Defending the Brand: Aggressive Strategies for Protecting Your Brand in the Online Arena

by Brian H. Murray

"Leading brands and the intellectual property of successful organizations are increasingly falling victim to hostile tactics from unscrupulous businesses. Unwanted brand associations, product piracy,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814407544
• ISBN13: 9780814407547
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: AMACOM/American Management Association
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 17 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

If your business has a web page you should read this

"Defending the Brand" is the definitive work in the field of protecting your brand presence on the Internet. I have read several books on Internet Security, site hijacking, and other problems of the Internet and even hold a security certification. I am not aware of any other book on the market today that explains so well the problems of malicious hackers and pranksters and how quickly they can destroy your brand name. The book is full of example after example of real-life problems that others have faced and solid advice on how to handle each of the various situations. Of course, it also has sound, positive steps you can take to help protect your brand from problems to begin with. Author Brian Murray doesn't give basic advice that is supposed to fit every situation but helps the reader to determine what factors make a situation warrant action, which ones are better off left alone, which ones might require legal action, and which ones trying to get a legal letter so they can further defame your brand name. Every business with an Internet presence should have a copy of this book. Using the Internet it is now possible to lose many years of positive customer relations in a matter of just a few days. You are responsible for knowing how to protect your company and yourself and this book will open your eyes.

Do you have a problem?

This book is a real eye opener about how almost any brand can be abused on the internet and how that abuse can translate into real lost dollars. I do a lot of work with internet piracy and expected that I wouldn't learn much while reading this book, but I have to admit that I was taken by surprise. Defending the Brand is a how too book that can help companies recognize the potential sources of abuse, put a dollar value on that abuse, and decide what to do about that abuse. How to respond, when to respond, and even when not to respond. I would not be surprised to see this become required reading for MBA courses around the country that wish to ensure its students are prepared for business in the 21st century.

Highly Recommended for Marketing Professionals

There are lots of books out there that describe the way branding, advertising and customer experiences are intended to work online but this is the first one I've read that shows how in the real world the theoretical models can be manipulated or subverted. Murray explains how to calculate how much some of the brand abuse that happens can cost your company, and how to defend your brand and avoid these costs. It is loaded with real examples and stories so I found it very enjoyable to read. The glossary and samples in the appendix will also be handy. Anyone working in marketing today needs to read this book.

Great Book

I bought this book after reading the excellent review of branding expert Martin Payne- you can find it at www.poolonline.com/books/books64.html. Payne was right when he described Murray's book at immensely readable and entertaining. The examples are awesome. Plain and simple this is a book about real branding problems and how to solve them. I highly recommend it.

Defending the Brand

After reading this book, I have an entirely new perspective on Internet branding issues. Defending the Brand was eye opening in that it provides a glimpse into an area of branding that few of us want to admit even exists. It exposes all the ways in which brands are abused online, while also showing you how to capitalize on opportunities. The book includes an inside view into many tricks of the trade, expanding beyond the classic cybersquatting and metatagging problems and addressing some of the more challenging online brand issues faced by companies today- things that can alienate a business' customers such as adware, paid placement, spam, partner compliance, and even fraud. Since the book is filled with lots of real stories and examples, I found it to be an entertaining and easy read. Also appreciated the many best practices and useful tips, and the usiness cases in each chapter that illustrate the monetary impact of the issues covered. All in all, this is a true must read for executives that want to understand what's happening to their brand today, for anyone in the branding and advertisement space, as well as trademark and IP attorneys.