In “BrandSimple: How the Best Brands Keep it Simple and Succeed“, Allen Adamson, managing director of world-class brand consultancy Landor and Associates, distills his insights of 25 years of experience working with the world’s top brands in one simple phrase: the most successful brands are those that have found a unique and relevant way to differentiate themselves, that is at the same time simple to understand and communicate. Getting to that simple idea, though, is not that simple.

Contrary to other books about branding, usually heavy on jargon and muddy theory, Adamson writes in plain English and provides plenty of real life examples that show how everyday brands have tackled the task of coming up with their very own simple brand idea, and why some have succeeded where others failed. This wide array of case studies makes the book a fascinating and engaging read.

BrandSimple doesn’t stop with the examples, though, and also shows us, step by step, how companies of any size can uncover their simple brand idea, articulate it in a few powerful words (brand driver) and design the most powerful branding signals to communicate that idea to their target customers.

While the author’s experience has been forged with large corporations, the concepts he talks about are relevant and applicable to either the Fortune 500 company with money to spend on Superbowl ads, or the home-based business that must rely on blogging and low cost social media to build its brand.

Like if it wanted to reinforce the book’s central message, BrandSimple’s cover is in itself an exercise on simplicity: there are none of the distracting graphics, background textures or call-out blurbs common in today’s business books. The typesetting is also clear and understated, in a color that provides subtle contrast with the background.

Adamson also makes things simple when he offers a list of his top 10 takeaways at the end of the book. This list is a comprehensive summary of the most important topics covered in the previous 220 pages, and something that readers will want to keep handy and refer to often.

I am greatly impressed by this book and wouldn’t hesitate in calling it the best book on branding I have ever read. I would strongly recommend it to all marketing professionals and especially to small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to stay relevant and competitive.

Purple Cow is a remarkable little book about the current state of marketing. Seth Godin makes the convincing case that selling ordinary products using traditional advertising no longer works.

Ordinary products are easy to make these days, most of us have everything we need, and we’re pretty satisfied with it. No amount of money spent on ads is going to make us change our mind. If customers don’t have the problem you’re trying to solve, they will not even listen. You are invisible.

Instead, Godin argues, smart companies now spend their money in product design, so that they can come up with remarkable products (purple cows) that influential early adopters can then “sell” to other people through word of mouth. In Purple Cow products, the product and the message are one and the same: the product tells a story that people naturally want to share.

Recently, I was sitting next to a friend during lunch and, while we were waiting to be served he pulled out his new iPhone. I couldn’t help but to make a remark about how sleek it looked; he then answered by giving me a passionate demonstration of all of the phone’s features. If I were more of a gadget-head, I would have left the restaurant and go buy one immediately. This is a perfect example of a Purple Cow at work.

How does one make a Purple Cow? Seth doesn’t have the answer, but offers a good suggestion: look for the edges, explore the limits. Find a product that is “too” something for most people, but absolutely irresistible for a small (but big enough to be profitable) group of people, who will in turn evangelize your product to others.

As usual, Seth uses plenty of compelling case studies to make his points, and writes down his takeaways at the end of each chapter, which makes the concepts covered in the book easier to digest. At 160 small-format pages, the book is a quick and entertaining read, ideal for when you have a couple of hours to kill on a plane or airport.

Read More:

Fast Company article about the Purple Cow
Dosh Dosh Purple Cow Review