Murky to Magnetic
You are the CEO, the brander-in-chief — as you are the salesrep-in-chief, lawyer-in-chief, product-manager-in-chief, and fundraiser-in-chief. You need a sharp, independent branding advisor to verify whether those you currently entrust with branding — especially the woke crowd — are competent and effective. I’m that independent branding advisor.
I’m Marc Rudov, branding expert & advisor to CEOs, speaker, columnist, author of three books on branding and one on deception (Duped Again: Why Sophistry Works) for CEOs and critical thinkers, and media commentator. Catch my TV and radio appearances at MarcRudovTV.
I practice NoNonsense Branding™ — focused on the needs of customers & shareholders, not the woke mob. Branding is visceral, not cerebral. If you are targeting the customer’s intellect, you’ll lose a lot of sales.
My forte is transforming companies from murky (weak brand) to magnetic (strong brand). A strong brand is one that resonates in the customer’s gut — which is why I coined GutShare™.
What Keeps You Up at Night?
Consistently appearing in annual surveys of what keeps CEOs up at night: strength of brand and connection to customers.
They should be worried! Most of them think that branding is about awareness — it isn’t.
Their corporate messages (brands) are murky, boring, generic, impotent, forgettable — and, of late, woke and off-putting to traditional customers and investors. Branding dies in wokeness™.
The brand is your company’s emotional connection to its customers, its value proposition — articulated in clear, concise, compelling, memorable, repeatable customer language — not industry jargon.
A murky brand renders your company indistinguishable from its competitors. Think high costs and low margins. Think generic. Think commodity. Think inertia.
Your job — whether you run a startup company or F500 behemoth, regardless of industry, customer type, or geography — is to ensure that your company create and maintain a strong, unique brand, and require that your employees know it, adhere to it, and communicate it consistently to all audiences, through every medium. Don’t jeopardize this effort by ruining the customer experience with the vortex of disruption. Customers hate disruption.
Accordingly, you need an independent branding expert and advisor to help create, convey, and enforce a strong brand at your company. Marc Rudov is that branding expert & advisor.
Praise for Marc Rudov
“I highly recommend Marc Rudov for his branding expertise. He’s exceptionally bright, talented, and creative — and understands how to create an emotional connection with your market audience. Marc helped me brand the Hope Bear, the first therapeutic Teddy Bear designed to help children heal from witnessing, experiencing, or losing loved ones to domestic violence.”
Linda Olson, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Founder, Georgia Childhood Domestic Violence (CDV) Association
Founder, Project Hope Bear
Atlanta, GA
“Marc Rudov’s insightful book on branding proves to CEOs that they can think, operate, and communicate differently than the competition, and win — BIG!!”
Christopher Ruddy
CEO
Newsmax Media
Boca Raton, FL
“If you want help getting your company noticed in today’s noisy world, this book is for you. Marc Rudov covers all the bases on the benefits of branding and proper execution. I highly recommend Be Unique or Be Ignored to every CEO, senior executive, and entrepreneur.”
Patrick Bet-David
CEO
PHP Agency
Dallas, TX
“I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from Marc Rudov’s Be Unique or Be Ignored. Marc has a gift for clarity, conciseness, punch, and wit. I’ve built and funded many companies; had I met him and his book 35 years ago, I would have saved myself many misses.”
Peter Redford
CEO
TV Interactive Corporation
San Jose, CA
“Marc Rudov’s book is a refreshing standout from the blur of marketing hype that passes for learning in this field. Boiled down to its essence, his book exhorts marketers to explain their brands in terms customers can: (1) understand and (2) get excited about. Easier said than done, as evidenced by website after website mired in almost incomprehensible technical jargon. Marc’s rework of the HP website is itself worth the price of the book. I found myself thinking, “Oh, that’s what HP is trying to say,” after reading Marc’s rewrite! Admittedly, Marc has some pet peeves that readers may or may not agree with, but they’re instructive nonetheless. The main message — timeless and timely — is well worth it.”
Hobart Mck. Birmingham
Cofounder & Managing Director
The Perreault Birmingham Group LLC
Palo Alto, CA
“Marc Rudov’s Be Unique or Be Ignored is a wakeup call to CEOs who either dismiss the value of branding or delegate its execution to committees. Marc takes a sledgehammer to the conventional branding approach practiced by so many organizations. His no-nonsense, practical, must-read book helps the CEO, whether from a Fortune 100 or startup, understand why branding is so critical and so misunderstood — and how to make it the #1 priority.”
John Racioppi
President & CEO
ECDS, LLC
Scotts Valley, CA
“Marc’s book is a great reminder that everything we do touches our brand. Every point of contact in our company has the opportunity to earn the “GutShare” of our clients and employees alike. Thanks for defining and articulating this, Marc!”
Alex Potts
President & CEO
Loring Ward Group Inc.
San Jose, CA
“I work with a number of clients across the global spectrum, from startups to Fortune 100s. After reading Be Unique or Be Ignored, I have completely changed the way I assess companies and their abilities to achieve sales growth. Marc Rudov’s book is a must-read for any CEO who relies on net new incremental revenue for success.”
Larry Lopez
Partner
Australian Venture Consultants
Perth, Australia
“Be Unique or Be Ignored: The CEO’s Guide to Branding by Marc Rudov is the best book on branding in years and a must-read for every person interested in his or her company’s success. Marc strips away the typical jargon (which he disdains) that dominates most discussions on marketing and branding and gets right to the point. If you read just one book on marketing or branding this year, this is the book.”
James C. Chapman
Securities Attorney and Partner
Rimon, PC
Palo Alto, CA
“Marc Rudov’s Be Unique or Be Ignored is a must-read for the entire C-suite and for anyone in a position of leadership. Rudov debunks an array of common misconceptions about branding and gets to the essence of why brands are of paramount importance to corporate success. I highly recommend this book.”
Michael J. Burwick
President
Boston Advisory Group LLC
Boston, MA
“Marc’s book is very good. I really enjoyed it. It’s prescriptive (no handwaving) and, to my pleasant surprise, changed my mind about branding and its role. Without question, Marc makes me think differently about branding.”
Alex Osadzinski
CMO
Relias Learning
Cary, NC
“There are so many books on branding. I found Marc’s book to be unique and the best I have read on the subject. It’s a must-read for any CEO looking to cut through the clutter.”
Chris Faulkner
CEO
Breitling Energy Corporation
Dallas, TX
“Marc takes the idea of branding and turns it into a brilliant and creative exercise. This book is nothing short of a powerful tool for anyone trying to create a brand.”
Michael Parrotte
CEO
AGV Sports Group
Buckeystown, MD
“I could go on and on with you!”
Gerri Willis
Host
The Willis Report
Fox Business Network
New York, NY
“Marc Rudov is the man!”
Brian Sussman
Host
KSFO Morning Show with Brian Sussman
San Francisco, CA
“To succeed in today’s media-saturated marketplaces, individuals, products, and companies must stand out as unique brands — and Marc Rudov can cut through the clutter to build them.”
Hal Vogel
CEO, Vogel Capital Management
Former Senior Entertainment Analyst, Merrill Lynch
Author, Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis
“Marc Rudov’s ability to wade through business complexity and get people’s attention with simple messaging is indeed rare. Using this skill, he helped us identify and articulate our unique brand.”
Kelly A. Williamson
CEO
CritterPix, Inc.
San Anselmo, CA
