THE BIG IDEA Paperback – 26 Nov. 2008

It is said that the simple ideas, are the most profound. Robert Jones manages to cut through the haze of marketing guff and get down to a single point of focus - "The Big Idea". The book reads well and although a little repetitive, uses great examples to reinforce and substatntiate his thoughts. When you read this book in conjunction with other "brand" text books, (like from Aaker and Reis) you realise the clarity and focus this book can bring to your thought process on branding and big business strategy. Definetly worth a read - Take from it what you want and leave what you do not....

I've read the most recent reveiw of The Big Idea and I disagree with it completely. I found this book inspirational. Very few books on business actually concentrate on the philosophy of business. This one does, in a very clear and deceptively simple way. While the business shelves in most bookshops are bristling with agressive 80s-style 'how-to' books, Robert Jones's book is quietly profound, a perfect antidote to the cacaphony around brand. Very few books on business last more than a few years. I suspect that The Big Idea will become a business classic. As somebody who runs a business and combines this with a teaching career, I will definitely be adding The Big Idea to my students' reading list.

This is indeed a well-written book which captures the current zeitgeist of competing on emotions and ideas, but for those who have already got that point there's little here on taking this particular big idea forward. While endless lists of breathless action checklists are thankfully absent, I would have nonetheless preferred the book to help businesses deliver. If you like this book, but would like to get a better sense of what you can actually do when you get out of the bath and hit the office then books like Corporate Religion (mentioned by the amazon reviewer above) can help. Otherwise there's a danger that this big idea will stay just that - a big idea.

Very few books are capable of profoundly changing the way you view things. This is one of them. The beauty of Robert Jones' 'big idea' is to find yourself reading not just as the 'interested professional', but as the employee, the customer or perhaps just a concerned member of the public. It is the ease with which one can personalise the reading experience that truly sets this book apart, enabled by Jones' deceptively simple and eminently readable style.

If you're looking for a quick hit, forget it. This book works quietly to communicate its potent message. Once you've digested its excellently written contents it's hard to think about brands in any other way. A valuable contribution to the understanding of successful brands. Four stars rather than five because of some slight drift in the latter sections, but overall a real winner.

Authored by a director of Wolff Olins, the corporate identity group, The Big Idea looks at what it is that successful companies possess more than vision, brand, development and delivery excellence. Using examples from 50 companies including Amazon, Apple, First Direct, GO, Orange and Pret a Manger, this is a provocative and insightful read.