Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands

Book Synopsis: “When everybody zigs, zag,” says Marty Neumeier in this fresh view of brand strategy. ZAG follows the ultra-clear “whiteboard overview” style of the author’s first book, THE BRAND GAP, but drills deeper into the question of how brands can harness the power of differentiation. The author argues that in an extremely cluttered marketplace, traditional differentiation is no longer enough—today companies need “radical differentiation” to create lasting value for their shareholders and customers. In an entertaining 3-hour read you’ll learn:

• why me-too brands are doomed to fail
• how to “read” customer feedback on new products and messages
• the 17 steps for designing “difference” into your brand
• how to turn your brand’s “onliness” into a “trueline” to drive synergy
• the secrets of naming products, services, and companies
• the four deadly dangers faced by brand portfolios
• how to “stretch” your brand without breaking it
• how to succeed at all three stages of the competition cycle

From the back cover: In an age of me-too products and instant communications, keeping up with the competition is no longer a winning strategy. Today you have to out-position, out-maneuver, and out-design the competition. The new rule? When everybody zigs, zag. In his first book, THE BRAND GAP, Neumeier showed companies how to bridge the distance between business strategy and design. In ZAG, he illustrates the number-one strategy of high-performance brands—radical differentiation.

ZAG is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit’s New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.