John Murphy, the author of Brandfather: The Man Who Invented Branding talks about the inception of branding and how it acted as the catalyst for his career – and his new book, which tells the story of his illustrious career.
John Murphy
Everyone now knows what a brand is and the concept of branding seems to be utterly familiar to most of us, from young children onwards - we now talk about branding countries, even about branding the Royal Family! It is therefore strange to reflect that only thirty or forty years ago the word 'brand' was very little used, even in advertising, marketing and the consumer goods sectors while the word 'branding' did not even exist – I coined it as the title of a marketing textbook which I had edited and which was published in 1987. An (some would say the) influential force behind the establishment of the concept of the brand, and of branding, in our everyday lives and in business practice, was my former company, Interbrand, a consultancy practice which I set up in 1974 in London and then expanded around the world. In my new book, Brandfather, just published, I describe how and why. I also tell the story of the highs and lows and the successes and failures of Interbrand and of my other businesses - specifically Plymouth Gin, St Peter's Brewery and Ruffians, my male grooming business. Most accounts of businesses appear to me to paint a picture of steady achievement. The trajectory is reassuringly upwards, though world wars sometimes cause temporary interruptions. My experience has never been like that - success always seems to be infrequent and tenuous; failure is always just around the corner. What's business really like? Judge for yourselves. And judge too whether my claim to be the father of branding is truly justified. Of course, I believe passionately that it is.
Brandfather is available to purchase from The Book Guild: http://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop-collection/non-fiction/business/brandfather-inventor-branding-industry/
