Simon Middleton 
Build a Brand in 30 Days 
With Simon Middleton, The Brand Strategy Guru

You don’t need a marketing degree or intensive training to build an
attention-grabbing brand; you just need this book – and 30 days.

Simon Middleton shows you how to create, manage and communicate
your brand profoundly and effectively, in just 30 days, by
following 30 clear exercises. How you work through the book is up
to you, the result will be the same: an authentic, compelling, and
highly distinctive brand that will attract and engage customers and
fans. You will learn how to:

* Establish your brand values and positioning

* Get the all-important name right

* Bring your brand to life

* Turn your customers into your advocates

* Manage your PR and use your marketing budget wisely

* Inspire your staff to live the brand too

* Deal with problems when something goes wrong

Branding isn’t about funky logos and expensive advertising. Your
brand is what your company means to the world. Getting that meaning
right is the most important thing you can do in business.

‘Passionate and persuasive, Simon Middleton has a natural
instinct for uncovering the Wow! factor in every brand.’ Dawn
Gibbins MBE, Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year and Star of
Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire

Table of Content

Introduction.

DAY 1 What your brand is and what your brand isn’t.

DAY 2 Your brand benchmark test.

DAY 3 Finding your authentic purpose.

DAY 4 Ambition and desire: what do you actually want from
this?

DAY 5 From personal ambitions to rational intent: brand
strategy

REAL BRAND STORY: bpha.

DAY 6 Talent: recognizing it and developing it.

DAY 7 Establishing your brand values.

REAL BRAND STORY: Adnams.

DAY 8 Putting your brand in context: finding out what’s
out there.

DAY 9 and 10 Use your imagination.

REAL BRAND STORY: Be WILDerwood.

DAY 11 Who don’t you want to sell to?

DAY 12 Exploring your brand through the six-legged
spider.

DAY 13 Refining your unique brand essence.

DAY 14 Understanding brand ‘positioning’.

REAL BRAND STORY: Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies.

DAY 15 Creating the narrative.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Tracy Kenny, Aviva.

DAY 16 Your brand name: how to get it right and how to
avoid pitfalls.

REAL BRAND STORY: Voluntary Norfolk.

DAY 17 Creating the internal brand positioning
statement.

DAY 18 Shaping the external brand positioning line.

REAL BRAND STORY: Anthony Nolan.

DAY 19 Nurturing your greatest resource: you.

DAY 20 Do-it-yourself media relations.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Gordon Maw, MAW Communications.

REAL BRAND STORY: Jess Morgan.

DAY 21 How not to waste your advertising budget.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Chris Murphy, Chairman, balloon dog.

DAY 22 Making your brand come alive online.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Mark Cook, Marketing Director, Further Search
Marketing.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Stephanie Diamond, President, Digital Media
Works, Inc.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Fiona Ryder, Chief Executive Offi cer,
Stream Exchange.

DAY 23 A brilliant brand at every touch-point.

REAL BRAND STORY: Mr. Site.

DAY 24 Design matters.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Scott Poulson, founder of Special Design
Studio.

DAY 25 Your personal brand behaviour.

DAY 26 How to get your staff to live your brand.

THE EXPERT VIEW: Caroline Rust, owner of Work Shops Work.

DAY 27 Why cheaper isn’t always better.

DAY 28 What to do when your brand gets things wrong.

DAY 29 Brand extension: opportunities and dangers.

REAL BRAND STORY: What makes Pret special?

DAY 30 Next steps.

MY REAL BRAND STORY: Hemsby & Newport.

References and further reading.

Real Brand Story and Expert View Contributors.

Brand Strategy Guru Speaking and Consultancy.

About the author

Simon Middleton, The Brand Strategy Guru, is a leading specialist brand consultant. His work has included brand strategy and campaigns for companies like Deloitte, Barclays, British Airways, Norwich Union, Denplan, pharmaceutical giant Merial, and Britain’s best known sandwich chain, Pret A Manger. He has also advised numerous charities on their specific brand strategy, including St John Ambulance, the Anthony Nolan Trust and Comic Relief.
Simon presents master classes and keynotes all over the world and is a regular commentator on all things ‘brand’ for the BBC, Sky News and Five News among others. His TV series The Brand Effect is the first in-depth look at brands and branding on British television.