800-CEO-READ Blog

It's a real challenge. How do authors like these, that are connected to an agency, maintain their credibility when writting business books?

The truth is it's difficult, it seems that this book reads a lot like "Beyond Disruption", the TBWA equivilent business book (brochure).

It also bothers me when authors feel the need to fill up 180 pages re-selling you on the simple concept you bought in the first 20. But we're a fickle, tough to please bunch, and I doubt I'd pay $1 a page if that's what they sold (although I did buy "Who moved my cheese?").

"The only guidance Roberts offers companies on how to transform their brand into a Lovemark is to get closer to their evangelical customers."

You mean like "Tipping Point" etc.? Seems not even the first 20-pages were worth the price for the admission, thanks for the review, think I'll give this one a miss.

Incidentaly, noticibly absent was a dog-ear score...!

By getting closer to a brand’s evangelical customers, Roberts is referring to engaging and interacting with customers to create community, napsterize knowledge, practice customer plus-delta, and build buzz. All the stuff found in Creating Customer Evangelists (by McConnell and Huba).

As for the absent dog-ear score? Highly-designed glossy pages are not conducive to dog-earring. I can’t dog ear glossy pages … it feels like I am defacing the book. Instead, I used Post-It notes with Lovemarks. But … my real challenge with a Lovemarks Dog-Ear Score is I’m not sure how to account for dog-ears of pages that I loath. Many of my Lovemarks dog-ear post-it note pages are for thoughts I disagree with. Any ideas on how to solve for the accounting of “bad” dog-ears?

Thanks for a thought-provoking review. I have looked at Lovemarks but not bought it and I feel sceptical. I agree with what you say about the way the book is a bit of a narcissistic celebration of Saatchi's. That's something that really puts me off.

And it makes me question if the author truly believes what he says about authentic connection. He SAYS brands are created democratically by stakeholders, but I feel like he really wants to just TELL us that Saatchi's is great!

Also interested in your comment about "How To". I suspect the implied "HowTo" of this book is... hire Saatchi's. I'd take a rain check on that myself.

In some ways, I like business books that don't purport to have a "How To" guide and are willing to acknowledge that success can be mysterious, and in some ways it sounds like this is Roberts' view.

And thanks for giving me more stuff to think about as I decide exactly how I feel about this book!

Johnnie … nothing implied with my “how to” comments. Lovemarks did a great job explaining the importance and the relevance of a brand that emotionally connects with customers.

I just wanted to learn more about how Roberts believes companies can design a brand to eventually become a Lovemark.

Instead, he offered up the “big idea” of brands needing to be more intimate with inspirational/evangelical customers. But Roberts doesn’t follow-through with actionable ways to connect brands with inspirational/evangelical customers.

Where Roberts really lost me was his constant praise of Tide laundry detergent as a Lovemark. Huh? Tide, a Lovemark? (Ohh … Tide is a Saatchi and Saatchi client and last year they ran a huge advertising campaign to support Tide.)

It is interesting to note … I saw Tide’s OOH and print executions for this campaign last year and commented on how it was an example of how traditional mass advertising is dead. The ads, with the ubiquitous whimsy headline, did nothing to build preference for Tide, did nothing to separate Tide from the myriad laundry detergents, and did nothing to justify paying a higher price. Yet, Roberts hails the campaign as being, “… a rare and successful fusion of medium and message. And intriguing blend of information and Intimacy.”

While I agree that business books purporting a “Fool-Proof 10 Step Process to Building a Lovemark” are off-putting, I would like to read more actionable thoughts on how to accomplish what the author thinks is so important.

Hmmm, yeah, that's tricky, if you disagree in the spirit of debate, then it's worth note and discussion (there were many things I disagreed with in Re-imagine! that's part of what I loved about the reading experience). However, if you just thought the author was a "stooopid person" at times, then I'd probably leave it out.

But thanks again, I'm REALLY not going to read this now...!

Rich, don't dismiss the book entirely, I would spend quality time on the Respect/Love axis. (BRILLIANT STUFF!!!!)

Visit Kevin Robert's website site (http://www.saatchikevin.com/index.shtml), read the two Fast Company articles, and you will be a better marketer for it.

Fair enough, will do! Although:

"Where Roberts really lost me was his constant praise of Tide laundry detergent as a Lovemark. Huh? Tide, a Lovemark? (Ohh … Tide is a Saatchi and Saatchi client and last year they ran a huge advertising campaign to support Tide.)

has me grinding my teeth...!

(PS. Johnnie, I too agree that bizz books don't always need a "how to". In fact sometimes that can be a bit presumtous. As long as you get me thinking though, and it just doesn't sound like there are too many new thoughts getting provoked with this one, but I'll read the articles with an open(ish) mind and get back to you)

Hi Rich/John, good comments. I'm glad you commented on Tide, John. Just leafing through that material caught my eye and struck me as an absurd example of Lovemarking and one of the reasons I distrust this author.

Surely Love needs to be more than just flirtation. I think the Tide is just another narcissistic ad campaign which lacks any deep connection with consumers.

And yes, the love/respect axis is an interesting way to map markets... but do we need £20 worth of gloss and pretty pictures to understand it?

Johnnie asks ... Do we need £20 worth of gloss and pretty pictures to understand it?

We sure don't … especially when the Respect/Love axis concept is articulated so well (and so “free”) on the author's website (http://www.saatchikevin.com/workingit/love_change.html). Plus, one can freely read two Fast Company articles on “Lovemarks.

Sept. 2000: http://www.fastcompany.com/online/38/roberts.html
July 2004: (article to be uploaded on fastcompany.com for a free read in July)

Sometimes all one needs is a bite-size chunk to be satiated and these three chunks have satiated this marketer’s need to further Lovemark learning.

Perhaps the proof is in the pudding. Roberts' is thankfully absent from the Lovemarks website at www.lovemarks.com, it's not free of BS either but it's a useful (free) and oddly global portal to what gets some people going - including marketers looking for a helicopter ride & view.

Has anyone else heard about the author talking about Lovemarks in LA soon - or already been even? an ad agency friend said she got and invite - can anyone go?