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Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand
Little changes can make a big difference.
When some of the world’s biggest corporations need to revive their brands, innovate products, and rethink their images, they call Peter Arnell.
Now in his fourth decade of branding and marketing for such companies as Samsung, Reebok, DKNY, GNC, and Pepsi, Arnell explains how you can use some of the same strategies that famous brands do, in order to improve your own image, life, and career. Arnell knows this firsthand because he applied many of these same strategies to transform his own life by losing 256 pounds.
How did he do it?
Arnell created an idea he calls Shift .
With Shift, you’ll discover the steps you need to take in order to become the best you. Creating and revitalizing brands happens every day in business. Shift shows how you can make it happen for yourself and your personal brand.
Innovative insights such as “go helium” are used by Arnell to explain how he reached his ultimate goal of 150 pounds—you can apply his techniques to reach for your own goals. You will see—through Arnell’s description of how he “went tiger”—how to exercise your own discipline and commitment, without apology, even if that means bucking the norm. And by learning to reach out to your brand audience, you will come to understand the importance of your network of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family—your fan club— in keeping you motivated and providing the feedback you need for success.
Weaving together personal stories of his own transformation with stories about how he created transformative change for brands such as Reebok and Pepsi, Arnell shares his unique vision on how each of us can rebrand and transform ourselves, both personally and professionally, to achieve the success we desire.
PETER ARNELL, founder of Arnell, is one of the foremost branding and design experts in the world. Among the companies he and his team have worked with are DKNY, Samsung, Chanel, Reebok, Mars, Pepsi, Home Depot, GNC, De Tomaso, Fendi, Mikimoto, Special Olympics and Con Edison. He and his family live in Westchester County, New York.
When some of the world’s biggest corporations need to revive their brands, innovate products, and rethink their images, they call Peter Arnell.
Now in his fourth decade of branding and marketing for such companies as Samsung, Reebok, DKNY, GNC, and Pepsi, Arnell explains how you can use some of the same strategies that famous brands do, in order to improve your own image, life, and career. Arnell knows this firsthand because he applied many of these same strategies to transform his own life by losing 256 pounds.
How did he do it?
Arnell created an idea he calls Shift .
With Shift, you’ll discover the steps you need to take in order to become the best you. Creating and revitalizing brands happens every day in business. Shift shows how you can make it happen for yourself and your personal brand.
Innovative insights such as “go helium” are used by Arnell to explain how he reached his ultimate goal of 150 pounds—you can apply his techniques to reach for your own goals. You will see—through Arnell’s description of how he “went tiger”—how to exercise your own discipline and commitment, without apology, even if that means bucking the norm. And by learning to reach out to your brand audience, you will come to understand the importance of your network of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and family—your fan club— in keeping you motivated and providing the feedback you need for success.
Weaving together personal stories of his own transformation with stories about how he created transformative change for brands such as Reebok and Pepsi, Arnell shares his unique vision on how each of us can rebrand and transform ourselves, both personally and professionally, to achieve the success we desire.
PETER ARNELL, founder of Arnell, is one of the foremost branding and design experts in the world. Among the companies he and his team have worked with are DKNY, Samsung, Chanel, Reebok, Mars, Pepsi, Home Depot, GNC, De Tomaso, Fendi, Mikimoto, Special Olympics and Con Edison. He and his family live in Westchester County, New York.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 22, 2010
Peter Arnell is cool; he’ll tell you so. He’s reinvented Samsung, Reebok, Pepsi, DKNY, and scads of other businesses by redrawing their logo or rebranding their image (with some nominal help from other people). He’s also lost 256 pounds seemingly overnight and without a lot of medical insight. And he knows a lot of famous people, and, kids, he’s not afraid to name-drop. That’s about all I got from this book.
Arnell is an expert of branding. “Branding” happens when we quit saying cotton swab and start calling all brands Q-Tips. We also don’t say tissue; we say Kleenex. Branding is how Marky Mark became Mark Walhberg. It’s also how boring, yuppie Hush Puppies became hip for a couple years there in the late 1980s. “Branding” is also taking a hot poker to a cow, and sometimes I wanted to do that to Arnell, because his book (though thankfully brief) lacks detail, humility, perspective, and step-by-step instructions.
