TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
by
HL Carpenter

 

Primal Branding
by Patrick Hanlon
ISBN 0-7432-7797-X
257 pages; hardcover; $25.00
Free Press, New York, 2006

 

Coca-Cola. Nike. McDonald’s. Oprah. You can probably name fifteen or twenty brands without straining your brain. But why do some brands come instantly to mind while thousands of others fade into obscurity?

Advertising is not the answer, according to Patrick Hanlon, an advertising agency executive. He believes success is all about how well a brand meets the human need to belong.

In Primal Branding, Mr. Hanlon lays out seven interlocking pieces he says are necessary for people to feel like part of your brand’s community. The pieces build on each other to create a bond.

As an example, think about McDonald’s. You’ve probably heard the story of Ray Kroc, the company founder. You know what a Big Mac is, and you recognize the Golden Arches. All those pieces help give McDonald’s a tangible presence that means something to you.

Of course, branding is not limited to companies. Rock groups create brands, as do countries, individuals, and charitable organizations. Think Rolling Stones, USA, Martha Stewart, and Red Cross. Primal Branding deconstructs what these brands have in common, and offers the outcome as a way for you to separate your brand from the herd, whatever you’re selling.

Coca-Cola. Nike. McDonald’s. Oprah.

You?

 

Review originally published November 2006.