There are many books about marketing, but Brand Love is unique. It not only puts on a pedestal the importance of emotional engagement in brand building, but it does so by emphasizing the critical need of addressing the multicultural perspective when doing so. With the world becoming more diverse every day, that is now an imperative for brand growth. And I love all the practical examples! * Bill Duggan, Group EVP, Association of National Advertisers (ANA) *
I am thrilled to endorse Lydia Michael's book, Brand Love. It is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to build strong, lasting emotional connections with their consumers. I found the book to be a valuable resource that provides a framework for continuous human-centric brand evolution, while also considering cultures and customer values as key elements of the equation. Michael's writing style and tone are some of my favorite aspects of the book. She is a multicultural marketing thought leader, global citizen and expert consumer who weaves her professional expertise with personal experiences alongside the latest research and compelling case studies, offering a perspective that is highly relatable, relevant and exciting. What sets Brand Love apart is how Michael's own expertise and passion in the subject took me on my own personal journey of falling in love with the book. With each stage of the Eight Brand Love Stages, my desire to implement these strategies grew. Overall, I highly recommend Brand Love to seasoned and up-and-coming marketers alike. It's a powerful and insightful book that will breathe new life into the way you think about engaging consumers through emotionally-driven strategies! * Ashmi Elizabeth Dang, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Wayfarer Studios *
Lydia Michael gets it and makes it easy for you, too. Customers own your brand! Michael provides real-world stories from companies you know and love that demonstrate the importance of moving your customer relationship from transactional to brand love. Brand Love shows how to create a customer for life. Why else be in business? * Ron Davis, loyalty and information technology executive *
Brand Love offers a deeply personal and relatable journey through the intricacies of building strong consumer-brand connections. The book touches upon essential frameworks and quickly steers the reader through impactful stories of how they can be applied. Brand Love reminds of a world obsessed with AI and deep technologies in that the biggest challenge in business can only be addressed by thinking through first principles and acting from our hearts. * Roman Fernandez, Venture Architect, Evolvia *
Brand love is a powerful force. Lydia Michael's book delves into this topic, revealing why we create emotional ties to some brands and not others. If you want your brand to be loved, this book gets to the heart of the matter and shows you just how to do it. * Christophe Folschette, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Talkwalker *
This is the toolkit you need if you want people to fall in love (and stay in love) with your brand! As a marketing professional, I found the eight stages to achieving brand love incredibly relevant, impactful and easy to follow. Lydia Michael's unique personal and professional background has armed her with a wealth of knowledge that shines through in each chapter as she shares countless examples and personal client experiences. Her focus on cultural nuances offers refreshing insights that any brand could benefit from. The Love Notes absolutely stole my heart! These key takeaways at the end of each chapter are clear, concise and actionable. This is a book you'll find yourself coming back to again and again as you continue to build your brand. * Ashley Franso, Senior Project Manager, Commonwealth McCann *
What's love got to do with it? Well, everything. Without brand love, businesses struggle to stand the test of time. Love, however, is a soft and fluffy topic. Thankfully, Lydia Michael provides structure and rigor to how brands can ignite desire and fandom, mapping out a path for the eight stages of brand love with tips and inspiration for each step of the process. Readers will be left reflecting on where their own brand sits on their journey for love and how they can continue to drive deeper connections. * Jon Freshwater, Client Partner, AKQA *
In her first book, Lydia Michael cements her position as a prolific thought leader with an expansive knowledge of global markets and the human psyche. She thoughtfully takes us through the journey of the The Eight Brand Love Stages that is the tried-and-true roadmap for any size business to create meaningful consumer-brand connections that will result in brand loyalty. What's most delightful about her observations is the insight she provides, stressing the importance of connecting with key demographics, multicultural consumers as well as supporting diverse and minority-owned brands. * Joya Harris, VP, Strategy & Creative, DCI Marketing (Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway Company) *
Brand Love not is not only an informative how-to, but it is substantive in its delivery on the importance of building a brand that resonates with customers, how it's good for business and why it's essential for long-term growth. This book is a must-have guide for any marketing and brand professional. * Shikha Jain, Partner, Simon-Kucher *
Lydia Michael has given us a fresh take on a topic that can easily become a marketing cliche: brand love. Combining insights into emotional and rational drivers, she offers a framework for building brand connections that last. Peppered with practical examples and helpful chapter love notes, her book is a great read for marketing practitioners, no matter your level of experience. * Steve Keller, Sonic Strategic Director, Studio Resonate, SXM Media *
