Five of the best branding books for 2020 and 2021

It’s not enough to be better than your competitors. You have to be different—uncopyable. Author Steve Miller drives home the message that it’s time to stop thinking outside the box and start building your own box instead. The only way to give yourself a true advantage over your competition is to change the rules of the game completely.

Miller calls himself a Marketing Gunslinger. He’s been consulting with top companies like Coca-Cola, Caterpillar, Starbucks, and P&G since 1984. This book acts as the summation of the branding message he’s been preaching from the beginning and gives concrete, actionable solutions that can be used by anyone to create a truly unique brand image.

What is the aspirational economy? In the past, products and services themselves drove many purchases, with companies offering a series of benefits to attract customer loyalty. Today, consumers are showing more concern about the practices of the companies selling products and services and the impact those companies have on the world at large.

The Business of Aspiration teaches you about modern perspectives from a new generation of consumers and how you can build a brand that works in this market.

Author Ana Andjelic was featured on the Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Influential CMOs. She has a PhD in Sociology and a Masters in Media Studies, both of which she’s been using to shape her philosophy on marketing brands and reaching an audience on a personal level.

Bootstrapping no longer means falling behind your better-funded competitors. Learn how to turn your branding around in just 30 days without having to build from the ground up.

Author Kevin Albert provides a step-by-step guide to low-budget branding the right way. In this book, he gives strategies that can help you sell more, increase your prices, and grow your ROI by improving your market perception.

Albert is an advocate for thinking outside the box and breaking away from traditional marketing and branding strategies. He’s published multiple books about low-cost branding in both English and Spanish.

Today’s consumers care about who they’re buying from more than ever before. With the growing focus on social justice and activism, consumers are looking for brands that stand behind the same issues they do.

How can you put your money where your mouth is without coming off as fake? Activate Brand Purpose, by authors Scott Goodson and Chip Walker, addresses brand image in the age of activism. Their central message revolves around building authenticity through real transformation of your own purpose.

What you do acts as a message to consumers. How are you letting them know what you’re passionate about?

Both authors have worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world, with Goodson focusing for 20+ years on solving branding and marketing problems in the midst of social movements.

Married couple Michael and Jaci Russo team up to talk about their experience in helping to create brand strategies for companies of all sizes. Their agency has worked with businesses all around America, building brand images from the ground up and helping them tap into the local market.

This book promises to be both entertaining and highly informative. The authors come from completely different backgrounds, leading to a great mix of views that will help you get the full story on what’s important about your brand and how to strengthen it.