Book Notes on "The Brand Gap" by Marty Neumeier
Masterfully written by Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap is a guide to understanding what a Brand is and isn't, how it's built, and how to take care of it.
What a Brand Isn't
The book starts with a statement about what a Brand isn't. All the stereotypes you've heard, clichéd words, and any other terms you use to define a brand are discarded and clarified within the first 3 pages of the book's introduction.
"First of all, a brand is not a logo... Second, a brand is not a corporate identity... Finally, a brand is not a product. A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company." — Marty Neumeier
This encapsulates the entire philosophy of the book.
To understand the brand you've built—or if you've built one in the first place—you must listen to what the people you've served have to say.
You can't strut around and preach that you've built a specific brand while what you're saying doesn't resonate with the experiences people have with your brand.
The Brand Gap
This creates what the book refers to as the GAP—where business strategies don't align with design.
The larger this gap is:
- The farther away you are from people
- The more turbulently they perceive you
- They don't recognize you
- They don't understand you
- They don't listen to you
- They don't remember you
The Virtuous Circle
To bridge this distance, according to the author, a company needs to go through a circle with 5 disciplines.
With each turn around the circle, brand value spirals higher.
1. Differentiate
To start building your brand, ask yourself three questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Why does it matter?
2. Collaborate
You can't build something great on your own—you need the contribution of many people to achieve that.
Open your doors to people and seek fruitful collaborations.
"It takes a village to build a brand." — Marty Neumeier
3. Innovate
If you want to make a difference in this world, you have to shake up reality and bring something that people subconsciously need.
Innovation requires creativity, and creativity requires unnatural acts.
Innovation is not a straight line—it's a zig-zag line to find what industrial designer Raymond Loewy called MAYA: the Most Advanced Yet Acceptable Solution.
"How do you know when an idea is innovative? When it scares the hell out of you." — Marty Neumeier
4. Validate
To understand if what you're building is helping people or not, you must engage in a dialogue with them.
You send something, and they respond—and vice versa.
This kind of communication validates your efforts to stay in business.
5. Cultivate
"Your business is not an entity but a living organism. The same goes for your brand. Alignment, not consistency, is the basis of a living brand." — Marty Neumeier
"Read this book before your competitors do." — Tom Kelley, General Manager, IDEO
