brand marketing vs. product marketing

Brand marketing focuses on building the name of the company or brand so people will want to buy it. Product marketing puts the emphasis on a specific product for purchase. Nike makes shoes. People will probably buy a pair of shoes because they think Nike has a reputable name (brand) and not because they know anything about the specific style of shoes (product) they purchase. I think in most cases people rely on the brand, rather than the product.

In the world of book publishing, I feel this is a little different. Though the publisher is obviously a very important aspect of the book, rarely does the average consumer take this factor into account. I worked in a bookstore for a while, and I don’t think anyone ever came in requesting the brand rather than the product. The only brand I can really think of that people asked for by name was Harlequin, who are unique in the publishing world by having their brand represent them more than their products do.

I think publishing is a little different in that the publishing company is less the brand than the author or series. Using these aspects as a brand rather than the company name works for them. I would consider this brand marketing. Product marketing is also very focused upon. Generally a great deal of hype can be generated about a new book and people will buy it. The hype is not about “Simon and Schuster” but about “how I can lose forty pounds in three days.” I think this is a way of product marketing.

I think brand marketing by using the author or series name, rather than the publishing company name, is probably the most effective. The average person doesn’t care about the publisher and I feel that most people rely on what they know, rather than venturing into an unknown book or author through mere product marketing.