"The Excellence Diploma is a rigorous twelve-month program designed by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)-the professional body for advertising, media, and marketing communications agencies in the UK-for practitioners fascinated by brands. It is their most prestigious qualification and is known as the "MBA of brands." The culmination of the course is a 5,000-7,000 word essay that focuses on the future of brands and brand communications. What is a 21st Century Brand? is not just a collection of the best essays from the last ten years (since the beginning of the program), it also allows the authors, who have gone on to have successful careers at agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather, and BBDO, to come back and analyze and comment on their original thesis in light of what they know now. It also includes new writing from leading industry thinkers including Stephen Woodford, Chairman at Lexus, and David Wilding, Director of Planning at Twitter UK.With a focus on challenging the status quo, the book asks us to question how we perceive brands, how to build them and, most of all, how to make them better. Consisting of 21 essays, What is a Brand? sets out to answer the eponymous question in order to sensibly define what kind of brand idea we need, how to engage people and how the agency business should be organized to deliver it"--

"What is a 21st Century Brand? celebrates 10 years of the IPA Excellence Diploma, showcasing the very best talent and thought leadership from the past decade. Edited by Nick Kendall and produced in partnership with the IPA, the book features original papers from the diploma, fresh analysis of their work by the delegates themselves and new writing from leading industry thinkers including Mark Earls, Stephen Woodford, David Wilding and Ian Priest. With a focus on challenging the status quo, the book asks us to question how we perceive brands, how to build them and, most of all, how to make them better. Consisting of 21 essays, or provocations, What is a 21st Century Brand? sets out to answer the eponymous question in order to sensibly define what kind of brand idea we need, how to engage people and how the agency business should be organised to deliver it. With contributions from past candidates now at agencies such as Agency Republic, The Bakery, BBDO, BBH, DDB, Karmarama, MEC, Naked Communications, Saatchi and Saatchi and Ogilvy and Mather, it covers cutting-edge thinking across all areas of advertising and highlights that today's most successful agencies and advertisers are those who are embracing the changes to how the average person consumes content, looking to the future and constantly striving to increase their level of professionalism. By providing insight from multiple perspectives, it is ideal for advertising professionals and planners wishing to further understand brands to advance their careers"--