What Great Brands Do by Denise Lee Yohn Summary
Overview of What Great Brands Do
"What Great Brands Do" reveals how top companies like Zappos and Zara thrive with minimal advertising. Did you know businesses investing in superior customer experiences can charge 16% more? Denise Lee Yohn's seven principles have reshaped modern branding strategy - beyond products to purpose.
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Key takeaways
When Your Brand Becomes Your Business
Why do some companies thrive for decades while others vanish overnight? Kodak once dominated photography so completely that "Kodak moment" entered our everyday vocabulary. It ranked among the world's four most valuable brands. Then it lost $30 billion in market value and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The irony? Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 and poured $5 billion into digital imaging research. The problem wasn't technology or planning-it was that Kodak treated its brand as a marketing department concern rather than as the DNA of the entire business. This distinction separates companies that endure from those that collapse. Your brand isn't what you say in advertisements; it's what you do every single day, in every decision, at every level. When Sam Palmisano became IBM's CEO in 2002, he didn't refresh the logo or launch flashy campaigns. He recognized something fundamental: you can't deliver greatness to customers if your employees don't embody it first. With 40% of IBM's 300,000 employees working remotely or at client sites across 170 countries, Palmisano needed more than a mission statement-he needed shared values that would guide decisions when no manager was watching. In July 2003, IBM launched "ValuesJam," a 72-hour global conversation on the company intranet where employees worldwide contributed ideas, vented frustrations, and debated what IBM should stand for, producing three core values that became the operating system for every IBM decision.
Culture Isn't What You Hang on the Wall - It's How You Execute Daily
Selling Feelings, Not Features-The Emotional Core of Great Brands
The Courage to Ignore the Crowd and Define Your Own Path
Attracting, Not Chasing - The Power of Focused Identity
Staying True When It's Hardest-Discipline Over Growth
Beyond Giving Back to Creating Value - Making Social Impact Core to Business
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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