A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a new book called Accidental Branding that outlined how 8 entrepreneurs had built their brands.  The book’s author, David Vinjamuri, contacted me after that post and offered to send me a full copy of the book to read myself.  After finishing up the book this past weekend, I am glad I took him up on the offer.  Accidental Branding isn’t your typical marketing or business book.  That is probably what made it such a refreshing read.  Instead, the book is more about story telling.  Vinjamuri reveals upfront the six tips for Accidental Branding that he discovered by studying entrepreneurs.  Then instead of rehashing these tips again and again, he insteads dives straight into story telling.  In a sense, you can see the teaching side of him come out in these stories as he walks you through his encounters with entrepreneurs like Gary Erickson of Clif Bar.  The stories are what makes this such a great read.  Vinjamuri really gives you an inside peak into not just the brands, but also the people behind the brands.  These stories are really inspirational, especially for those of us doing branding at major CPG’s.  I think sometimes we forget the hard work and labor that entrepreneurs do to build a brand from the ground up.  They arent blessed with million dollar marketing budgets or deep consumer research departments.  They have to build the brands from the ground up and their consumer research comes from being a consumer themself.  Accidental Branding provides an insider’s look at these journeys, providing an extremely entertaining reading along the way that every marketer will enjoy.

Greg Verdino has a great summary of a new book called Accidental Branding.  Based on his review, the book sounds like a must read with insight from the founders of Craigslist, Baby Einstein and Clif Bar.  All of these companies have built amazing brands without relying on the traditional “branding rules” employed by major industry players.  Until I have a chance to review the book, here are the rules for consistent and powerful accidental brand success according to Verdino:

1. Do sweat the small stuff, obsessively – because the details can make all the difference in the world.
2. Pick a fight – in other words, be prepared to go head-to-head with the de facto market leader and be prepared to buck the status quo.  After all, if you’re passionate about what you do, there’s no reason to kick back and play a distant number 2 to the same ol’ same ol’,
3. Be your own customer – solve a problem you have personally, make a product you’d love to buy, be your own best customer.  I believe we unaccidental branders might call this authenticity.
4. Be unnaturally persistent – overnight success, ain’t.  It can take years if not decades to create an enduring accidental brand.
5. Build a myth – as David writes, “brands start with a story and end with a promise.”  Understand your brand’s story and know how it will be shared from brand to consumer and among consumers.
6. Be faithful – to your best customers.  Listen to them, give them what they really want and stay focused.