"When everybody zigs, zag," says author Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear "whiteboard overview" style of Neumeier'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 enoughtoday companies need radical differentiation to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read you'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 brand'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

  For a quick peek inside ZAG, go to www.zagbook.com.

  "When everybody zigs, zag," says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear "whiteboard overview" style of the author'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 enoughtoday companies need radical differentiation to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read you'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 brand'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 brandsradical differentiation.

  ZAG is 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.

  Autorentext

Marty Neumeier's professional mission is to "incite business revolution by unleashing the power of design thinking." He does this by writing books, conducting workshops, and speaking internationally about the power of brand, innovation, and design. Marty serves as Director of Transformation at Liquid Agency, and divides his writing time between California and southwest France.

Inhalt

• Part 1. Finding Your Zag
• Hit 'Em Where They Ain't
• The Dynamics of Different and Good
• Look for the White Space
• Uncover a Need State
• Find a Parade
• Part 2. Designing Your Zag
• Brand As a System
• Checkpoint 1: Who Are You?
• Checkpoint 2: What Do You Do?
• Checkpoint 3: What's Your Vision?
• Checkpoint 4: What Wave Are You Riding?
• Checkpoint 5: Who Shares the Brandscape?
• Checkpoint 6: What Makes You the Only?
• Checkpoint 7: What Should You Add or Subtract?
• Checkpoint 8: Who Loves You?
• Checkpoint 9: Who's the Enemy?
• Checkpoint 10: What Do They Call You?
• Checkpoint 11: How Do You Explain Yourself?
• Checkpoint 12: How Do You Spread the Word?
• Checkpoint 13: How Do People Engage With You?
• Checkpoint 14: What Do They Experience?
• Checkpoint 15: How Do You Earn Their Loyalty?
• Checkpoint 16: How Do You Extend Your Success?
• Checkpoint 17: How Do You Protect Your Portfolio?
• Part 3. Renewing Your Zag
• Scissors, Paper, Rock
• The Focus of Scissors
• The Momentum of Rock
• The Size of Paper
• How Structure Becomes Stricture
• Unlocking Your Zag
• When Good Shareholders Go Bad
• The New Prime Directive
• A Two-Stage Rocket
• Zagging At the Speed of Change
• The 17-Step Process
• Take-Home Lessons
• Recommended Reading
• About Neutron
• Acknowledgments
• About The Author
• Index