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Paperback Why Johnny Can't Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea Book

ISBN: 0982694172

ISBN13: 9780982694176

Why Johnny Can't Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea

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Book Overview

Winner of the Best Marketing Books Award from Strategy + Business Magazine.

"There's a Big Idea waiting inside your brand that can make you #1. Find it and shape it yourself--or competitors and customers will do it for you. And we promise, you won't like the tagline."

A few years back, a best seller called Why Johnny Can't Read shocked the education establishment and revived the lost art of phonics. Now, Why Johnny Can't Brand blows the lid off the marketing establishment by reviving the lost art of the Big Idea.
According to Bill Schley and Carl Nichols, Jr., modern branding is a daily choice between real, muscle-building ideas and an immense smorgasbord of empty-caloried junk. The stakes are huge, especially in a world with 155 kinds of shampoo. So why do so many good companies choose wrong? In fact, why do most fail to differentiate at all--handing what some call an "unfair" advantage to the few who do? The surprising answers, and the exclusive, eight-week prescription to fix it, are here in Why Johnny Can't Brand.
The secret is uncovering your Dominant Selling Idea (DSI)--the one unifying idea at the center of every brand--before you charge ahead with advertising or anything else. The DSI is "the thing you do that's superlative, important, believable, memorable and tangible--the difference that makes people want to buy you." It puts you in a category of one.

In the often funny, page-turning style of two award-winning, former Madison Avenue communicators, Schley and Nichols explain:
1.Why real branding is the opposite of what you think
2. How positioning turns your brand asset from fool's gold to real gold
3. Why Harvard and Stanford MBAs are the last to get it (but they can learn this too)
4. How to find your Big Idea in about eight weeks--then keep it...
and so much more.

In a world with 300 million messages whizzing by every second, it gives us the ultimate advantage--an inspiring, power-packed return to the secret of the idea centered brand.

Customer Reviews

5 ratings

Love this book!

This book is a real eye opener. I gained so much clarity where I was previously confused. I fell in love with it and am so thankful that the writers were willing to tell me all these amazing secrets and truths for just the price of the book!! I would recommend it to any business/product owner. However, I really don't want my competitors to get ahold of this book! I am now excited about re branding my business! Totally motivated. It was also enjoyable and entertaining to read.

Amazing Book. What they don't teach in college

I am 21 years old and in my senior year of college with a marketing major. The CEO of the company I did my internship at this summer recomended this book to me. I am glad he did. This book gives amazing examples of what an organization must do to not only advertise correctly, but to make their product/service stand out. There are tons of great examples of prolific organizations that made simple changes to their company, and are now leaders in the market. I almost feel cheated at school because this book teaches more than any marketing class I have every taken.

The #1 Branding Book for Anyone

I'm only halfway through this magnficent book and have already recommended it to half a dozen people. I am fortunate to have stumbled across this book as I prepare to makeover my business (freelance writer) and web site. This book has me thinking in new ways and different directions than I would have without it, and I'm spending time identifying what my DSI truly is. Although this book is probably written more for companies, I think it should be a mandatory read for every independant contractor out there. Entertaining, common sense, and plenty of examples. Two thumbs up.

So Smart!

This is the "big picture" book. Anyone involved or interested or even schooled in marketing will have references and citations on how to do the many activities and understand trends that come under the "marketing" banner: creating great design, conducting a focus group, creating buzz, etc. While technique and expertise in these areas are important, it is all for naught if you don't stop to think about WHY you are doing them. This book drives home the point that everything you do must be consistent with the tenets relative to your business objective. Moreover, the book provides programmatic steps on how to discover those objectives and tenets. The stories and insights along the way are enlightening and lend such common sense to the book's overarching messages to stay focused and remember that buying decisions are made by people. I was totally engaged by the book which shifted my perspective. To me, that's the mark of an excellent book.

Excellent "Back to Basics" of Marketing

With so many branding "experts" around, its easy to lose sight of the fundamentals - here they are. A clear review of the basic principles of creating enduring, differentiated brands. Advocates a re-focus on the dominant selling idea as the primary driver of branding. Use this guide to break out of the "sameness" of brands and to focus on what your brand uniquely offers to customers. First half is branding theory and the second half is a "how to" map for implementation. It is a quick and entertaining read that is now on my desk for reference. I ordered copies for my team and have given copies to senior managers in my organization.
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