In the modern world, branding is important, though, despite my snarkiness about Arnell. We consumers know in an instant the main point or “feel” of a product or a person through imagery and iconography. It’s how we can learn a lot of emotional and logical information in one quick glance. Arnell excels at this; he admits with no sense of modesty.
Arnell says he lost 256 pounds by simply eating 50 to 60 oranges every day; his hands are branded orange from the experience. It doesn’t sound super-healthy, but then who am I to argue with the weight loss. He also asked famous chefs to reinvent meals for him, and he had Martha Stewart and famous designers give him wardrobe tips. There is no talk of exercise; there is no information on how long this took him; there are no slip-ups along his path to thinness.
There are a couple good tips; he talks about having physical reminders (like his oranges, or a niece’s keyring) to help you reshape yourself. But, really, that could have been covered in a short magazine article. Branding will also help you in business; if you’re a videographer or a ckae decorator or a painter, it’s nice to have your customers instantly tie your name to the work and think of you first.
Mostly, though, there is no specific insight or assistance in this book. It’s all touchy-feely and inspirational without any solid directions. Arnell reminds me of an analogy I heard from a professor: “People love to be the front end of the bicycle; they love to steer. But when it comes to the work, they hate to pedal.” In other words, they want to create and design and give suggestions and throw out ideas for improvement. But they don’t want to handle the nitty-gritty, and they sure don’t want to get their orange hands dirty. They want to be artists without all that labor involved!
In the end, though, the workers are the true innovators. Without people covering the details and doing the day-to-day work, nifty-neato ideas like Arnell’s would’ve never landed him this vanity-fueled little book deal. If Arnell does actually do the work and plot the step-by-step process, he should have impressed his readers more with that. I don’t frankly care that he has Gwyneth Paltrow on speed-dial or that he suggested the Pepsi logo look like a lopsided smile
Arnell is an expert of branding. “Branding” happens when we quit saying cotton swab and start calling all brands Q-Tips. We also don’t say tissue; we say Kleenex. Branding is how Marky Mark became Mark Walhberg. It’s also how boring, yuppie Hush Puppies became hip for a couple years there in the late 1980s. “Branding” is also taking a hot poker to a cow, and sometimes I wanted to do that to Arnell, because his book (though thankfully brief) lacks detail, humility, perspective, and step-by-step instructions.
In the modern world, branding is important, though, despite my snarkiness about Arnell. We consumers know in an instant the main point or “feel” of a product or a person through imagery and iconography. It’s how we can learn a lot of emotional and logical information in one quick glance. Arnell excels at this; he admits with no sense of modesty.
Arnell says he lost 256 pounds by simply eating 50 to 60 oranges every day; his hands are branded orange from the experience. It doesn’t sound super-healthy, but then who am I to argue with the weight loss. He also asked famous chefs to reinvent meals for him, and he had Martha Stewart and famous designers give him wardrobe tips. There is no talk of exercise; there is no information on how long this took him; there are no slip-ups along his path to thinness.
There are a couple good tips; he talks about having physical reminders (like his oranges, or a niece’s keyring) to help you reshape yourself. But, really, that could have been covered in a short magazine article. Branding will also help you in business; if you’re a videographer or a ckae decorator or a painter, it’s nice to have your customers instantly tie your name to the work and think of you first.
Mostly, though, there is no specific insight or assistance in this book. It’s all touchy-feely and inspirational without any solid directions. Arnell reminds me of an analogy I heard from a professor: “People love to be the front end of the bicycle; they love to steer. But when it comes to the work, they hate to pedal.” In other words, they want to create and design and give suggestions and throw out ideas for improvement. But they don’t want to handle the nitty-gritty, and they sure don’t want to get their orange hands dirty. They want to be artists without all that labor involved!
