A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands
Author: Michael Levine
List Price: $27.95
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ISBN: 0471263664
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (03 March, 2003)
Sales Rank: 95,643
Average Customer Rating: 4 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
A ticket to the big picture
Probably one of the most balanced and well thought out approaches to the subject I've read in many years. Instead of folllowing other PR book trends of cramming too much information where it doesn't belong ( namely in dense, bland, lengthy passages), the author's use of subtle literary device manages to illustrate the big picture of this branded world one step at a time. You'll never see the world of advertising the same again.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Helpful Book Or Just A Sales Pitch?
I have to agree with Steven Willis from Los Angeles. This book might hold up a little stronger if it wasn't written by a publicist who seems like he is just trying to drum up some business. It's like those chiropractic offices that set up booths for free spinal exams at various sporting events. They give you the free exam, then surprise, surprise! Turns out they seem to think your back needs some chiropractic work. It's the same idea here, and while the book has a few instances of making good points, they aren't really strong enough to persuade the reader to adopt the author's point of view. On the positive side, it is written in a manner that is pretty easy to understand so you can finish it quickly enough, but it's just never all that compelling.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Pointless
It is painfully obvious that the author of this book, also a publicist, is desperately trying get some high-end companies to hire him. Why else would he write a book so utterly useless and void of anything relevant to the marketing of a brand name?As any CEO with half a brain knows, PR companies are all well and good to protect or rebuild an image that has been depicted poorly within the media. However, to get the brand name out there, they are certainly one of the last places to look.
The author does manage to point out the difference between advertising and PR, to his own fault unfortunately. Companies are looking to use their tightly plotted budgets to get their name out there the best way they can. That way is through advertising, not public relations. You need to be guaranteed that your brand's ad will be seen by the public, and advertising can do this much more effectively than PR. In advertising, you basically get what you are willing to pay for. In PR, there is too much of a gamble that you can spend a lot and see nothing in return.
Sadly, Levine's writing style is also very ineffective in enhancing one's opinion of him as a publicist. He may have done a little research and found the right buzzwords, but it is obvious he doesn't really grasp the meaning of what he is talking about.
I can honestly say I would never hire this guy to represent my company. Even if the day does come when we need to hire a PR firm (God forbid), I would look elsewhere.
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