Brand Alliance to launch book on Asia brand heroes

Brand Alliance, a brand consultancy, will be launching its first book, Influential Brands: A documentary of their heroic rise, to celebrate brand leadership and entrepreneurship in conjunction with its 2014 Influential Brands conference: Celebrating brand leadership and Asia brand heroes on 7 November 2014 at Suntec City Convention Centre.

Source: Brand Alliance. Alibaba's brand story is in the book.

"These are intimate discussions with brands and Singapore brands which have not been told before. It is a peek into how some brands were developed and morphed into the brands we know today," said Brand Alliance in a statement. "We believe this is a book that will be an invaluable resource for budding entrepreneurs, academics, students, marketing and branding professionals and anyone hoping to gain more insights into 10 of Asia's most Influential Brands."

Brand Alliance notes that the book will promote the power of branding, provide an educational reference, while also inspiring others to do the same. "Each Asian-based brand has contributed to the vibrant business ecosystem here and many have even extended their brand influence on the world map with their brand names and innovations. The stories of these time-tested brands can also help the next generation of business leaders gain insights and provide any inspiring entrepreneur with valuable business tips and lessons," said the company.

"Most importantly, we hope to inspire a sense of pride in the collective achievements of these brands and the positive effects of the sharing of their stories."

The brainchild of Brand Alliance Founder Amy Lim, the book illustrates the journey of ten Asia brand heroes through personal conversations with brand founders and brand guardians. The result is an intimate dialogue which takes the reader from a brand’s creation to its challenges today.

Lim's passion in creating and developing brands goes beyond simply establishing global brands, but sustainable brands with a purpose. She admires Asia brands which have developed into today’s brand heroes. It is this understanding, admiration and empathy for Asian brands which led to the development of the book as a platform for brand appreciation and an intimate insight into their stories, to enable, encourage and inspire other brand owners, at whichever stage of the brand lifecycle.

According to Brand Alliance, all brands begin with a founder who has a story. It is the brand founders who craft and shape the brand into a living personality. Brand Alliance believes that most brands are inextricably linked to the personality and vision of its founders.

The stories of the ten brands in the book, taken from various parts of Asia and industries, aim to provide a perspective on how the elements of culture, environment and founder’s values may affect the brand’s influence on people and businesses. The brands featured in the chapters here come from different countries – mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and India.

Source: Brand Alliance. The Cocoa Trees is well known for its confectionery in Singapore.

Each chapter in the book in the book starts with the founder’s background, leading into the brand’s evolution, the brand DNA which illustrates how the brand takes on parts of the founder’s personality, brand model which provides an overview of the brand’s growth over the years and leading into the business and brand challenges and how each brand overcame them.

In the last section, brand performance is analysed through qualitative and quantitative parameters. Brand performance is not limited to financials and the size, but is also based on its influence in comparison to the industry and its influence on a consumer’s life.

Alibaba, for example, started as a B2B e-commerce platform and is now an e-commerce player which commands more than 70% of China’s mobile commerce share and an e-commerce giant ready to take on world giant Amazon. Its presence now resonates across industries and countries. The company made global headlines for being behind the world's largest IPO this year.

Besides Alibaba, the brand heroes featured in the book include:

• Channel NewsAsia: Asia’s first network and proudly Singaporean 
• CapitaLand’s China story: Singapore’s leading developer, a zero to hero story in China and first told here 
• The Cocoa Trees by Focus Network Agencies: Growing confectionery in travel retail and beyond 
• HealthStats: A doctor who has revolutionised the industry. Well known in medical industries worldwide 
• Old Chang Kee: A Singapore heritage brand; while the story has been told, the chapter includes insider views on their products and development. 

Tata, Tao Kae Noi and the Park Hotel Group are also featured.

The recommended retail price for the hardcover book is S$88. It is in full colour, with more than 200 pages. Email contact@influentialbrands.com for bulk orders and pre-orders. The book will be available at Relay & Times Travel bookstores at Changi Airport and all major bookstores in Singapore from November 2014.

Influential Brands is a consumer-insight driven award programme with a mix of integrated engagement platforms for brands. It celebrates its second year in 2014. The award celebrates brands which have achieved a good standing with consumers and also provide brands with a platform for further engagement with consumers.

Brand Alliance chose the top influential brands in Singapore earlier this year.