In the end, though, the workers are the true innovators. Without people covering the details and doing the day-to-day work, nifty-neato ideas like Arnell’s would’ve never landed him this vanity-fueled little book deal. If Arnell does actually do the work and plot the step-by-step process, he should have impressed his readers more with that. I don’t frankly care that he has Gwyneth Paltrow on speed-dial or that he suggested the Pepsi logo look like a lopsided smile
April 15, 2011
Where to start, where to start... This book might better have been titled "The Marginally Interesting Weight Loss Journey of Peter Arnell." Or better yet "Peter Arnell Toots His Own Horn." Or better still "Peter Arnell Breaks His Own Arm Patting Himself on the Back."
This book was narcissistic, rife with name-dropping and self-congratulation, and offered very little in the way of actual advice on the personal re-branding process. It felt like each time Arnell got close to offering something helpful he veered away into yet another saga of his own brilliance in saving a company's image. "So you want to change your image. You should 'go helium.' Shoot higher than you normally would. For example, there was the time Donna Karan came to me begging for help, and my brilliance launched her - overnight - into fame and fortune."
Not an actual quote, but you get the picture.
Two stars because I salvaged a few meager nuggets of branding advice out for my own fledgling business. It was hard going, though. Hard going.
This book was narcissistic, rife with name-dropping and self-congratulation, and offered very little in the way of actual advice on the personal re-branding process. It felt like each time Arnell got close to offering something helpful he veered away into yet another saga of his own brilliance in saving a company's image. "So you want to change your image. You should 'go helium.' Shoot higher than you normally would. For example, there was the time Donna Karan came to me begging for help, and my brilliance launched her - overnight - into fame and fortune."
Not an actual quote, but you get the picture.
Two stars because I salvaged a few meager nuggets of branding advice out for my own fledgling business. It was hard going, though. Hard going.
Read
November 30, 2010A stupid, stupid book.
February 3, 2011
I am constantly digging for some insight or idea that might allow me to become better at some aspect of my life. And, for some reason this book really struck a chord.
I'm not sure exactly why this book hit me so hard. It could have been the amount of oranges that Arnell eats. I've been an avid orange eater, eating more than a dozen a day on more occasions than I would care to admit. Or, it could be all of the strategies about branding that I found met my own philosophy on marketing and branding. Or, it could have been any number of other things.
Anyway, I found the strategies that Peter Arnell offer to apply to me. The idea of 'Going Tiger' to be more yourself than you have been allowing yourself makes sense. I think everyone finds themselves getting stressed out because they aren't completely following along with what they think they should be doing. Or, this idea of 'Going Helium' as a way to shoot past easy goals and to dream large...another great idea.
But, like all books that offer advice and guidance or paint a picture of how someone has been successful, it is all about how you are able to take these lessons and apply them to your own life, to make yourself better. Ultimately, if you are able to use something you take from any book, then that book is successful. And a good way to spend your reading time.
I'm not sure exactly why this book hit me so hard. It could have been the amount of oranges that Arnell eats. I've been an avid orange eater, eating more than a dozen a day on more occasions than I would care to admit. Or, it could be all of the strategies about branding that I found met my own philosophy on marketing and branding. Or, it could have been any number of other things.
Anyway, I found the strategies that Peter Arnell offer to apply to me. The idea of 'Going Tiger' to be more yourself than you have been allowing yourself makes sense. I think everyone finds themselves getting stressed out because they aren't completely following along with what they think they should be doing. Or, this idea of 'Going Helium' as a way to shoot past easy goals and to dream large...another great idea.
But, like all books that offer advice and guidance or paint a picture of how someone has been successful, it is all about how you are able to take these lessons and apply them to your own life, to make yourself better. Ultimately, if you are able to use something you take from any book, then that book is successful. And a good way to spend your reading time.
October 21, 2015
This is not a very interesting book. Arnell has a good story of losing weight, but he spends most of the time talking about himself and stories from his career. When he does try to tie it to what the reader can do, it's usually a pretty obvious connection.
