Brand Royalty: How the World's Top 100 Brands Thrive and Survive

Brand success = business success.

A simple equation, but as no two brands are the same, identifying what those winning qualities are is not easy. And given that the whole point of branding is to create a distinct identity, it's absurd to look for a single magic formula.

Following the success of his last book (the acclaimed Brand Failures: The truth about the 100 biggest branding failures of all time), Matt Haig has now set himself the controversial task of identifying the world's top 100 brands.

But there are hundreds of successful brands, so what influenced the author's choice? He applied a range of criteria: not simply financial success but longevity, technological advancement, new product development, workplace revolution, mass communication, and other seismic global achievements. The brands are also usefully grouped into 17 categories such as Innovation brands, Status brands, Emotion brands and so on.

The result is the most comprehensive, entertaining and illuminating collection of brand success stories ever told. From Adidas to Zippo, Beckham to Wrigley, Coca-Cola to Volkswagen, we're guided through a gallery of the world's best-known names and given a rare insight into the secrets of their success and what makes each absolutely unique.

With comment from brand managers, psychologists, academics, and other experts, Brand Royalty is a great resource for brand managers, marketers and students around the world. For the rest of us, it's simply a great read.