Brand Slam, the Ultimate Hit in the Game of Marketing

By Frank Delano

This is a book that is very thought provoking but, like all good business books, simple in its message. It all comes down to a great idea, a brand slam. The author talks about marketing by committees, strategic plans and how they are frequently at the heart of brand development. The plan comes first and everything follows from there. He argues that this is totally the wrong approach and his reasoning certainly makes sense. What must come first is THE BIG IDEA. This could be a product idea, an advertising idea, a slogan idea and so on. This forms the core to be able to move forward. If a strategic plan is needed then it follows from the idea. 

Brand Slam is divided into section that show how a brand slam can happen in different areas. For example, the slogans section show how the use of different words can contribute towards a brand slam slogan. The advertising section considers how brand slam ads are memorable and, ultimately, more effective than poor advertising. The sections are illustrated with a wealth of examples, some of which have their own dedicated section that goes into detail about how a brand slam business was built. One criticism is that the examples are primarily US brands or international brands in the US and the slogans and advertising may be unknown to an audience outside. However, this does not hide the lessons that are being communicated. The examples still work though.

Brand slam is inspirational and encourages the reader to think of other relevant examples and why they work. Each section concludes with a set of lessons to be learned. These can be applied to your own company or brand and help you towards your own brand slam.

Review by Martin Payne