March 27, 2011
Why did my one and only father send me this? Either he adored it or, or he simply needed to get rid of it, and make room for superior reading materials. I'm guessing the latter, but let's see.
June 17, 2017
The topic of this book is "how to reinvent your business, your career and your personal brand". Based on the subtitle's description I expected the book to be a strategy with examples how to rebrand. What I read did not meet my expectations of what the title described.
Arnell writes a great story about the rebranding of his life, career and brand. He writes in a way that makes it easy for me to connect with him and he seems very approachable and friendly. Most of the book discusses his incredible weight loss. For that alone, he is an inspiration.
He includes stories about his business experiences an how he helped household brands reinvent himself. Most people in the USA culture would know the names of the companies he has served well.
My major thoughts about how this book could better manage expectations:
1- It should have been in self help or biography section, not the business section of the library.
2- The subtitle could be retitled to describe how he reinvented his business, career and brand.
3- The stories about how he helped organizations rebrand tell more about what he did, but I would have loved for his cases to describe deeper the why, how and thought process behind the new strategy.
4- Or to keep it in the business section, the author could spend more time laying out a strategy for how others could implement a similar plan in their own life because I think the book focuses more on Arnell's story than the readers' stories. And that's perfectly ok.
I would still recommend this book, just adjust your expectations of the topic of the book. It is still a great story, Arnell offers some great insights and he is a very successful person.
Arnell writes a great story about the rebranding of his life, career and brand. He writes in a way that makes it easy for me to connect with him and he seems very approachable and friendly. Most of the book discusses his incredible weight loss. For that alone, he is an inspiration.
He includes stories about his business experiences an how he helped household brands reinvent himself. Most people in the USA culture would know the names of the companies he has served well.
My major thoughts about how this book could better manage expectations:
1- It should have been in self help or biography section, not the business section of the library.
2- The subtitle could be retitled to describe how he reinvented his business, career and brand.
3- The stories about how he helped organizations rebrand tell more about what he did, but I would have loved for his cases to describe deeper the why, how and thought process behind the new strategy.
4- Or to keep it in the business section, the author could spend more time laying out a strategy for how others could implement a similar plan in their own life because I think the book focuses more on Arnell's story than the readers' stories. And that's perfectly ok.
I would still recommend this book, just adjust your expectations of the topic of the book. It is still a great story, Arnell offers some great insights and he is a very successful person.
September 12, 2018
This is a motivational/autobiography book. The author explain his weight loss journey and motivates to make big changes to achieve a goal.
November 3, 2011
A good marketing book when marketing yourself is your primary goal. The author's engaging narrative of his own personal transformation is central, and works very well to anchor his theory. He also reveals several of his personal mantras which make for good memory devices.
The book has two glaring weaknesses, however.
1) His high profile stature makes some of his examples fall flat. Some of them, while describing the stakes, actually undermine his position. One such example is when he talks about needing the right person for the campaign, so he hired Celine Dion to sing. Now I am no longer thinking about creativity or simplicity. It sounds more like throwing money at the problem. "Of course! Just sign crazy superstar! Why didn't I think of that?"
2) Even though he has a great theme about vision and his own story of transformation, the book is named "Shift" which seems unrelated to the theme in any direct or metaphorical way. Though I get it, it is the kind of title that needed to be more integrated. This is, of course, ironic since this is a marketing book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it. Many of the reviews on here are unreasonably harsh, particularly because of the tone. But I felt his style infectious and hopeful when it could have been much more self-involved, considering the company he keeps. Bottom line: if you want help making this life you've got better, speed read it or read it on multiple trips to the bookstore.
The book has two glaring weaknesses, however.
1) His high profile stature makes some of his examples fall flat. Some of them, while describing the stakes, actually undermine his position. One such example is when he talks about needing the right person for the campaign, so he hired Celine Dion to sing. Now I am no longer thinking about creativity or simplicity. It sounds more like throwing money at the problem. "Of course! Just sign crazy superstar! Why didn't I think of that?"
