wants,
and needs through a new business philosophy based on social responsibility.
Consequently, companies have begun to think of brand in a different
way, knowing that consumers who experience a brand in an emotional
way tend to be more loyal buyers.
Gobé sets the stage by telling us that most "emotional"
brands (that is, brands that elicit emotion and loyalty in consumers)
share three ideas: a great corporate culture focused above all on
people—internally and externally; a communication style and
philosophy that stands out in the crowd (for example, see Apple
and Target); and an emotional "hook" that draws people
to the brand’s promise. Four key ideas to take away from this
book:
"Emotional brands, whether political or commercial, do
not belong to countries or corporations, but to people." "Successful brands articulate a strong vision through verbal
and visual traits consistent with their image and relevant to
their audience." "Brands simplify the lives of time-starved consumers, helping
them to make choices in an overcrowded market. Corporations and
brands, unlike politicians, are every day elected by people. Consumers
vote with their wallets." "People will look for brands that understand their needs
to meet, hug, and share optimism in a real way."
Gobé describes his ten commandments and gives ample details
based on real examples and applications, making it easy for readers
to apply those principles to their own projects.
Jean-Léon Bouchenoire is the principal
of GlobalBrandOne.
This review originally appeared in the Spring
2003 Design Management Review |
