The Edge: 50 Tips from Brands That Lead

Brand strategy expert Adamson (BrandDigital) provides a glossy, timely introduction to brand management as told through the big brands in the U.S. marketplace today. The case studies are pleasantly concise, but at the expense of any depth. While no discussion of branding can leave out Steve Jobs, this book mentions him almost as often as it does the fictional Don Draper of Mad Men. Adamson also describes Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg as a “social revolutionary” who is “very grounded,” but ignores much of the controversy that surrounds him. Adamson utilizes interviews with top marketing managers, but stays mainly on the surface of their success. These conversations are “fascinating” (an adjective that describes no less than five of his exchanges) or “interesting” (another five), but lack complexity. For example, Sara Bird at Annie’s Homegrown remarks on the hiring of a sustainability director to “ensure that we continue to walk the talk,” but doesn’t have time to reveal how the hire keeps their brand “honest.” The telegraphic nature of Adamson’s advice makes it difficult to put into practice, but the book does provide a succinct, if superficial, sense of the current brand landscape. (Jan.)