by Rohit Bhargava
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Product Description
The age of the faceless corporation is over. In the new business era of the twenty first century, great brands and products must evoke a dynamic personality in order to attract passionate customers. Although many organizations hide their personality behind layers of packaged messaging and advertising, social media guru and influencer Rohit Bhargava counters that philosophy and illustrates how successful businesses have redefined themselves in the new customer universe. Personality Not Included is a powerhouse resource packed with bold new insights that show you how to shed the lifeless armor of your business and rediscover the soul of your brand. Sharing stories from the ethos of the world's weirdest city, to how Manga has taken the comic book industry by storm, to showcasing brands like Intel, Boeing, ING, and Dyson, Bhargava shows you why personality matters from the inside out. In Part One, you'll be introduced to the key components to building a personality and learn how to: - Recognize the greatest myth that most marketers blindly follow, and how to get past it
- Use the “UAT Filter” to understand the personality of your organization and products in order to develop a communication strategy that drives your marketing
- Create your company's “marketing backstory” using techniques pioneered by Hollywood screenwriters
- Harness the influence of “accidental spokespeople” and use it to your advantage
- Navigate the roadblocks of using personality that come from bosses, peers, investors, and lawyers, without getting fired or flamed
- Pinpoint and capitalize on the moments where personality can make a difference
Part Two is packed with guides, tools, and techniques to help you flawlessly implement your plan. It features practical, step-by-step lessons that help you effectively move from theory to action, and includes a valuable collection of guides, checklists, question forms, printable resources, and more. Don't be another faceless company-learn the new rules for succeeding in the social media era with Personality Not Included.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A Great Resource For Business People Who Understand Faceless Companies Are A Thing of the Past, 2008-07-03
Personality is defined as "the unique, authentic, and talkable soul of your brand that people can get passionate about. Personality is not just about what you stand for, but how you choose to communicate it. It is also the way to reconnect your customers, partners, employees, and influencers to the soul of your brand in the new social media era."
Have you ever thought about the fact that your business should have a personality? You might not have thought about creating or developing a personality for your business - but in the twenty first century, your business needs a personality. The time for faceless businesses is gone. We have all been told to develop a brand for our business. But, creating a personality that reflects and deepens that brand is taking the idea to a higher level.
Think about your favorite coffee shop or your favorite restaurant. What do you like about that business? Is it the service, the products, the atmosphere, the location, or something else? The personality includes things that set that business apart from other similar businesses.
This book contains six chapters in Part One. Part Two contains learning guides which expand on the content in Part One and other resources.
Throughout the book Rohit Bhargava provides ample examples of businesses which are using the techniques that he discusses. The case studies were almost enough to sell me on this book, but learning about each technique and then being given an interesting and detailed example of how each idea can be implemented in real life was invaluable. For example, we all know that Starbucks is very popular. In Personality Not Included we are given details on what they did right and how the personality slipped away.
Another fascinating section is chapter two when we learn about the many types of accidental spokesmen that can represent a business. In addition, he tells us how each type of spokesmen is effective and how to make the most of their enthusiasm and appeal. I love to highlight the valuable information in books and my copy has plenty of information marked for future use for me and my clients.
Backstory is critical when writing a novel, but have you ever thought about sharing the story behind your business? This chapter explains why you should have a backstory and how to use that backstory. The strangest thing happened as I read this chapter. I usually share my business and promotional background with people when I give my experience, but chapter four helped me begin to develop a new approach. What story do you have behind your business that would attract the public and help them to see you in a more favorable light?
In the opening chapter and introduction of the book I was patting myself on the back because I've used many of the ideas that are presented. Then Rohit Bhargava said something that really got my attention. He mentioned that just learning to create a personality isn't enough. You need to learn the best way to implement that personality plan in your business and learn to identify even more ways to find opportunities to develop this personality even further.
When you read the book, definitely take the time to read the learning guides in Part Two. There are many "guides" in the book which give you additional information on how to get the most out of the ideas and techniques in the book.
I highly recommend this book for any entrepreneur and business person who wants to understand the need for a business personality. Business managers can also learn so much from the content in this book. It is also for the person who wants to find the different ways to develop this personality. Your business can stand out from the competition in amazing ways - it just needs more personality. When you read the book, keep your eyes open for the interesting ways the author has woven a unique personality into the pages of the book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
PNI promotes prolific pulling power, 2008-07-02
I would love to share a beer with Rohit! The information in this book, I am sure, is just the tip of the knowledge he has inside of his head. Not only does it cover personalities of companies but the book itself has its own personality.
1. It has an incredibly easy layout which is SO SO important for business books.
2. It isn't a single concept that is reiterated differently over 250 pages ... unlike most other books in its class it has 250 pages of things to say.
