Brand Manners: how to create the self-confident organisation to live the brand

By Hamish Pringle and William Gordon. Wiley, £25

Brand Manners takes a holistic approach to advertising and management, in effect making the brand a symbol of a company's commitment to customer satisfaction.

It also emphasises the need for employees to understand that they, when interacting with customers, are representatives of the brand and their performance will affect the customer's view of the brand. This holistic and "feel good" approach is exemplified by brands such as The Body Shop, which sells itself on a spiritual level as well as a commercial one.

This trend has seen companies becoming identified with charities, the arts and the environment, aiming to become a lifestyle choice rather than just a retail one.

Tesco is picked as an example of how to do it. The company reversed its downward trend and is now the number one food retailer in the UK. It did this, according to the authors, by putting the customer first.

It introduced the loyalty card, it cut the cost of food, it introduced Internet sales and online banking and stressed the importance of good staff relations with customers.

Everything was focused on keeping the customer satisfied and reinforcing brand loyalty, thus ensuring positive reactions whenever the brand is seen.

comidheach@irish-times.ie