2) Even though he has a great theme about vision and his own story of transformation, the book is named "Shift" which seems unrelated to the theme in any direct or metaphorical way. Though I get it, it is the kind of title that needed to be more integrated. This is, of course, ironic since this is a marketing book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it. Many of the reviews on here are unreasonably harsh, particularly because of the tone. But I felt his style infectious and hopeful when it could have been much more self-involved, considering the company he keeps. Bottom line: if you want help making this life you've got better, speed read it or read it on multiple trips to the bookstore.
February 19, 2014
When a guy who has reinvented the brands like Samsung, Pepsi and Reebok writes that what he did with those brands can be replicated to develop a personal brand, I say this looks like worth reading.
Worth reading it is! Peter Arnell has beautifully converged his personal journey of loosing his weight of over 200 pounds to the world of his experience with brands which have changed our lives in some way. This book certainly provides a priceless opportunity to peek in the mind of the genius and provides an insight of how creativity works.
The entire book is written in an autobiographical style, with anecdotes placed in proper places, but then again one cannot expect any less quality when it comes to positioning from Mr. Arnell. Reading his principles is more of a personal journey, if one chooses to follow it in their lives.
This is not a book which will tell you "How to be awesome" but this is more of "How to be COMFORTABLE being yourself", a quality which is quickly diminishing. As one reads this book, one would discover his/her uniqueness in a completely different light & would be able to discover tools to utilize & communicate this in a manner which makes a lasting impression.
Worth reading it is! Peter Arnell has beautifully converged his personal journey of loosing his weight of over 200 pounds to the world of his experience with brands which have changed our lives in some way. This book certainly provides a priceless opportunity to peek in the mind of the genius and provides an insight of how creativity works.
The entire book is written in an autobiographical style, with anecdotes placed in proper places, but then again one cannot expect any less quality when it comes to positioning from Mr. Arnell. Reading his principles is more of a personal journey, if one chooses to follow it in their lives.
This is not a book which will tell you "How to be awesome" but this is more of "How to be COMFORTABLE being yourself", a quality which is quickly diminishing. As one reads this book, one would discover his/her uniqueness in a completely different light & would be able to discover tools to utilize & communicate this in a manner which makes a lasting impression.
February 23, 2012
This book started off great – I was really intrigued to read about this marketing savant Peter Arnell (the author of the book) who lost 250 pounds by eating upwards of 50 oranges a day. There is really no doubting this guys brilliance – he was seemingly involved in every major advertising feat of the last twenty years with brands like Samsung, Donna Karen New York, and Pepsi. If you ever need a brand consultant, this is the guy to hire. Unfortunately, his book was more of a memoir than a lesson in branding yourself, which is what the book is billed as. The most important takeaway is that people see you for how you actually are and they make a snap decision about you. Everything from your clothes, your weight, your posture, etc is evaluated and judged by someone the moment they meet you and used to formulate an opinion about you. That opinion may be vastly different than how you actually view yourself. It’s important to think about how you want to be perceived, in person and through social media, and then actively work to build the personal brand of yourself. Too autobiographical for my taste.
September 12, 2016
In this personal account, Arnell speaks of his own journey to re-invent or rebrand himself along with insights from his his own impressive career. He talks about having one life where work and home are not compartmentalized, and this book reflects that approach. It's a curious mix of his own struggles, anecdotes, and business acumen. All branding begins with a big pictures, big ideas and finding the new and Arnell, by sharing how he did that with some iconic brands gives us insight into his process which is worth the read. His example of looking at the Pieta as a departure point gives one in idea of what it takes to be successful at this. He throws at some big ideas: be the tiger, go helium, that I found to be very valuable as I think about re-inventing myself. My only criticism is that Arnell drops names a bit gratuitously, but fine. If you're looking for a basic 'how to ' branding guidelines there are plenty out there, and this is a not a good starting point. However if you have some experience in this field, and in life, and are looking for a refresher and some new ways to look at the world, then this makes enjoyable and instructive read.
