BrandDigital Book Review

September 26th, 2009

by John R. Sedivy

BrandDigital Book Cover In my article BrandSimple Book Review I had discussed how Allen Adamson lays out in great technical detail the ins and outs of branding. As I discussed in that article that book was a great read for anyone wishing to develop a great brand thoroughly over time.

Having just finished Allen Adamson’s follow-up book BrandDigital I can assuredly say it is more of the same – which isn’t a bad thing. Actually it’s a great thing.

A Chance Encounter
I had first encountered BrandDigital as a Google Adsense advertisement. It wasn’t any old advertisement – it was the first ad for this blog. If you have ever used AdSense you will realize that the ads are random and based on the published content. I was intrigued by the simple style of the book so it prompted me to read BrandSimple and then BrandDigital. My only regret is that I had waited months to do so when I could have easily benefited from the information within way back then when we first started out.

BrandDigital is much like BrandSimple except that it focuses on the Internet aspect of marketing as one might have guessed by the title. As the author proves that branding is more than simply logo and package creation in BrandSimple, Adamson focuses on the digital aspect of brand creation – the Internet in general, social media, search engine, optimization, etc. and sets out to prove that branding is more than the digital tools employed to amplify the brand.

That is the main premise here – the Internet and digital tools in general, amplify the effects of a brand, not create it. If you have a strong brand, the Internet and supporting tools will make your brand even stronger, for example by amplifying the effect of word of mouth by your message going viral on social media. Conversely, if you have a weak brand without much of a foundation, these tools will do little to help you.

Serious Inquiries Only
As with BrandSimple, BrandDigital provides loads of technical information for those wanting to know every aspect of branding in the digital arena. There are plenty of solid examples, some of which are expanded from the first book. Actually there seemed to be a couple of items that were reiterated from BrandSimple, however I may have been more attuned to this as I had read both books in the same week.

In closing I highly recommend BrandSimple and BrandDigital as a set. You can read one without the other, however I believe both titles compliment one another well and are both worth reading and will be useful as a desktop reference for some time to come. Not simply a flash in the pan, BrandDigital provides solid foundational advice for use on the Web or physical environments.

As with BrandSimple, this book may not be for everyone. It is more serious than other marketing books, however there is excellent attention to detail, solid advice, and many professional interviews which serve as the foundation for this book. For those interested in branding and marketing, especially on the Internet and are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and take the time to read the book and employ it’s techniques – this is the book for you!

The Internet and digital tools are a great way to amplify a strong brand!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding