Tim Halloran knows marketing and branding. After many years with Coca-Cola, and having taught at Emory and Mercer Universities, he now runs Brand Illumination. This book, "Romancing The Brand," is clear and concise and full of examples of how brands have either succeeded or failed at wooing customers to establish a passionate relationship with the product and the brand.
Throughout the book, the author paints a picture of companies working to create an ever-deepening commitment on the part of customers in a progression he calls "laddering." The progression is logical and each chapter builds upon the one preceding it.
Know Yourself
Know Your Type
Meet Memorably
Make It Mutual
Deepen The Connection
Keep Love Alive
Making Up
Breaking Up and Moving On
Along the way, Halloran shares fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into branding decisions made by a wide variety of companies. The most interesting stories were those involving the branding of Mamma Chia, Sprite, New Coke (Coke II), Dos Equis, Smart Water, Geritol and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. I particularly enjoyed the vignette about Coke trying a very innovative program called the "Coca-Cola Happiness Machine." A special machine with a person inside would randomly dispense flowers, pizza, extra bottles of Coke - to the surprise and delight of the customers trying to make a single bottle purchase.
In an age in which many companies are trying to use social media to demand attention, it is nice to hear about examples of innovative companies that still value the establishment of an intimate human relationship with the customer.
Enjoy.
Al
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