Legendary Brands: Unleashing the Power of Storytelling to Create a Winning Market Strategy

336 Pages·2002·1.88 MB·English

by  Laurence Vincent

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© 2002 by Laurence Vincent
Published by Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company
All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the
publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
02 03 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vincent, Laurence.
Legendary brands : unleashing the power of storytelling to create a winning
marketing strategy / Laurence Vincent.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7931-5560-6
1. Brand name products. 2. Brand name products—Marketing.
3. Customer relations. I. Title.
HD69.B7 V563 2002
658.8′27—dc21
2002012222
Dearborn Trade books are available at special quantity discounts to use for sales
promotions, employee premiums, or educational purposes. Please call our special
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Dedication
for Jeanette, semper amemus

C O N T E N T S
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
P A R T I
1. All Brands Are Not Created Equal 3
2. Brand Mythology 19
3. Myth and the Narrative of Legendary Brands 51
4. Legendary Brands and Personal Narrative 77
P A R T I I
5. Investigating Brand Narrative 101
6. Crafting Brand Narrative 121
7. Communicating Brand Narrative 165
8. Brand Culture 187
P A R T I I I
9. Cobranding,Sponsorship,and Partnership Marketing 215
10. Brand Agents 233
11. Nonlinear Branding 255
12. Rescuing the Troubled Brand 267
13. Brand Narrative and the Body Politic 279
14. The Dark Side of Brand Mythology 293
END NOTES 309
INDEX 313
vii
viii CONTENTS
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I
am sincerely grateful to the legendary storytellers and marketers
who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with me: Lawrence
Flanagan, Carl Gustin, Michael Kaye, Joyce King-Thomas, Norman Lear,
Steve Le Neveu, Lin MacMaster, Ty Montague, Gerard Muenchen,
Dennis Rook, and Elisa Romm. It was a great privilege to gain the in-
sights of these shapers of popular culture. This book is a tribute to
their accomplishments and generosity.
Thanks to the entire crew at Cabana Group. Special honors to
Catherine Davie for supporting me without complaint through each
new draft of this material. Thanks also to Jim Sheehy for being a con-
stant sounding board and occasional devil’s advocate.
Many thanks to the entire staff at Dearborn Trade Publishing, but
especially to my editor, Mary Good. She was everything a great editor
should be: coach, counselor, and collaborator.
Thanks also to my agent, Kathleen A. Welton, whose confidence
and enthusiasm for this project brought it to fruition.
The impetus for this book began while I was working for the late
theatrical impresario, James A. Doolittle. He was a Legendary Brand
ix
x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
all by himself. His influence on my career and my thinking gave me
the confidence to try writing a book. I will be forever grateful to him.
I have often been accused of insanity because I decided to pen a
book while simultaneously starting a new business and raising a young
family. I think I’m pretty sane, but if I am, it is only because so many
people supported me along the way and contributed generously to
this project. For starters, thanks to my business partners at Cabana
Group—Hap Deneen, Mitch La Grow, and Neil Patel—who gave their
full support to the project, cheered me on during some very frustrating
times, and kept me laughing. Thanks to the mentors who have coached
and believed in me: Ellen Ketchum, Sallie Merritt Green, Hilary Mese-
role, Pamela Richardson, Serena Tripi, and Michael Widman.
Thanks to my grandmother, June Callihan—the greatest role
model of perseverance and dedication I have ever known. My love
and thanks to my mother, Kathleen, who sacrificed nearly everything
to help me succeed and instilled within me the inspiration to pursue
the writer’s path. Thanks also to my sisters, Kelly and Lisa, for not
allowing me to take myself too seriously (yes, I’m doing it now). I owe
a debt of gratitude to my children, Lucas and Jordan, because they
made life fun during the un-fun writing process. But most of all,
thanks to Jeanette, my wife. Without her I could not sign my name, let
alone write a book. She is the best friend I’ve ever had, the most lov-
ing person I’ve ever known, and still the most beautiful woman I’ve
ever seen. Though she would never accept any credit for this book, if
not for her affection, patience, and steadfast belief in me, I might never
have finished it. For this and so many other reasons, I dedicated it
entirely to her.