The Hero and the Outlaw - Tapa blanda

Some brands are so extraordinary that they become larger-than-life, symbolic of entire cultures, and used and admired by consumers the world over. But in spite of all the books and banter about branding, few companies come even close to developing iconic identities for their brands. New brands are being born every minute, with lots of flash and fanfare, but often with no real human connection to make them truly relevant. At the same time, mature brands are diluting their identities in an attempt to respond to shifting trends, while other others attempt to graft meaning onto products in artificial and ineffectual ways. As a result, millions of advertising and promotional dollars are being squandered. In an easily accessible way, The Hero and the Outlaw offers a clearly structured system that all business and marketing professionals can follow and replicate. After presenting the compelling concept of archetypal meaning, the authors demonstrate specific methods for implementing this concept into real-world setting, including: how to understand the deep meaning of your product category and "claim" it for your brand, how to assess the competitive landscape from an archetypal perspective, how to connect with customers more deeply, and how to tell your brand's story in a way that echoes the most enduring and beloved story patterns, the world over. Readers will learn how to strip away surface information to discover the deeper core meanings that can make a product, service, or organization a winning brand. Illuminating the untapped potential underlying every stage of the marketing mix, the authors also show how the brand story begins with the product itself, and can be communicated not only in the advertising, but also in event marketing, public relations, organizational culture/policies, and philanthropic efforts. Such efforts flow naturally when a company knows its core values and lives the great story of the archetype that embodies them. The books' fascinating culmination puts it all together with an illumination of how the deep meaning of a product category, itself can inspire a unique and compelling brand identity. This final chapter also shows how products can be effectively marketed in ways that reinforce positive potentials within customers and the society as a whole--and generally, do no harm

Margaret Mark (New York, NY) is President of Strategic Insight, a consulting firm specializing in creative strategic direction for businesses and brands. She is formerly Executive Vice President of Young & Rubicam.