Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Brands Get It Back, Foreword by Guy Kawasaki

by Rohit Bhargava and Guy Kawasaki

The age of the faceless corporation is over. In the new business era of the twenty first century, great brands and products must evoke a dynamic personality in order to attract passionate customers. Although many organizations hide their personality behind layers of packaged messaging and advertising, social media guru and influencer Rohit Bhargava counters that philosophy and illustrates how successful businesses have redefined themselves in the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071545212
• ISBN13: 9780071545211
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Great Resource For Business People Who Understand Faceless Companies Are A Thing of the Past

Personality is defined as "the unique, authentic, and talkable soul of your brand that people can get passionate about. Personality is not just about what you stand for, but how you choose to communicate it. It is also the way to reconnect your customers, partners, employees, and influencers to the soul of your brand in the new social media era." Have you ever thought about the fact that your business should have a personality? You might not have thought about creating or developing a personality for your business - but in the twenty first century, your business needs a personality. The time for faceless businesses is gone. We have all been told to develop a brand for our business. But, creating a personality that reflects and deepens that brand is taking the idea to a higher level. Think about your favorite coffee shop or your favorite restaurant. What do you like about that business? Is it the service, the products, the atmosphere, the location, or something else? The personality includes things that set that business apart from other similar businesses. This book contains six chapters in Part One. Part Two contains learning guides which expand on the content in Part One and other resources. Throughout the book Rohit Bhargava provides ample examples of businesses which are using the techniques that he discusses. The case studies were almost enough to sell me on this book, but learning about each technique and then being given an interesting and detailed example of how each idea can be implemented in real life was invaluable. For example, we all know that Starbucks is very popular. In Personality Not Included we are given details on what they did right and how the personality slipped away. Another fascinating section is chapter two when we learn about the many types of accidental spokesmen that can represent a business. In addition, he tells us how each type of spokesmen is effective and how to make the most of their enthusiasm and appeal. I love to highlight the valuable information in books and my copy has plenty of information marked for future use for me and my clients. Backstory is critical when writing a novel, but have you ever thought about sharing the story behind your business? This chapter explains why you should have a backstory and how to use that backstory. The strangest thing happened as I read this chapter. I usually share my business and promotional background with people when I give my experience, but chapter four helped me begin to develop a new approach. What story do you have behind your business that would attract the public and help them to see you in a more favorable light? In the opening chapter and introduction of the book I was patting myself on the back because I've used many of the ideas that are presented. Then Rohit Bhargava said something that really got my attention. He mentioned that just learning to create a personality isn't enough. You need to learn the best way to implement that personality plan

Does your business have a backstory?

(Disclaimer, I know the author Rohit and think he's a great guy) I just read Rohit's book, Personality Not Included, and, boy, am I glad I did. He goes way past the basics as he sets up his argument that there is something missing in the traditional focus on the "4 Ps" of marketing (product, price, placement, and promotion). That missing"5th P" Rohit argues, is personality. For me the book really came alive when I got to the chapter on using screenwriting techniques to figure out the backstory for your business. Stories are so important in communication, and Rohit gives step-by-step instructions on how to construct your organization's backstory. The personality of your organization comes through in that backstory. Expressions of that personality helps create a better bond between your business and the customer. When you think of Ben and Jerry's, do you have an idea of the operation that stands behind the brand? I do. I have a story in my head, even though I've never been to their website to read their about page. I picture two laid back hippies who love food. They met and decided to make delicious ice cream made out of yummy ingredients. These guys are so passionate about rich yummy ice cream that they managed to stand out in a crowded industry and change the way people think about ice cream. I picture their company full of happy people dressed in Birkenstock sandals. They are sitting in an old house in New England that has been converted to offices. There is an old bike rack out front with beat up 3-speeds parked there. Ben and Jerry are hanging out getting employees to taste their new fudge laden flavor. Wow. I don't even know how this story got into my mind. I am sure that I filled in most of the details myself, Their actual story might be different. But it's no accident that I have such a rich story play itself out in my mind when I think of Ben and Jerry's. Somehow in the way that the brand interacts with me I come away with that story. Am I more likely to buy Ben and Jerry's ice cream than some equally delicious brand that does not have this kind of backstory? Yes. I have a feeling about the personality of the guys behind the product. And I like it. OK, Give me a minute while I go out and buy some Chubby Hubby. Take a second and stretch. OK, I'm back. PNI has gotten me thinking. What is the backstory of my business? How can I use that backstory to inform the way that I interact with current and potential clients? These are useful questions. Rohit poses those questions and helps you answer them through a wealth of examples, guides, and tools. And he does the above with a good natured, direct style, which will delight you. Rohit practices what he preaches, packing the book with illustrations and subtitles that illuminate and entertain and give more than a hint of the personality behind the book.

