ad-free brand: A brand built from the inside out using the energy and passion of the community of people who care about it most, both inside and around the organization.
Chris knows that people appreciate a step-by-step guide as a starting point and so clearly lays out the process. His background? 10 years helping Red Hat become a $1B brand.
Chris Grams gets it. From both my experience in a team he led and this book, he understands how to bring people together to work. You define what that work is. He is going to give you value about how to do that work in the modern world.
He lays out the five tenants of the open source way and I can clearly see the value when applied to a community or a brand:
1. We believe in an open exchange.
We can learn more from each other when information is open. A free exchange of ideas is critical to creating an environment where people are allowed to learn and use existing information toward creating new ideas.
2. We believe in the power of participation.
When we are free to collaborate, we create. We can solve problems that no one person may be able to solve on their own.
3. We believe in rapid prototyping.
Rapid prototypes can lead to rapid failures, but that leads to better solutions found faster. When you're free to experiment, you can look at problems in new ways and look for answers in new places. You can learn by doing.
4. We believe in meritocracy.
In a meritocracy, the best ideas win. In a meritocracy, everyone has access to the same information. Successful work determines which projects rise and gather effort from the community.
5. We believe in community.
Communities are formed around a common purpose. They bring together diverse ideas and share work. Together, a global community can create beyond the capabilities of any one individual. It multiplies effort and shares the work. Together, we can do more.
Yet, Chris is not saying that popularity wins. Instead, “Positioning by popular vote can be ugly, painful, and ineffective....” The best ideas need to win, not the most popular. How do you do that? Read the book....
Is there tactical as well as philosophical value? Yes! For example, there’s a nice discussion of how to track your brand across the interwebs (my phrasing). Each section has clear tips, advice around on-line support, as well as personal experience and additional resources.
There are also examples to stretch your mind. I’ve wondered why Chris’ blog is called Dark Matter Matters. Now I know. Why? … read the book. But, I will say that he appreciates evidence but is in-line with some of Einstein’s thinking. From Chris, “I believe the type of activities we talk about in this book -- those related to building brand, culture, and community are [incredibly important, but also] extremely difficult to measure well, and sometimes accurate measurement is simply impossible.” That said, do check out the brand report card template in the appendix.
I pay a lot of attention to the design of a book as an author with a book about to launch. The Ad-Free Brand does what I think all professional books should do: Make it easy to do a deep dive on a weekend or a short refresher during the week. There are clear callouts and easy to mark bullet point sections. There is also a place to register the book to stay aware of updates, downloads, and errata. This is a brave new world.
My summary is based on two things I’m going to do as a result of reading The Ad-Free Brand:
I’m using the “Default to open” idea in my next meeting about collaboration in my own organization.
I’m suggesting this book to a friend of mine who has built brands herself; brands you’ve heard of. I suspect there is something in The Ad-Free Brand for everyone, from product managers to people working on their personal brand.
Question I pose to Chris: … but what about the Carne Seca?
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I met Chris Grams (virtually) about six months ago. Chris invited me to participate in a Management Innovation Exchange hackathon -- not hacking for computers - but hacking for better work. It was an eye-opening experience. All virtually, a small group of us brainstormed, critiqued, rewrote, and discussed how to create a new “future of management-- one that supports collective work over individual contribution.” When I heard Chris had a new book out I was thrilled to get a copy (thanks, Chris!)
