Many marketing books are heavy on theory yet light on tactics; or they emphasize a hundred different tactical uses of marketing but are quite thin on the rationale behind the application of the methods. Laurence Vincent provides a small business marketer with a handy blend of both.

Legendary Brands: Unleashing the Power of Storytelling to Create a Winning Marketing Strategy is not written with the small business marketer in mind. Vincents target audience seems to be advertising agencies and corporate in-house marketers. Nevertheless, the small business marketer can learn a great deal about story and then apply this knowledge within the means of their small business budget.

The inspiration to pen this book began with a very simple premise--that the truly great consumer brands tell a story. Vincents quote from p. 15 outlines the books premise. Vincent constructs his story in three parts. Part I deals with what constitutes a legendary brand, Part II describes how to use story to create the legendary brand, and Part III outlines various marketing methods a marketer can use to promote its message.

Please note an important idea: Vincent doesnt advocate that every brand try and become legendary. Indeed, (p. 17) he states: Your brand can be very successful and even gain great consumer loyalty without becoming a Legendary Brand. Small business marketers take note: there are other marketing tactics beyond successful use of story that you can use to win out over your competition. But, you need to be at least familiar with how story may be used, to evaluate for yourself if its a good fit for your company. And Legendary Brands is a great way to learn about the power of story for the marketer.

Part I is largely an introduction to the theory behind legendary brands. Part I introduces us to the importance of stories in our life, and how stories and various types of stories play into our daily lives. Vincent outlines the difference between Story, Legend, Narrative and Myth, and shows how each of these has been historically important to different cultures through the years. Vincent draws from a far-reaching variety of sources as he writes the book; you wont find many marketing books that draw upon Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell to validate their views.

And yet it is just this refreshing journey that Vincent takes us on in Part I of the book that sets us up for Parts II and III, which are the more practical, how to apply the theory sections of the book.

Especially important is his idea of Brand Narrative and how it interacts with what Vincent calls the customers personal narrative. The brand has its story, and It is how you activate the personal narrative that determines your ultimate connection to the customer. (p. 96)

Perhaps the most powerful series of ads that Vincent references are the Kodak Moment ads from a dozen years ago. These didnt talk features and benefits of Kodak film, at all. Rather they continued a story that the customer was already playing out. Many of you remember those ads, and the phrase Kodak Moment became quite popular in the US vocabulary at the time.

Another component to be aware of in Part I is his emphasis on brand agents and how they work to promote the brand. Brand agents can be a company spokesperson, or they can be the product itself. Especially for the small business marketer that relies on word of mouth for much of its advertising, the brand agent is likely to be the other customers and the employees of the company.

If you decide to read this book, its important to jot down notes and try to understand the overall theme of what Vincent is saying at the outset. It will make the practical application of the information much easier when you understand his philosophy.

As is the case with another author we recently review, Arthur Hughes and his book Strategic Database Marketing, not every small business will be able to use story as a key element in their marketing strategy. But, for those that can, Vincent provides a fantastic blueprint throughout Legendary Brands.

In Part Two of our review of Vincent: the practical application.

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

2006 Marketing Hawks