Hand on, common sense, great stories

Rohit Bhargava is the author of the leading "Influential Marketing Blog" (IMB) and is a founding member of the 360 Digital Influence team at Ogilvy. That means he is no "feather weight" in the world of marketing. His first book "Personality not included" is a solid attempt to explain to marketers why many of the old corporate habits of dealing with their customers and the general public iare obsolete. Who came up with all the stupid policies anyway? If you are in marketing you might not find that book ground breaking because it just reiterates what you can read in the blogosphere pretty much every day. Rohit is not as radical as Seth Godin would be. Actually Rohit is a very good showcase for his own book: He has a mind of his own and has no problems sharing his thoughts. At the same time he works for a large organization with over 10,000 employees. He is a watch and learn case for many guys who think that blogging and working a corporate job simply don't go together. This is a book that everyone in business can read and get something out of. It is not too academic or plastered with acronyms that nobody but 50 people in the world would get. So if the book is not ground breaking in my eyes, why should you read it? 1. Stories: Rohit has a lot of first hand experience to share and throws in many other stories to add to his theories. That is valuable information for any marketer. 2. This book will make you more conscious about your marketing. Many potential readers might apply some principles of the book in their daily work already (myself being one of them). Rohit makes a good effort of structuring and organizing what many of us "feel" is the right thing to do. 3. It might give you some more ammunition when you are arguing with other in your organization on what is the right thing to do: How open do you want to be to the public? How do you portray yourself? How do you deal with your mishaps? Sucking a little less than your competition would be nice, wouldn't it? :-) 4. Power to the people: The book makes a very strong case that the employees of a company are their strongest asset - if they are empowered and have a face and aren't just XYZ employees. Companies embracing this thought will advance and it will make our (corporate) world a nicer place to live in. The book has only 6 chapters in part one. Rohit explains that almost all marketing books tend to be most interesting until chapter 6 and then become repetitive or boring. So he stopped right there. But then he continues with a nice hands on part that serves as a good reference point for making changes to your own organization (or the ones of your clients). So even if you are super-smart and know much more than I do you can read the book, put a check mark on every page and know that the top guys at Ogilvy don't know more than you do. That should be worth the price of the book. Note: Rohit is a humble man: He only gave himself 4 stars for his own book. Many people will disagree and g

Advice to Businesses & Individuals on getting it right

Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity And How Great Brands Get it Back Rohit gets it. I have heard him speak at several forums and I watched as he spread the word about this book implementing and practicing what he preaches. The book itself is a unique product ( cartoons from Hugh Mcleod, tags and place marks that let you go to the relevant worksheet), Its written in a very simple authentic way so you can read it like a book. ( I did on a 4 hour flight). Its talkable having some new things like a "Intermission". If you watch enough Bollywood movies you know you need an intermission. Every small or large business wil find things in this book that will hit home. If they don't then pat yourself on the back that you are doing the right thing. In case you need to be walked through step by step the book also contains worksheets that you don't have to tell your boss about but they will make you look good. As for me I bought 3 books for everyone above me in the reporting hierarchy and now I am expecting a promotion. Thank you Rohit for writing a great book. I hope it becomes a NY Times best seller

Great Advice From An Insanely Great Book

Guy Kawasaki illustrates in his foreword to Rohit Bhargava's excellent new book that it's not enough anymore to produce something great, rather, an absolute necessity to create something "insanely great." Otherwise, you are simply pushing your great product out into the market flush with other great products. So how do we ensure we create something "insanely" great? We cultivate personality. Luckily, cultivating a personality is - when boiled down to its basic elements, one of the easiest things in the world to do. Unfortunately, the exact same can be said of golf. The power of Bhargava's book stems from its ability to take high level marketing themes and elements and make them instantly relatable through exercises, case studies, and pop culture analogies ranging from The Simpsons to Fletch Lives - from Die Another Day to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of course, sharing themes is only one half of the battle - and also almost exactly one half of this book. It's second half is stunning in that it exists as a virtual how-to guide sharing new, yet proven, marketing techniques that can turn even the stodgiest, faceless corporations into the next corporate darling - seemingly overnight. Techniques shared include karmic marketing - or doing something good without asking for a reward, antimarketer marketing - or making fun of traditional marketing techniques in general to prove you are above it all, and fallibility marketing - or playing up your own mistakes to build a personality. In the end, "*Personality Not Included" exists in equal measure as a text book new marketing students will find themselves hiding behind the jackets of stodgy, traditional marketing tomes; and as a vital "how-to guide" for rapid cultivation of something many corporations will be embarrassed to admit they may have never had. Students and kings of industry alike are encouraged to hold this book close at bay.