What is Branding: Matthew Healey
“What is Branding?” begins by discussing the basics of the branding process. It looks at what a brand is, the components involved in branding, what branding does and who owns the brand. Healey covers all aspects of what is involved in developing a brand, and examines changes that may occur after a successful brand has been established, for instance, the evolution of a logo as time goes by, or the revamping of packaging. He then examines the relationship between branding and design, and how the latter can aid branding in achieving global success and ultimately profit.
Advertising plays a key role in promoting a brand, and through several examples, such as Fiat and Stella Artois, Healey explains that each brand “needs to tell a story” in order to sell its products, and that in order for advertising to be successful, it must tie the consumer emotionally with the brand, as “emotions drive our behavior [sic], including our buying.”
Healey also spends a chapter exploring “What Else Can Be Branded?”, which focuses on the logo of the Olympic Games, the five rings, and celebrities, such as David Beckham, and how being associated with a celebrity can further endorse a brand. He looks at the differences advertising faces when addressing men and women and how, in some cases, such as car manufacturers, to appeal to both sexes.
“What is Branding?” is an easy to swallow book as it breaks down the key components of the branding process from start to finish, and the helpfully named chapters allowed me to pick out the parts of the branding process I was most interested in and that would be most useful to me, without having to wade through masses of material. Healey takes a positive stance on the branding process, and admires the ways in which consumers can be influenced into buying a particular product, through clever, memorable advertising campaigns, although he is also fairly unbiased when examining the relationship between producer and consumer, and competition between companies. This unbiased approach is useful to me in understanding the process involved with branding, although it is not what I am choosing to examine in my dissertation, so Healey will be able to give me information, without swaying my viewpoint.
Healey’s approach is fairly simplistic, and he addresses this in the glossary of the book;
“While I have made a strenuous effort to avoid branding jargon in this book – I feel plain English is always preferable – there are some key terms and concepts, that readers may want to refer to …”
Having a glossary of branding terms explained succinctly will be useful when reading other books discussing branding, as they may not take this approach, so it is key to my understanding of the text.
Healey has used books and web resources when carrying out his research, and none of the books he has used have been written earlier than 1999 (the majority are from 2005 – 2006), which at the time of “What is Branding?” being published, would be nine years old, which suggests that the majority of the material in the book is fairly up-to-date. However, this only includes his secondary research, so his primary research may be more recent.
“What is Branding?” allowed me to examine the basics of the branding process, but in order to write my dissertation, I will need to look more in depth at certain areas covered, although not thoroughly examined, within the book and Healey has allowed me to see, in no great detail, what certain aspects entail which should help me in sorting through material into finding out what is useful and what is not.
Healey, M, (2008), What is Branding?, Switzerland, RotoVision SA
No Logo: Naomi Klein
Klein begins in her introduction by examining the reasons behind writing ‘No Logo’. She recalls her time living in Toronto, in what she calls a “ghost of a garment district”, and describes the dilapidated, boarded up warehouses, in one of which she resides, and her view of the area, which still features the faded signs advertising discontinued brands, that have never been removed, as no one has yet discovered how to make a profit from doing so, and as a result, the modern city has been built up around the area. She talks of the Polish and Russian immigrants that arrived in the 1920s and 30s, and the thriving sense of community and solidarity, as they formed unions for workers rights. She discusses how the area is now disintegrating, with the demand for the garments and items the workers manufactured, having fallen rapidly, and in some cases, is practically nonexistent.
“… And the need for a rhinestone bridal tiara if the need for such an item happens to arise (a Hallowe’en costume, or perhaps a school play…).”
Klein goes on to describe her visits to factories in Jakarta, Indonesian, that produce goods for various multinational companies that are widely recognised “back home” and the conditions in which the girls were subjected to, had resulted in a strike. She discusses these visits to various other locations and her own experiences that she can relate back to the workers; one example being that clothing is produced for the brand ‘Esprit’ and she, a teenager worked in a store which sold ‘Esprit’ clothing. Klein goes onto explain her reasons for writing ‘No Logo’, which she describes as:
“An attempt to capture an anticorporate attitude I see emerging among many young activists.”
Klein describes ‘No Logo’ as “not a book of predictions, but of a firsthand observation”, which would suggest that the majority of research she has undertaken in writing and producing ‘No Logo’ has been primary and has taken her to London for;
“The handing down of a verdict in the McLibel trial; to Ken Saro-Wiwa’s friend’s and family; to anti sweatshop protests outside Nike Towns in New York and San Francisco; and to union meetings in the food courts of glitzy malls”.
She goes on to describe in some detail the other locations that her “personal quest” has led her.
The book is divided into four main sections; ‘No Space”, “No Choice”, “No Jobs” and “No Logo”, each of which contains chapters discussing the title of that section, and ends with a conclusion and an afterword, which discusses the rise of anticorporate movements. Some section begin with two images, which relate of the content discussed in the following chapter, and there is a selection of statistical imagery displayed throughout the book, such as pie charts and graphs to show comparisons, so Klein has used secondary research that she has gathered to further her arguments, using sources such as ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘New York Times’, and Klein uses quotes at the beginning of the chapters which have been taken from books on advertising and from various people within in the world of branding, such as Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Corporation until 2005.
This analysis is based on only reading the introduction of ‘No Logo’ in depth and from scanning the remainder of the book, but from reading these few pages, it would be safe to assume that Klein will be taking a negative stance regarding the practises of multinationals and their treatment of their workers, but I would assume that Klein’s outcome would be fairly positive in that by educating and raising awareness of these malpractices, action can be taken in various forms, for instance boycotting the brand, which will affect profit and by passing on the information discussed in the book to spread the word.
Klein, N, (2000), No Logo, Great Britain, Clays Ltd, St Ives plc.
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