In Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, Kevin Roberts offers a lively, critical assessment of brands and the problems that face them in an increasingly competitive world. Roberts recounts some of his defining, personal experiences from the past three decades, as he bounded up the corporate ladder from Assistant Brand Manager at Mary Quant to his current role as CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi. He shares his observations of corporate output over the past century, charting the journey from Products to Trademarks to Brands. And he proposes that brands, numbed by the assault of commodification and customer indifference, have simply run out of juice. His solution? The creation of products and experiences that build long-term, emotional relationships with consumers and which engender Loyalty Beyond Reason: Lovemarks. With insight and inspiration, Roberts discusses the urgency of taking the next step in the evolution of brands. His ground-breaking business theory advocates infusing brands with the fundamental Lovemark elements: Mystery, Sensuality, and Intimacy. Mystery enriches the brand experience by drawing on the past, present, and future, the value of myths and icons, the power of inspiration, and by tapping into dreams. Sensuality and the five senses are critical in locating touch-points with consumers. Intimacy is created through commitment, empathy, and passion. The understanding that consumers, not companies, own Lovemarks is fundamental. Roberts shows that not only business mavens, but the special people he calls Inspirational Consumers, can influence the future of commerce.

About the Author

New York-based Kevin Roberts is CEO Worldwide of ideas company Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's largest and most successful creative organizations, handling more than fifty of the most valuable global brands. Heading a team of more than seven thousand people in eighty-two countries, Roberts led Saatchi & Saatchi to become both Advertising Age and Adweek magazines' Global Agency Network of the Year in January 2003. Born in Lancashire in the North of England, Roberts' first job as a brand manager with British sixties fashion icon Mary Quant led to the development of a philosophy that challenged business's reliance on metrics and rational arguments. His early career featured senior positions in Europe and the Middle East with three leading, global brand marketers--Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and Pepsi. Roberts' intense belief in the power of inspiration and his love of working directly in the market--as opposed to being in the office--are still trademarks of his style today. In 1987 Roberts was appointed President and CEO of Pepsi in Canada. It was there that he famously machine-gunned a Coca-Cola vending machine to remind his people of the passion they need to be Number One in a competitive market (his team had just displaced Coke). The allure of the edge of the world drew Roberts to New Zealand in 1989, to drive Lion Nathan's transformation as the leading brewer in Australasia. Saatchi & Saatchi was always his choice of advertising agency partner because of their emotion-led style. In 1997 he made the shift from client-side to heading up the global agency in New York, beginning its transformation as a hothouse for world-changing creative ideas. Roberts is Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and at the University of Limerick in Ireland. He is the inaugural CEO in residence at the Judge Institute of Management, Cambridge University's business school.

Reviews

"Kevin's passionate belief in building brands consumers love is inspirational and effective." -- A.G. Lafley, Chairman, President and Chief Executive, Procter & Gamble "When Kevin and I bumped into each other it was Lovemark at first sight." - -Alan Webber, Founding Editor, Fast Company magazine