ZAG The #1 Strategy of High-Performance Brands

by Neumeier, Marty

• ISBN13: 9780321426772
• ISBN10: 0321426770
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-20
• Publisher: New Riders

Summary

"When everybody zigs, zag," says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear "whiteboard overview" style of the authorrs"s first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough-today companies need "radical differentiation" to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read yours"ll learn: - why me-too brands are doomed to fail - how to "read" customer feedback on new products and messages - the 17 steps for designing "difference" into your brand - how to turn your brandrs"s "onliness" into a "trueline" to drive synergy - the secrets of naming products, services, and companies - the four deadly dangers faced by brand portfolios - how to "stretch" your brand without breaking it - how to succeed at all three stages of the competition cycle From the back cover: In an age of me-too products and instant communications, keeping up with the competition is no longer a winning strategy. Today you have to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition. The new rule? When everybody zigs, zag. In his first book, THE BRAND GAP, Neumeier showed companies how to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. In ZAG, he illustrates the number-one strategy of high-performance brands-radical differentiation. ZAGis an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA. For a quick peek inside ZAG, go to www.zagbook.com.

Author Biography

Marty Neumeier is president of Neutron LLC, a San Francisco-based firm specializing in brand collaboration - the "glue" that holds integrated marketing teams together.

Table of Contents

The big speedup	p. 1
The real competition is clutter	p. 6
Brand-to-brand combat	p. 14
The new definition of brand	p. 19
Rosser Reeves got one out of three	p. 20
The trouble with advertising	p. 21
Don't offer more - offer different	p. 26
Finding your zag
Hit 'em where they ain't	p. 33
The dynamics of different and good	p. 34
Look for the white space	p. 40
Uncover a need state	p. 41
Find a parade	p. 45
Designing your zag
Brand as a system	p. 47
Who are you?	p. 49
What do you do?	p. 53
What's your vision?	p. 54
What wave are you riding?	p. 56
Who shares the brandscape?	p. 60
What makes you the "only"?	p. 65
What should you add or subtract?	p. 72
Who loves you?	p. 76
Who's the enemy?	p. 81
What do they call you?	p. 82
How do you explain yourself?	p. 88
How do you spread the world?	p. 91
How do people engage with you?	p. 94
What do they experience?	p. 96
How do you earn their loyalty?	p. 100
How do you extend your success?	p. 104
How do you protect your portfolio?	p. 108
Renewing your zag
Scissors, paper, rock	p. 115
The focus of scissors	p. 120
The momentum of rock	p. 121
The size of paper	p. 122
How structure becomes stricture	p. 124
Unlocking your zag	p. 126
When good shareholders go bad	p. 130
The new prime directive	p. 131
A two-stage rocket	p. 132
Zagging at the speed of change	p. 134
The 17-step process	p. 138
Take-home lessons	p. 144
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