In her book, Lydia Michael makes a compelling case as to why brands should strive to build meaningful emotional connections with consumers. She clearly lays out the stages of building brand love in a way that makes it accessible to a wide audience, from students to career-long marketing professionals. In an increasingly competitive market, brand identity is more important than ever, and as Michael points out, consumers are drawn to brands that reflect aspects of their own values and represent the multiple dimensions of their identities. This book is filled with valuable insights for anyone who is looking to develop brand recognition, build customer loyalty, increase social impact or build company culture from the ground up. It's also a wonderful resource to help guide young professionals as they cultivate their own personal brands in the early stages of their careers. Well-organized, thoughtful and inspiring! * Heba Khadre, digital customer experience associate *
Brand Love goes where no other marketing material has gone to date, providing a manual for professionals to strengthen consumer bonds and produce brand champions and loyalists. Lydia Michael does an incredible job tapping into her extensive professional experience to provide readers with tangible insights and examples, and she follows these with actionable takeaways for all to use. * Shahbaz Khan, Global Director, Flagship Social Media, Nike *
Filled with personal anecdotes and marketing insights, Brand Love analyzes the core aspects of building and growing a successful brand that consistently connects with customers. Readers will love this book. The featured stories are exciting, the eight-stage brand love model and studies are relevant, and Lydia Michael's concise and digestible writing style is highly engaging. * Gabriela Klewenhagen, Digital Marketing Manager, SAP *
Lydia Michael does a fantastic job showing how an investment in a brand can build trust, loyalty and drive real business results. The relevant examples in this book make it a must-read for any professional who is serious about building an everlasting brand that adapts and engages with diverse audiences. * Fares Ksebati, co-founder and CEO, MySwimPro *
As an organizational psychologist, one of the most important concepts to understand about whether people will engage is how connected they feel. Whether it's with a company, coworkers or a brand, we engage where we feel we belong. Brand Love guides us through the steps to inviting others to be a part your brand, a place where they feel welcome and will want to stay. We invest heavily into presenting our brand in a way that will interest our customers. This book helped me to see that my brand is owned by my customer (they decide what my brand is) and how to positively influence that perception. Brand Love quickly establishes its own brand that is easy to fall in love with. * Tracy Maylett, CEO, DecisionWise; organizational psychologist, professor and bestselling author of 'Swipe: The Science Behind Why We Don't Finish What We Start' *
Lydia Michael presents a refreshing and digestible look into gaining the trust of customers that leads to a love of your brand in a world where people are demanding more than ever from the brands they consider buying. A must-read for marketers aiming to stay ahead of the curve. * Chioke McRae, Associate Director, Strategic Planning Analyst, Leo Burnett *
I enjoyed reading Brand Love because it brought to my attention different ways to engage with customers. Looking at brands ranging from huge and multinational to small and local companies emphasized how these ideas can be put into play across companies of vastly different sizes, budgets and product lines. I also appreciate the push to utilize all five senses when connecting with customers, and the emotional ties that form as a result. * Kevin Peterson, cofounder, cocktail scientist and Nose, Sfumato Fragrances, Castalia *
I'm very impressed with the attention to detail, the incorporation of inclusion and multicultural marketing, as well as real life examples to help put all the content into perspective. Inclusion in branding is getting more and more attention, and Lydia by far is the best subject matter expert I've met. In Brand Love, I especially love the Love Notes at the end of the chapters that effectively summarize the most impactful points. Brand Love should be used by any company or organization looking to effectively create a brand that wants to be inclusive and create a lasting impact! * Taharah Saad, Executive Director, Arab American Women's Business Council *
The framework introduced here is parsimonious, and Lydia Michael skillfully uses the complete canvas to paint the picture so that one can see how it is applicable to a wide variety of situations. It is elegant in its simplicity. Drawing upon work with clients and a body of evidence from a number of studies, she introduces the brand love model and provides the reader with the scaffolding to both comprehend and construct strong ties between consumers and the brands they will love. While many are familiar with the contours of customer relationship management, few are well versed in the rational and emotional underpinnings of the relationship, and this exposition regarding the drivers of brand love ensures that we will not overlook the sometime subtle, but always critical, influence of these factors. * Jeff Stoltman, Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs, Mike Ilitch School of Business, Wayne State University *
In order to thrive in today's competitive environment, one must familiarize themselves with Lydia Michael's Brand Love. This book offers guidance on creating an intimate bond between a brand and consumers, which is integral for a successful business. What I love most about this book is its real world, global examples that make the concepts in this book easy to follow. Michael simplifies what brand love actually means while simultaneously segregating the brand love drivers into emotions versus logic or the right versus left side of our brains. With its emphasis on identifying your brand's why, the book delivers an essential roadmap for business owners striving to cultivate long-lasting customer relationships. * Dionne Vaz, Marketing Director, CoinDesk *
