How to Bridge the Distance Between Brand Strategy and Design
Expanded Edition
A Whiteboard Overview by Marty Neumeier
The Brand Gap is a good read and an excellent reference guide for all things “branding.” The style of the book is based on a presentation, using illustrations and diagrams to help you recognize the five disciplines of branding and learn to apply them to various situations.
It starts 
with defining what a brand is, and what it isn’t. I really enjoyed how the author kept the descriptions and explanations as simple and focused as possible to illustrate his points. “Brand” has become a huge buzzword in the last few years, so it’s helpful to make sure you have a full understanding of what it is, and how to then evaluate your brand – now and in the future. This book gives you a great system for doing just that.
This new, revised edition includes a handy “Brand Glossary” that clears up all the jargon surrounding this topic. There’s also a reading list with recommendations for other books that dive deeper into the many topics Neumeier touches on. Both of these tools make the book a must-read and a continued resource for any marketer’s library.
If you develop and consult on b2b branding like I do, or just want to see how your brand stacks up, I recommend this guide as an excellent starting point. I guarantee you’ll learn some things you didn’t know, and clear up some misconceptions along the way.
Glenn Taylor is a partner and senior creative director of Atlanta-based B2B marketing firm MLT Creative. Located on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, Taylor co-founded MLT Creative in 1984 along with partners Billy Mitchell and Craig Lindberg.
Known as the Idea Launch PadTM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative's services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions for business-to-business clients.
As I watched 
a preview last night for the new show "Undercover Boss," which debuts this Sunday on CBS, one storyline really got my attention, because it reinforced a practice we've seen to be a success many times here at MLT Creative: Excellent service sells. It's as simple as that. Addictive service brings customers back.
The preview featured Joe DePinto, the man-in-charge at 7-Eleven®, going undercover on the opposite end of the corporate ladder to work various positions within his company. One location he was particularly interested to visit, in Shirley, N.Y., sells more coffee each day than any other 7-Eleven location. Joe wanted to learn their secret, and once he got there, he quickly figured it out: It wasn't that the coffee was different, or even better tasting than other locations. It was their secret ingredient - Delores. She's been the "coffee queen" at that location for 18 years, and knows most of her customers by name. And in the clip, as people came and went, Delores was always there with a smile, a kind comment and a helping hand. Joe quickly decided that 7-Eleven needed more of Delores' secret ingredient.
Do you have your customers coming back for more?
Examine your customer interactions and ask yourself, "Are we doing everything we can to offer addictive service?" Trust me, from our experience, this builds bonds and personal relationships that withstand economic downturns and strengthen brand loyalties.
Glenn Taylor is a partner and senior creative director of Atlanta-based B2B marketing firm MLT Creative. Located on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, Taylor co-founded MLT Creative in 1984 along with partners Billy Mitchell and Craig Lindberg.
Known as the Idea Launch PadTM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative's services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions for business-to-business clients.
I had the pleasure of attending world-famous photographer,
Jay Maisel's class at
Photoshop World the last two years and absorb his excellent insights into creativity and photography. One of Jay's many points that stuck with me was "turn around, the best shot is often behind you." It's probably not his exact words, Jay is often quite creative in his language as well, but it gives the basic premise of the thought.
Are you leaving something out or too much in?
This creative process and thinking is something we use every day at our B2B marketing agency in Atlanta. The obvious marketing solution is often not the best one. We tend to examine the audiences, the marketplace and the industry, and then we stop to take a look around and make sure we are picking up on every possible angle. Our ability to take a quick "deep dive" on an industry and our client's needs within it, gives us the ability to see solutions where others haven't looked. We like to develop a targeted solution and then we test it with feedback from representatives on both the sending and receiving side of the marketing message. Can it be simplified further? Does it have the impact we envisioned? Are we employing all the marketing tactics available to their full potential? Next, we try and best that solution and many times we do. All it takes is taking the time to "turn around" and see all of the possibilities.
Just look around, the game changed this past year
If there is a silver lining to the past year's cooling economy, it's that more options than ever now exist for B2B marketers to get their message out. Are you exploring all the possibilities in your marketing efforts both inbound and outbound? If you're not, we would like to help you discover a new direction.
Glenn Taylor is a partner and senior creative director of Atlanta-based B2B marketing firm MLT Creative. Located on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, Taylor co-founded MLT Creative in 1984 along with partners Billy Mitchell and Craig Lindberg.
Known as the Idea Launch PadTM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative's services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions for business-to-business clients.