UnBranding: 100 Branding Lessons for the Age of Disruption

by Scott Stratten, Alison Stratten

UnBranding breaks through the noise of disruption. We live in a transformative time. The digital age has given us unlimited access to information and affected all our traditional business relationships – from how we hire and manage, to how we communicate with our current and would-be customers. Innovation continues to create opportunities for emerging products and services we never thought possible.

With all the excitement of our time, comes confusion and fear for many businesses. Change can be daunting, and never have we lived in a time where change came so quickly.

This is the age of disruption – it's fast-paced, far-reaching and is forever changing how we operate, create, connect, and market.

It's easy to see why brand heads are spinning. Businesses are suffering from 'the next big thing' and we're here to help you find the cure.

UnBranding is about focus – it's about seeing that within these new strategies, technologies and frameworks fighting for our attention, lay the tried and true tenants of good business – because innovation is nothing but a bright and shiny new toy, unless it actually works. UnBranding is here to remind you that you can't fix rude staff, mediocre products and a poor brand reputation with a fancy new app.

We are going to learn from 100 branding stories that will challenge your assumptions about business today and teach valuable, actionable lessons. It's not about going backwards, it's about moving forward with purpose, getting back to the core of good branding while continuing to innovate and improve without leaving your values behind.

Some topics will

Growing and maintaining your brand voice through the noise How to focus on the right tools for your business, for the right reasons Maintaining trust, consistency and connection through customer service and community The most important question to ask yourself before innovation The importance of personal branding in the digital age How to successful navigate feedback and reviews It's time for a reality check. It's time to solve problems, create connections, and provide value rather than rush strategy just to make headlines. UnBranding gives you the guidance you need to navigate the age of disruption and succeed in business today.

Genres: Business

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2017

Reviews

[Ananya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had a disappointing day to say the least. 100 anecdotal stories which sometimes correlate to branding (mostly not). The book plays on the lack of absolutes in the domain of marketing. There are hardly any new things/thoughts/ideas one would come across (atleast if you're in the same profession). Passable.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good.

Some of the stories were pretty fun.

A lot of them were similar.

Still, I got some good lessons from it.
Great examples of customer service horror stories and success stories too.

Fine enough. A little overly fuzzy and brand-lovey at times.

3.4/5

[Brit Blankenship · Rating 2 out of 5]

100 fun little brand anecdotes. Positive notes: some stories I hadn't read before, with good small nuggets that aptly apply to branding. However, working in this industry, there were many stories I had read before in other branding material (a good bit right on my daily news from the internet). So...not as many “aha” or “woah so cool” moments as would have happened if I was less familiar with the topic. Also, some of the writers' opinions I completely disagreed with/felt like they were coming from someone far more educated in marketing and less educated in branding (which they somewhat state). A few chapters seemed to realllllly stretch in order to make any kind of tie to a brand lesson. (Lots on social media, PR and marketing and how that affects a brand rather than on branding lessons, outright). Lastly, their four categories used to fight disruption was a rich takeaway, but I wish their chapters used a key or were organized in a way that cued back to the 4 C’s. It’s not the first educational book I'd tell someone to pick up on branding...but it is a quick, fun read.

[Cherchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretentious at times

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prefix ‘un’ means “not” and is used to give a word a negative or opposite meaning of what it would enjoy on its own. It can be a cool tool when encouraging people to approach things differently. But, if you do use it to create an expectation of disruption, or change, or of offering a new way to think about a subject you really need to deliver.

I expected UnBranding: 100 Branding Lessons for the Age of Disruption, by Scott Stratten and Alison Stratten to deliver a new way of thinking about branding, but it’s not quite what I got.

Lots of folks have difficulty separating the concept of marketing and branding – the simple take on it, is that marketing is what you tell others about yourself and your brand is what others say about you. The waters get a bit muddied in this book when it comes to that concept. I was expecting a more solid take on disrupting the concept of brand, in the same way that the Strattens disrupted the concept of marketing back in 2009 or selling in 2014. I didn’t get that disruption this time around.

So, what did I get from UnBranding?
I got 100 reminders about how things can go wrong…and right…when it comes to marketing and brand management. The value in these bite-sized lessons is in the examples – the handling of situations that affect how people perceive you and your business.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Scott Stratten speak a couple of times and I’ve read most of he and Alison’s books. I knew a bit about what to expect going in and they did not disappoint on that front – there’s a cocky, irreverence that comes in Scott’s speaking gigs which also shows up in their writing style and I really enjoy that. UnBranding was no different in that way. While many of the lessons are familiar if you’re a listener of the Strattens UnPodcast (or if you follow marketing and branding news online), they are still worthwhile reminders of what to do…or not do…when it comes to managing your brand.

