>
Review of Accidental Branding: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Brands by David Vinjamuri
THE PREMISE
David Vinjamuri says that he ended up calling his book Accidental Branding “because every brand that I wanted to write about started with some fortuitous accident.” “All the entrepreneurs I write about in this book…were very, very lucky.” Vinjamuri admits there was lots of sweat and great decision making, “But without luck, and especially good timing, there is a chance some of these folks would not have created huge businesses.”
Of course, not all brands start accidentally, but the ones Vinjamuri writes about do. Sort of.
John Peterman’s “accident” was an unplanned excursion to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Peterman strolled into a local outfitter where he bought a cowboy duster and wore it out of the store. He received so many compliments that he decided to sell the long white canvas coat. It became the “J. Peterman Coat” and an accidental brand was born.
Craigslist started as a simple email list; which Craig Newmark used to email all his friends a list of local technology and arts-related events.
Roxanne Quimby was picked up hitchhiking in Maine by recluse beekeeper Burt Shavitz. That was the genesis of Burt’s Bees.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Accidental Branding is not a lesson in branding. Rather, it is more of an insight into some unique brands by getting to know the personalities behind the brand. Yes, Vinjamuri gives you his six rules of building accidental brands, but this book is not a road map to stumbling across fame and fortune.
WHAT IT IS
Accidental Branding is a book of branding short stories. Vinjamuri narrates his personal meetings with the likes of Clif Bar’s Gary Erickson, Columbia Sportswear’s Gert Boyle, and Baby Einstein’s Julie Aigner-Clark. It’s an enjoyable, whimsical read if nothing else. Mythical figures are made human and you realize that these branding icons are mostly normal people. Mostly normal…except that they accidentally started an amazing brand.
Accidental Branders Profiled:
- John Peterman of J. Peterman
- Craig Newmark of craigslist
- Gary Erickson of Clif Bar
- Myriam Zaoui and Eric Malka of The Art of Shaving
- Gert Boyle of Columbia Sportswear
- Julie Aigner-Clark of Baby Einstein
- Roxanne Quimby of Burt’s Bees
LESSONS LEARNED
Brian Tracy has said that every person has at least four, million-dollar-ideas annually. The personalities featured in Accidental Branding decided to act on their million dollar ideas (even if they didn’t realize that it would make them millionaires).
None of the entrepreneurs featured in Accidental Branding have MBA’s, nor did they develop the brand from within a corporation. All the entrepreneurs built their brand out of personal satisfaction or necessity. They didn’t use market research to identify gaps in the market place. They were trying to solve their own problems.
One thing struck me after reading the chapter on Roxanne Quimby of Burt’s Bees. The Clorox Corporation bought Burt’s Bees for $925 million in cash. Clorox, with all its resources, R&D department and high-powered MBA’s would never have been able to develop a brand like Burt’s Bees. Clorox hires the best minds with the best credentials, but they don’t hire Roxanne Quimbys. It takes a certain degree of ordinariness to develop an amazing and accidental brand.
More information about the book can be found at the Accidental Branding promotional site.
The book is for sale at all the major booksellers including Amazon.
Related posts on books & reviews:
Nine Compulsions That Keep Your Brand Mired in the Pack
The Secrets of Stickiness: Stop wasting money on your message.
Websites 101 for Small Businesses
Full Disclosure: I received advance chapters of Accidental Branding from the book’s publicity company and was asked to review the book on my blog. After reading the chapters I thought the book worthy of review. I received no compensation for this review.
Our company website: The Marketing Spot