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Praise for Against the Machine
"John Morgan has something here. I'm a big fan of how he words things, and there's value in keeping a notepad handy. I changed something based on Morgan's work. You will too!"— Chris Brogan, President, Human Business Works; author of Trust Agents
"The subtitle of my first book, Six Pixels of Separation, was 'Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.' It's a nerve that John taps perfectly in Brand Against the Machine. In a world where every individual has the ability to broadcast their thoughts to the world, the brand as we have known it to date must be redefined. Brand Against The Machine is the new definition for brands. As John writes so cogently, you don't brand at people, you brand with people. How do you do that? Read on." — Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image; author of Six Pixels of Separation
"What you think your brand is doesn't matter anymore. The machine is broken. John has written an awesome book that goes over the how and why it's broken, but most importantly what you can do to Brand Against the Machine." — Scott Stratten, author of UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
"Regardless of whether you are a solo-preneur in need of understanding branding and applying it to your business, or a longtime veteran of the branding wars, this book will provide you with some terrific wisdom and information. Utilize the contents of this book and accelerate your positioning in the marketplace and the money in your bank account." — Bob Burg, coauthor of The Go-Giver and author of Endless Referrals
"John Morgan's book is the ultimate branding wake-up call for any business. Your brand is about to take a double shot espresso . . . with a few sticks of TNT to stir it up." — Mike Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
1. The Machine 1
2. Why Branding? 5
3. The Brand Framework 11
4. Visibility versus Ability 14
5. Attention Doesn’t Equal Trust 17
6. The Right Position 21
7. The Master Plan 24
8. Marketing versus Branding 27
9. Do You Believe? 30
10. Anchor Belief 34
11. Death of the Mundane 36
12. The Creation Story 39
13. Extra Ordinary 43
14. Bring the Noise 47
15. Content Explosion 50
16. Top Yourself 54
17. Welcome to the Social Parade 60
18. The Brand Conversation 67
19. Many Shades of You 70
20. Celebrity Currency 75
21. The Uncommon Brand 79
22. Dissident 82
23. Your Brand’s Home Base 85
24. Shock and Awe 89
25. The Presentation Age 92
26. Video Made the Internet Star 96
27. Brand Alliance 99
28. Dirty Little Secret 102
29. Little Things 105
30. Race to the Bottom 108
31. Longing to Belong 111
32. Brand Without a Cause 114
33. Why Your Website Sucks 118
34. Misunderstood 120
35. The Hangout 124
36. Light the Fuse 127
37. Overnight Authority 130
38. Everything in Twos 133
39. Point of View 136
40. Back and Forth 138
41. Feeling Good 140
42. Everything You Do Is Branding 143
43. Hidden Brand Advocates 146
44. Come as You Are 148
45. The 20/60/20 Rule 152
46. The Real Thing 156
47. What’s in a Name? 159
48. The Prospect Cycle 161
49. Viva La Failure 164
50. Know Your Enemy 168
51. Erase, Then Replace 171
52. The Sound of Silence 174
53. The 10:100 Method 178
54. Your Online Presence 181
55. Raise Your Standards 184
56. Warning: You’ve Been Lied To 186
57. Monitor and Measure 189
58. How to Ensure Your Brand Fails 193
59. What Is Killing Entrepreneurs? 195
60. Twenty Rules 197
61. Parting Shot 202
Special Offer 204
Acknowledgments 205
Index 208
maxmeade
Posted January 27, 2013
Brand Against the Machine is the best book I have found for building your brand!
It gives you information on the required steps for building your brand and a ton of extra information that will not only build your brand but create a stronger bond with your customers, as portrayed through the book, one of the more important parts of branding.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in starting a business, as branding is a key part of any business. It will not only help you in the world of branding but you will give you information on what works now, as the traditional branding exercises don't work the way they used to.
My favorite quote by John Morgan is "Branding works for or against you, but it always works." This is so true and that's why you have to stay away from the old traditional branding ways, you need to be different and you need to work hard to create a loyal brand that your customers have a positive idea about.
Again, I highly recommend this book to everyone with any interest in branding and entrepreneurship.
Anonymous
Posted January 4, 2013
Berates the importance of logo design in developing a strong brand. "Don't over think your logo" is the funniest and least productive advice I've ever seen in a branding piece.
Also suggests sites like 99Designs..... You have got to be kidding me. So disappointing to hear this come from an "expert."
Morgan cEarly did not research this section of his book.
David_Sterling
Posted July 19, 2012
A lot of recently written books found in the "Business" section of the bookstore are crap. Full of fads, 'methods,' and 'tactics," they pump and dump pages of empty promises and unsound logic. Brand Against the Machine by John Morgan is a breath for fresh air and must-read for anyone serious about building a strong long-lasting brand. In his words, "the machine blasts messages at the world and it does not care who you are or what you have to say or whether its message is relevant to you at all." He's right. This book guides you through the steps necessary to fight the machine- be smarter than those who are crapping up the marketplace with irrelevant advertising and marketing noise, and build a brand that creates fans...not just customers. Brand Against the Machine is an easy read. John's straight-forward style of writing feels more like an informal conversation. I'm a case-study junkie, so I appreciate the references to real-time examples or references throughout the book. You'll find key takeaways highlighted throughout the chapters, making this an easy book to go back and reference once you've read it through. Whether personal or enterprise, you will change how you view your brand...more importantly, you'll change how your customers view your brand once you've read this book.
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Posted December 8, 2011
I only recently became acquainted with John Morgan, but in a very short time, discovered just how freaking much this guy knows. One conversation with him is like a master class in branding. But an entire book by him? Like an entire, semester-long, college course in just about everything you need to know about creating a successful brand AND creating a successful business. "Brand Against the Machine" is the book you want to read if you: - want to start a business and want to avoid a lot of the common mistakes. - have been trying to grow a business and aren't sure why your business hasn't grown faster or why your audience isn't responding. - are in business and want to do better and grow more (and faster). Don't make the mistake of thinking that "Brand Against the Machine" is solely about branding. One of the things that sets this book apart is that John Morgan takes such a modern approach to branding, in that he so clearly understands that branding isn't a discipline that's separate from marketing, customer service, or quality of service and product. Rather, as John so aptly (and entertainingly) conveys, branding should be infused into every aspect of your business in a very deliberate, coherent, strategic way. "Brand Against the Machine" is certainly a book worthy of being on the entrepreneur and small business owner's reference bookshelf, next to books like "The E-Myth," "The Success Principles," "The Go-Giver," "Think and Grow Rich," and yes, even "Positioning," and "Repositioning." It's filled with wisdom, tips, ideas, and the wisdom and advice of someone who has himself helped to develop many successful brands. Having owned this book for just one week, my copy is already dog-eared and full of notes.
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Overview
Praise for Against the Machine
"John Morgan has something here. I'm a big fan of how he words things, and there's value in keeping a notepad handy. I changed something based on Morgan's work. You will too!"— Chris Brogan, President, Human Business Works; author of Trust Agents
"The subtitle of my first book, Six Pixels of Separation, was 'Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.' It's a nerve that John taps perfectly in Brand Against the Machine. In a world where every individual has the ability ...