The Open Brand, by Kelly Mooney and Nita Rollins

Review by W. J. Rayment / ConservativeBookstore -- The internet is a creative destroyer. It is ruthless in tearing down anything it perceives as unauthentic, fake, phoney, old, stolid, or closed. Anything written on the web, negative or positive seems to spring to life. If it is controversial, half the web knows about it in the seeming blink of an eye. Brands are beaten up, politicians are pummeled, corporations are catterwauled (if indeed anything can be catterwauled). The point is that it is almost impossible to create a marketing campaign in the old fashioned manner that strictly controls the public's perception of a product or organization. This is where Mooney and Rollins come in with a remarkable idea that works something like marketing Jujitsu. It is called "The Open Brand".

In their book, Mooney and Rollins explain that the way to advance a brand is not to resist the internet but to use it to leverage the brand. This is done by creating an environment whereby the consumer feels comfortable contributing information, especially positive information about the brand. The consumer is allowed to help shape it by contributing public commentary and being allowed to participate in the various activities in which the brand engages. For example, a website might not only allow reviews of its products, but might also ask consumers to help design future products. The key is to ask for consumer participation.

Mooney and Rollins explain that this can have huge benefits in that it allows the brand to take advantage of personalized targeted marketing, available 24/7 that is engaging, and networked. In fact, this is what the acronym, OPEN stands for...On-demand, Personalized, Engaging, and Networked. Of course, the authors of this book go into greater detail, give concrete examples, and even make some specific suggestions on how to create and operate an open brand. The book is designed like no other book I have ever read. It resembles a website in its layout. It is clear, concise, readable, thoughtful, and useful. Its 198 pages leave an impact that gives the reader the impression that the authors know what they are writing about. The information in this book is useful not only for the entrepreneur, but also for anyone engaging in the web, and wants to promote something, whether that something is an idea or a person.

Conservatives can use this book as an outline for how to package and promote conservative ideals and give them an edge in the marketplace of ideas.

The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-Made World is available at Amazon.