I finished this book, “Brand Failures: The Truth About the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of all Time” by Matt Haig within two days because it is just so informative. It literally listed out 100 branding failures of various companies and products. While reading it, I am shocked to find that some common logic was not applied in some of these companies’ marketing strategies. I had a good laugh on how some these mistakes come about. Totally entertaining. Oh yes, it covers BIG companies such as Coca-Cola, MacDonalds, Sony, P&G and Pepsi.
Some companies even come up with new product categories that simply did not make sense. Like Colgate (yes, toothpaste) came up with Colgate’s Kitchen Entrees. I don’t think I will wanna be reminded that the food I am eating is linked to Colgate. I think I will be reminded that my food may taste like toothpaste. The 100 brand failures that the book listed out is not comprehensive enough for readers to have a complete picture. It only list out the core reasons why the brand strategy failed. So if you want to have a more in depth read upon why a certain brand failed, you may need to look elsewhere.
This is the book I recommend to read just to have an overall idea of what are the common mistakes to avoid and dangers to look out for if you’re in the marketing field. For others, read it for fun. It sure will surprise you.
