What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand–Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest

Praise for What Great Brands Do

"With her finger on the pulse of today′s competitive business landscape, Denise Lee Yohn knows more than most how to create, sustain, and leverage a great brand. Her writing style coaches readers in a warm and conversational way as she offers up–to–the–minute advice, inspiring examples of organizations that have done it right, and cautionary tales of some who haven′t. If you care about building your brand to grow your business, you can′t afford not to read What Great Brands Do by Denise Lee Yohn."
—Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager and TrustWorks!

"Every leader—from CEOs and CMOs to start–up entrepreneurs—will find Denise′s seven brand–building principles inspirational and immediately useful. I wish Denise had written What Great Brands Do five years earlier—I would have made it required reading for all P&G brand builders!"
—Jim Stengel, former global marketing officer, P&G, and author, Grow

"The Internet has resulted in an explosion of options for consumers, and never before have brands and branding been more vital to the future of a commercial enterprise. Denise Lee Yohn has bottled the elixir of brands and the magic behind brands in this book."
—Om Malik, founder, GigaOM

"Denise Lee Yohn beautifully highlights some of the most beloved brands and how they′ve separated themselves from the rest by creating an emotional connection between the organization and its stakeholders. When employees, vendors, customers, and the community feel like a part of the brand, that′s when the magic happens."
—Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO, the Container Store

"The seven brand–building principles of What Great Brands Do represent a provocative view of branding. You will look at brand building with new eyes."
—David Aaker, vice–chairman, Prophet, and author, Brand Relevance

"Chock full of astute insights, compelling case studies, and practical tools, What Great Brands Do demystifies the brand–building process and shows business leaders how to revitalize and strengthen their brands."
—John Gerzema, executive chairman, BAV Consulting, and coauthor, New York Times bestseller The Athena Doctrine and The Brand Bubble

Introduction 1

1 Great Brands Start Inside 19

2 Great Brands Avoid Selling Products 47

3 Great Brands Ignore Trends 71

4 Great Brands Don’t Chase Customers 99

5 Great Brands Sweat the Small Stuff 125

6 Great Brands Commit and Stay Committed 155

7 Great Brands Never Have to “Give Back” 183

8 The Eighth Principle: Brand as Business 209

Notes 221

Acknowledgments 239

About the Author 241

Index 243

Denise Lee Yohn is an in–demand consultant and speaker with more than twenty–five years of experience helping organizations take their brands to new heights. She developed her innovative brand–building philosophy while working with such companies as Burger King, Frito–Lay, Land Rover, and Sony. An influential writer and speaker, Yohn has contributed to outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review, and her powerful speeches regularly inspire business leaders around the country.
To learn more, please visit www.deniseleeyohn.com

Yohn, a branding consultant and speaker, with an all–star client list that includes Sony, Frito–Lay, and Burger King, knows exactly what it takes to raise a brand to the top and keep it there. Here she shares techniques that can elevate a brand to icon status. She explores how a great company can avoid obsolescence by using its brand as a management tool to fuel, align, and guide its people and initiatives. The eponymous seven brand–building principles are each given a chapter: start with a brand–building corporate culture; ignore trends; don′t chase customers; commit and stay committed; and avoid selling products. Yohn′s exercises, tools, and action steps will help elevate the conversation and undoubtedly enhance any company’s focus on branding. In addition to case studies that feature Google, Trader Joe′s, IBM, and Shake Shack, Yohn provides her most valuable recommendations in her "Brand as Business" chapter, which ties together the seven principles and shows how to integrate them to produce growth and brand strength. Yohn′s book is helpful reading for executives and managers at all levels, and it will guide the next generation of great brands. (Jan.) (Publishers Weekly, December 2013)