In my monthly Thought Readers business book club call where we unpack each book we read, I was reminded about a concept known as the Hawthorne Effect. The basic concept is that people involved in an experiment react differently if they know they are being observed by the folks conducting the experiment. Well, in this case, it’s the reading of a book that causes that effect – the book acting as both observer and experiment. As it was put by the leader of our book club, Lisa Larter, “When I’m with the book, I’m loving the book.” That was exactly my experience.

While I read this book, I loved it…

…afterward, I realized that it was only OK and it didn’t leave me with any actionable learning items.

My takeaways summed up.
One of the biggest pleasures I got from UnBranding was the personal take on things and the personal analogies – I like feeling like I’m learning from an actual person. Others might prefer a more academic approach to material like this, but not me. The second thing that stood out is that we need books like this that shine a light on these experiences because…

…a brand is not a person, but it is people who interact with them, so you'll never be able to disrupt the human factor.

So, bottom line, read it or don’t read it?
If you have the time, read it, but just know that this is not really about “unbranding” anything – nothing in this book disrupts the concept of “brand”.

If you’ve read this book I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.

[A.V. Dalcourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this book I was expecting an argument against branding. Since part of my job is to ensure that the clients I work for possess a strong visual brand, I was interested in hearing what opposing theories had to say. This was not that book. Clearly I am was not familiar with the 'un' brand, and after reading this book, I'm not interested in getting familiar with them.

Branding is about so much more than just a professional and recognizable visual identity, this book covers pretty much all of the non-visual elements of branding through 100 2-4 page lessons which read more like personal endorsements.

These people really heavily on their 'personal brand', in some cases using personal experience to support or denounce brands they like or dislike and it comes off as 'i don't like them and you shouldn't either'. What this book lacks is objectivity and a critical view of what was done, why it was done, and the impact it had. Much of what the book has to offer are 'case studies' without the study part.

Once you get past some of the more soap-boxy patches (i found the last 20-30 lessons increasingly self-indulgent), it's a great reference for customer service, value alignment, and action based marketing. You don't have to agree with everything to find something of value in this book.

Not recommended for entrepreneurs or aspiring business owners who are set in their ways or manic control freaks.

[Ryan Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really want to be even handed here, especially given the authors’ web and review savvy genius. this was my first marketing related book. there were 100 short, shallow chapters with cute anecdotes. I read a lot and I never like it when a book is used as a vehicle to tell uninteresting stories about themselves and their interests. i learned some good advertising buzzwords, which i appreciate. it was also a good starting point for me to do actual, in depth research into the wonderful world of digital and social marketing. if you’re not a newbie like me, save your 25 dollars you’ll spend on this 3500 word almost-book and read a blog. second star for a chuckle or two.

[Fabrizio Poli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much-needed book that through real stories teaches how to brand yourself and your company. Many think that branding is about fancy logos and pretty colors when in reality it's about people.
I thought the 'Pooptrastophe' story (Pg 104) was hilarious and a great branding story for the Hammacher Schlemmer company, that has been around for 169 years! The authors also share some of their personal stories with various brands, including what Lego (Pg 123) did when their son lost one of his Lego mini-figures.
A great read for anyone in business!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again Scott and Alison do a great job putting things in perspective for businesses. I love the short chapters because it makes the information more digestible for busy lifestyles. Their advice is spot on.

The reason for four stars and not five is I remember most of their examples from the podcast. I would have liked some stories they have not covered, although I do understand that some stories, like with United, are too perfect of an example to not repeat.

[Bo Peep · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is okay with SHORT STORIES, giving different typical examples of branding. However, there are a few stories that are a bit more marketing oriented.
In general, the book reads quite quickly, each story has its own meaning for branding but is not too perfect, enough reference, quite fun to read. 🦦

[Fabio Syadino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lindungilah kebiasaan kebiasaan baik, berbicaralah tentang perbuatan yg salah, beradalah disisi yg benar dari sejarah. Dalam jangka pendek mungkin saja ada banyak tantangan, tetapi dalam jangka panjang semua kerja keras dan tantangan akan setimpal

[Corey Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve enjoyed the other ‘unbooks’ the authors have released previously, you’ll enjoy this one. An enjoyable read from start to finish!

[Shawn Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alison and Scott's way of writing. The short lessons give a lot of practical food for thought based on their own experiences.

[Iyan Cahyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku yang bagus untuk belajar personal branding dari sisi yang berbeda. Namun karena buku terjemahan jadi kadang untuk mencerna inti dari apa yang dimaksud agak berat

[Zenia Platten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it - easy to read, personable, and funny.

[Lucy Eisgruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the 100 case studies but nothing out of this world!

[Hidayatullah Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book for whom to starting an entrepreneurial world

[Piotr Pabis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of different branding lessons that are more of dos and don’ts rather than an actual branding guide.