3. It has been written through experience and trial/error not conjecture of what could work.
4. The companion website (and GREAT list of reference books available through his Amazon store) offers useful tools to help the readers.
While I do think it is a standout book in its category, a few things that would make it a more useful tool (as opposed to just a book) would include:
- Add a section that consolidates the 100+ examples so they are easy to pull out in the future.
- A perforated "reference card" that sums up all of the key points of PNI so people could stick up on their office wall, use it for meetings, etc. Think IDEO method cards in a single card that you can rip out of the book.
- Make the tests & tools in a template form that we can download from the website to use on a per project basis.
If I were given space for a comment on the back cover of this book it would be:
"Personalities... we all have them; our companies often don't. Rohit shows through experience what will give you the 'make it or break it' advantage simply by sharing your personality with customers. It is a new business world out there and PNI will help show who you really are."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Should be required reading for all marketers, 2008-06-08
This books declares something along the lines of "most business books reveal their big idea by the 5th chapter and then spend the next 10 chapters making the same point over-and-over." My collection of half read business books is proof of this statement.
When I finish reading a book (or at least the core parts), I write up a personal summary to review later (school habits die hard). For most books, my summary is usually a simple top 10 list.
My notes from this book are almost a dozen pages long.
This book does a beautiful job of delivering value across the "how they did it" to "how you can do it" spectrum. Rohit's writing style is perfect for "snacking"/quick-reference and for extended sittings.
These are the sections of the book I have already referenced during my own presentations/writings/recommendations for clients:
- Elements of personality
- How to be unique / how to be authentic / how to be talkable
- Four barriers to personality
- Personality moments
- Three methods of getting attention
- Today's buying cycle
- Ten individual marketing techniques (and examples of each)
- How to's, including: make your brand more likable, rethink your small print, empower your employees, and build authority
I highly recommend picking this book up. If you work in marketing, I am sure you will find yourself quoting/referencing parts of this book many times over the next few years!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Does your business have a backstory? , 2008-06-01
(Disclaimer, I know the author Rohit and think he's a great guy)
I just read Rohit's book, Personality Not Included, and, boy, am I glad I did. He goes way past the basics as he sets up his argument that there is something missing in the traditional focus on the "4 Ps" of marketing (product, price, placement, and promotion). That missing"5th P" Rohit argues, is personality.
For me the book really came alive when I got to the chapter on using screenwriting techniques to figure out the backstory for your business. Stories are so important in communication, and Rohit gives step-by-step instructions on how to construct your organization's backstory. The personality of your organization comes through in that backstory. Expressions of that personality helps create a better bond between your business and the customer.
When you think of Ben and Jerry's, do you have an idea of the operation that stands behind the brand? I do. I have a story in my head, even though I've never been to their website to read their about page.
I picture two laid back hippies who love food. They met and decided to make delicious ice cream made out of yummy ingredients. These guys are so passionate about rich yummy ice cream that they managed to stand out in a crowded industry and change the way people think about ice cream. I picture their company full of happy people dressed in Birkenstock sandals. They are sitting in an old house in New England that has been converted to offices. There is an old bike rack out front with beat up 3-speeds parked there. Ben and Jerry are hanging out getting employees to taste their new fudge laden flavor.
Wow. I don't even know how this story got into my mind. I am sure that I filled in most of the details myself, Their actual story might be different. But it's no accident that I have such a rich story play itself out in my mind when I think of Ben and Jerry's. Somehow in the way that the brand interacts with me I come away with that story. Am I more likely to buy Ben and Jerry's ice cream than some equally delicious brand that does not have this kind of backstory? Yes. I have a feeling about the personality of the guys behind the product. And I like it. OK, Give me a minute while I go out and buy some Chubby Hubby. Take a second and stretch.
OK, I'm back.
PNI has gotten me thinking. What is the backstory of my business? How can I use that backstory to inform the way that I interact with current and potential clients? These are useful questions.
Rohit poses those questions and helps you answer them through a wealth of examples, guides, and tools. And he does the above with a good natured, direct style, which will delight you. Rohit practices what he preaches, packing the book with illustrations and subtitles that illuminate and entertain and give more than a hint of the personality behind the book.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
This is the book I wish I wrote!, 2008-05-28
I have been cautiously excited for this book to be released because I am someone who lives and breaths "personality marketing" every day I was hoping this wouldn't be for the casual marketer with simple ideas and nothing to back it up.
It only took one 50 pages in to realize that this was a special book and after reading it twice I am pleased to say this is now in my top three most influential reads and I have given it to every person on my marketing team and even gave a copy to a potential hire!
Saul Colt
Head of Magic
FreshBooks.com
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