June 19, 2014
disclaimer: I read this book in error. My friends had recommended Switch (re: change management) and for some reason I put this on hold at the library instead (maybe because I'm on a health kick and needed to hear about someone's successful weight loss story?). This book is about re-branding yourself (which should have tipped me off since I was trying to read about change management). In reality, this book is really just a marketing guy talking about how great he is because he has re-branded all these companies and re-branded himself by losing 250 lbs (which, to be fair, is pretty amazing but he doesn't actually give you anything substantial to tell you how to change your life...just some catchy phrases that are pretty empty, in my opinion). Skip it!
January 29, 2012
WOW! I have read several books on this topic and none of them have ever impacted me more. I dont know if it was because I am at a different, more goal oriented point in my life, or because the book was just that good. I think it was a combination of both. I cannot reccomend this book more. Peter Arnell takes you through his life and the changes it took to go from 406 lbs to 150 lbs and applies that to all sorts of challenges you might face. If you want to change anything about yourself and are serious about it, this is the book for you. Read this book and start your own "SHIFT"!
October 15, 2012
The perfect little book for anyone looking to make a change, however small or large, in your life/career. The author uses weight loss as his real-life example, but it could easily be applied to just about any change or situation. The honest style comes off as very unassuming - he describes himself as being a loud, large personality but that doesn't really come through on the page. Instead, it's a stripped down version of how he remade himself into a healthier, happier version while still staying true to his own self.
June 27, 2014
Yea so there is major self aggrandizement, and yes he name drops - but it did not bother me. Phil Collins is an egoist and so is Kanye, but I still enjoy their work product. At least Peter drops good names! His accounts of the huge brands he helped shape and the major players he rubs elbows with reminded me to pay close attention to the nuggets of branding advice that he peppered through the entire book. It is an easy read and very uplifting book. Glad to have been able to hear the personal story of such a successful and renowned brand consultant.
October 31, 2010
A good book about building brands and reinventing yourself. Lots of insider stories as Arnell has worked with many top companies and big names in fashion, etc.
A more complete review can be found here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
A more complete review can be found here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
December 27, 2010
more of an auto-biography than anything else. there are morsels of interest sprinkled throughout the first half of the book, but it's mostly a self-aggrandizing review of the author's work, life and weight loss. could really have been synthesized as a blog post.
September 28, 2011
Silly little book about a MAN who eats dozens of oranges all day!Saw him on Martha Stewart's show..she recommended reading his book ,of course!I got suckered in.But,Really..this is an important book to read because......??????
December 31, 2014
Marketing superstar Peter Arnell gives the secrets of rebranding from his own personal story of a complete rebranding of who he was, how he lived, and how he appeared. His achievement adds substance to the corporate illustrations of branding makeovers.
February 5, 2016
I really liked this book. This man has gone through an incredible transformation, both physically and wholistically. I thought he should have spent a little more time talking about personal branding and how that needs to be fleshed out. Overall, quite inspiring.
September 11, 2010
Read Shift while on vacation in Jamaica. Interesting read concerning our perspective and how it can be shifted in order to help us realize our goals.
January 7, 2011
Will buy this book one day. Lots of ways to look at life and I'm very happy I was able to read it
January 7, 2012
Too self centered. It's more biography than business book. Whatever little weight Martha's endorsements held is now nonexistent.
Read
May 3, 2012Fantastic read! From page 1 ideas and thoughts and reshaping of how I view the way I do business - add to you MUST READ business books
June 28, 2013
Disappointing.
August 18, 2017
Great topic about how to challenge your fundamental assumptions. Peter has done some great work and you cannot take that away from him. Unfortunately, the book turned into a regurgitation of that work and he missed opportunities to really describe the process he used to SHIFT during each of those achievements. The book started great but ended poorly.
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\nStill, a major opportunity for a take away. Always challenge your fundamental assumptions and those of the people around you.
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\nStill, a major opportunity for a take away. Always challenge your fundamental assumptions and those of the people around you.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews