Brand Now: How to Stand Out in a Crowded, Distracted World

by Nick Westergaard

Capture their attention, and keep it. Learn how to stand out in a crowded and distracted world.

With the rise of digital media, you'd think it would be easier than ever to be heard. Yet, most messages fail to cut through the clutter. Consumers are overwhelmed. Ads alone aren't effective. And you can't just produce content and connect on every social network. To stand out today, you need to start with your brand.

Brand Now uncovers the new rules of branding in our complex and chaotic world. Written by digital strategist and author Nick Westergaard, this book explains how to build brands that resonate both online and off. The book helps

Create a brand with meaningReinforce it with the right touchpointsHone your brand's unique storyShare it through engaging contentCultivate a sense of communityCraft a coherent experienceStand out with simplicity and transparencyThe world may be growing louder, but with Brand Now's big ideas and practical toolbox, you can break through the noise-and win a place in the hearts and minds of your customers.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2018

About the author

Nick Westergaard is chief brand strategist at Brand Driven Digital, where he helps build better brands at organizations of all sizes—from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies to the President’s Jobs Council. An in-demand speaker at conferences throughout the world, he also teaches branding and marketing at the University of Iowa and hosts the popular On Brand podcast. Nick lives with his family in Coralville, Iowa. Connect with him online at NickWestergaard.com and on Twitter @NickWestergaard.

Reviews

[SarahJane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and helpful. Good examples.

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting schemed book on how to brand. It touches different cases in a good organized way. It can be quite useful while approaching to marketing and having an overview on the main principles behind it. The book itself doesn’t share anything groundbreaking but it does not pretend it

[Josh Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my master’s degree in a nutshell. On point, fun and very dynamic. Branding can’t be forgotten nor confused with Marketing/Communications. It should coexist with both.

[Maddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for class, wrote an exceptional 3 pages on it, and better receive all 100 extra credit points. with that being said, I only read 50 pages and skimmed the rest. I don't feel qualified to give this a star rating, nor do I know how to rate this one. wait, no. I'm going to give it a 3 so people can find my review.

so here is. my first paragraph to give an accurate review:
I like to read for fun, it's my greatest ongoing hobby, never mind that books can be expensive. So when I heard a book review could be done in exchange for some extra credit I was excited, for I like writing, but I was nervous about reading the book. To be quite clear, I put off reading this book until the last second, for one reason only: this is a business book. Not that there's anything wrong with them, they just are my style or my type of genre. I think people commonly perceive them as “the books with big business words” with graphs and all that. But reading this book was like reading any other book. It was actually enjoyable, to my surprise. I appreciate that Westergaard added random quotes, fun drawings, and wrote in a way for us to easily understand.

so anyway, if you want to read the rest of the review, you can. its really good and probably a better review than all the business men in these reviews.
if you are actually wanting to know what I thought about the book, you probably won't find that here. unless you read my 3 page review for class. -> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D...

[John LaBella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Nick Westergaard’s latest book “Brand Now”. If I hadn’t I would have purchased it anyway. The book should be included in any endeavor’s library of reference material! The material is presented in a relatable fashion and generates the “Are we doing this?” type of questions. This is a “two thumbs up” resource!

[Andrew Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an obsessed brand builder and constant gardener of the branding culture, I have to say “Brand Now” offers some of the best, most practical and consumable brand guidelines I’ve read in a long time. Well written, with great pace and humor, “Brand Now” fills a gap for brand education and practical development often muddled by others.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking, and everything feels pretty high level or introductory. One thing I did enjoy was the concept of comparing your brand story to a classical narrative archetype and attempting to structure around that (e.g., overcoming a monster brands are rebels like Apple’s Mac vs PC campaign, story is dependent upon an antagonist).

[Dan Moyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick shares terrific examples of what makes a brand powerful in the current marketplace. His writing has an easy style like you’re just having a conversation. Great book for marketers, brand ambassadors, business owners and anyone connected to the essence of a brand.

[William Brophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

I have read over 100 books on branding and this is one of my favorites. It's full of wisdom that you can take action on right away. Nick also has a fun personality which shines through as you flip pages. Highly recommended.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and well-written branding book that offers a simple but useful framework for thinking about your brand. I would recommend this to early-career marketers or small business owners looking to create a real brand for their business. I got a copy of this book after seeing Nick speak at a conference and it reads similarly to how he presents: fun and engaging.

[Nadia P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an awesome book: clear, good written with great illustrative examples. I liked that the author expanded the general known concepts with fresh content and personal details. Funny written and easy read.

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part 1 examines seven dynamics of branding, and part 2 examines different types of brands. It’s an interesting an entertaining read, but doesn’t offer a systematic way to review, develop or redevelop your brand.

[Lindsey Denney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a day and a half! I had attended a conference where the author was a guest speaker so we got a free copy and it’s amazing! Very helpful and a great resource when you need some guidance!

[Mikael Siirilä · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and easy read - but does not offer much deeper insight.

[Altaix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas, but sometimes harder to follow the thought of you do not have background in marketing.

[Nick Claxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good book woth lots of information i would recommend to alot of people.

[Dlmrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Alesia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great information about building a brand. This book is really dry thro put me to sleep a few times.

[Seth G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick is a wealth of knowledge

Nick's book is on brand for his knowledge. This is a must read for any marketer.

Get this book now!

[Bianca Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, swift read. Makes sense overall, will probably revisit when needing a practical application

[Ben Omer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brand now blueprint
- Meaning
- Structure
- Story
- Content
- Community
- Clarity
- Experience

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Расширенная версия блога: крайне поверхностно и ничего нового. Сильный уклон в «storytelling», которому автор посвящает чуть ли не половину книги.

Extended version of the blog: extremely superficial and nothing new. A strong lean in "storytelling" to which the author devotes almost half of the book.