Book Review: BRANDED

BRANDED

Branded

Author: Bernie Brennan & Lori Schafer

ISBN-13: 9780470768679

Topic:  Business & Economics, Marketing

Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

 

REVIEW:

Branded!: How Retailers Engage Consumers with Social Media and Mobility

Written through the eyes of retail and technology executives, Branded! explores retailers who are successfully implementing social media and mobility strategies.

Market-leading retailers are engaging technology-savvy customers though social media and mobility. Branded! reveals how these digital communication channels are an extension of a retailer's culture and strategy resulting in building brand equity. Comprehensive reviews of Starbucks, Zappos, Wet Seal, Macy's, 1-800-Flowers.com, JCPenney, Pizza Hut and Best Buy are featured.

Branded!:

·         Provides a clear review of social media as well as the rapid changes in the development and use of mobility.

·         Demonstrates why retailers cannot 'wait and see', and must move rapidly

·         Shows how each company's social media and mobility initiatives are based on the individual personality of the company.

·         Discusses sophisticated analytic tools that enable retailers to measure their performance and make informed decisions on the data

The book includes detailed interviews and stories of the successful use of social media and mobility by some of the most prominent retailers and restaurants. 

As per Bernie Brennan “Branded! provides important information on the impact of social media and mobility in the retail and quick serve restaurant industries. It reviews the power of technology savvy consumers using these new communication channels. Equally important, Branded provides relevant information to executives in consumer-facing industries with unique insights though the successes of major retail leaders in this new digital era.” Lori Schafer adds that “retailers can no longer expect customers to find their stores.  They must bring the store to the customer—where she spends her time – on social media and on her phone.”

BRANDED! comprehensively reviews how retailers use social media and mobility to extend their strategy and culture, while improving market share and brand equity. It further discusses the importance for retailers to embrace transparency and engagement both with their employees and customers.  Branded devotes chapters to retail leaders including: Starbucks, with more than 14 million Facebook fans; Zappos, whose culture is its brand, with over 1.7 million follower on Twitter; Best Buy, a visionary leader in the “Connected Word;”  Wet Seal, an innovator in teen engagement through its Outfitter social network; Macy's, using its digital hub to engage customers across all channels;  JCPenney, embarking on a digital transformation through open culture; Pizza Hut, with its award-winning "killer" iPhone app & ubiquitous Tweetologist; and 1-800-Flowers.com, a trailblazer in mobile and social shopping.  This book is essential reading for leaders of all consumer-focused companies including boards of directors, CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, merchandising and marketing executives, operational executives, and industry consultants.  

The blog style makes for a quick read.  Very insightful and the case stories help bring home the message.  Even though it is geared towards large corporations, there is valuable tools and ideas for the small business owner.  I recommend this book to stay current with what is happening with social media.

About the Authors

Bernie Brennan is a consultant and investor in retail-related technology. He has served in a number of roles over thirty years in the retail industry, with seventeen of them as Chairman and CEO of Montgomery Ward, Sav-A-Stop Inc., and Household Merchandising. Brennan is a former Chairman of the National Retail Federation and earned the Gold Medal Award as Retailer of the Year.  

Lori Schafer is the Executive Advisor for SAS Institute's Retail Practice. Schafer, an entrepreneur with twenty-five years of experience in retail and consumer-packaged goods' technology, was CEO of Marketmax, Inc., and Vice President of SAS Global Retail. She serves on the board of directors of several retail and technology companies as well as the National Retail Federation.  

Please visit: www.brandedretailer.com for additional information.