Does publishing need some branding strategy?

What's branding again?

I hear that question a lot. Branding is one of those terms that we all throw around as if everyone knows what it means, but when I talk to people at the social media conferences I go to, everyone has a different definition when it gets down to specifics. And don't get me started on the various theories that everyone is certain of around how to do branding right. There are as many theories about what makes "good" branding as there are good brands. 

But of course, I'll venture my own definition because that's what this article is about. For me, branding is the act of creating a public personality for your company, self, or product. It's something people, in our case readers, can connect to, understand, and remember.

For example, Apple is a great brand. They have die-hard fans. I'm one. To me, Apple is the best technology out there. It's well-designed, makes easy-to-use products, and all the products can talk to each other. And I feel like Apple is cool. Is it? I don't know. But I feel like it is. Their marketing worked on me.

Another example is Bruce Springsteen. He's got die-hard fans, too. I'm also one of those. For me, Springsteen is like the rock poet of blue collar America. Right there, that's his brand. When you listen to his music, you feel like he's speaking your life- well, at least I do. His marketing worked on me as well.

Branding

So what does this have to do with the publishing industry? Here's a question back at you:

What is your favorite publishing house?

[...cue the crickets chirping in most of our heads...]

I can't think of an answer. I like certain books and certain authors a whole lot, but I don't have any strong feelings about, say, Random House, or Penguin, or Little, Brown. I don't really like or dislike them. They are conduits that bring me books and authors I like or dislike. But does it need to be that way? Would it help a publishing house, large or independent, to carve out a branding niche?

I read a great article by MultiChannelMerchant about creating a compelling brand story, and it got me thinking about branding, and because I'm always thinking about publishing, I started to think about branding in the publishing industry.

I'm going to use the 6 great points they made about what branding is to analyze how a publishing house, big or small, could brand in a strong and effective way. We'll call is X Publishing. (Note: The steps in bold are straight from MultiChannelMerchant. All commentary in regular text is all mine.)

Branding X Publishing

Step 1: Collect the Back Story
X Publishing has been around for about 20 years, and publishing 50 books a year from various authors. A few are on the bestseller list, most sell a few hundred copies a year, and the rest are still working on breaking out. X Publishing brings on maybe 10 new authors a year. That's not much of a story. It's just business as usual, and it's how I think of most publishing houses. I'm sure there are differences I would know if I were deeper in the industry, but I'm not. And 99% of the country is not. That's why a back story could come in powerfully handy. Let me try the back story again.

X Publishing started in 1993 when the founder, Mrs. X, saw that there were a lot of authors near Milwaukee who couldn't get published by the big houses. She decided to create her own publishing house, focusing on publishing midwest authors, mostly from Milwaukee and Chicago. Over the last 20 years, she has brought more than 100 authors to the bestseller list. The books are all books written in and talking about the world from a distinctly midwestern point of view.

Step 2: Characterize the Brand
MultiChannelMerchant says: "One of the key challenges is to identify the brand’s persona. Specifically, it starts with a thorough understanding of the brand’s value and belief system."

X Publishing's persona is that they believe in and value the midwestern world view. But more than that, X Publishing is out to put Milwaukee and Chicago (maybe Lake Michigan area?) authors on the literary map, bringing with them a distinct voice that offers a compelling alternative to the dominant voices of the coasts. X Publishing fights for the voices of Lake Michigan in a world dominated by the Oceans :)

Step 3: Characterize the Prospect
Who is the X Publishing customer? It's people who love and take pride in their midwestern roots. They live anywhere, but hold on to a strong tie to the midwest. Secondarily, the prospect readers are those who have never been to the midwest and want to explore the voices of that fine region and dig beyond the flat representations in mainstream media.

Step 4: Connect the Characters
Where does X Publishing have a chance to connect with those prospect readers? In the midwest, they can focus on being featured and present at events that already celebrate the unique amazingness of the midwest. On the coasts and internationally, they can focus on getting their books into travel venues where explorers lurk and wander, and framing their books as the next frontier to those on the coasts, or potentially as "The Hidden America" to international audiences.

Step 5: Confront the Obstacles
What stands in the way of that happening? Quite a bit of conventional mainstream wisdom. Think Fargo, cheese, beer, and the drive across Nebraska. Think lack of a media structure that can compete message-wise with NY and LA. So what can X Publishing do? Build out those parts of their business. Build ambassadors to take the Lake Michigan voices message out to the world. And create media that is easily shared and understood to do it.

Step 6: Complete the Story Brief
So what's the story here? And how can X Publishing live it?

X Publishing is now called Mighty Midwest Voices Press. MMV Press has now redistributed internal resources to beef up their online media creation wing, and to support extensive travel for a dozen reps to the rest of the country. MMV's new tagline is, "Telling the stories of the new midwest."

My Story Brief:

"Mighty Midwest Voices Press tells the secret stories of America's midwest. For over 20 years, MMV has scoured the shores of Lake Michigan and the streets of Milwaukee and Chicago, bringing readers the voices of authors whose stories tell the real lives and history of one of the least-known regions of America. MMV books let readers dig deeper into their own midwestern roots and offer access to hidden doors for anyone unfamiliar with the midwest to explore and learn what it's really about."

What do you think? Would this make you feel stronger toward particular publishers? Is this only feasible for smaller publishers?

Note: If you really want to dig in and geek out about branding, check out Interbrand's report on the 500 best global brands of 2012.

Image sources: Dmitry Rostovtsev and danielpermanetter both via flickr