49 Books Like The Breakaway Brand

Martin Lindstrom's book taught me how the world's top brands connect through all five senses to instill remarkable encounters.

I was blown away by the way Lindstrom explores the influence sensory branding is having on consumers. Brands like Singapore Airlines and Apple imbed unique sensory experiences that are unmistakably theirs. This is very cool. As someone who has developed my own brand and gives advice to others, I have leaned on this book in my own work.

I love that Lindstrom developed a six-step process that I can use on a routine basis to help others build their brands. I have utilized Lindstrom’s work in my teaching and coaching, which is the greatest compliment I can give.

I got to know Chris Malone when we both worked at Coca-Cola. I was impressed by his work and so was excited to read his and Fiske's book after it was published. What I like most is that Malone explores how we form personal relationships with brands, mirroring our own interactions with people. This concept echoes my personal beliefs, which was exciting to see.

I really connected with the way Malone and Fiske approached how warmth and competence play a big role in brand relationship building. And, if I pass it through the relationship lens, it makes sense why it would be foundational in building customer loyalty.

I highly recommend this book to people, especially brand stewards, who want to know why we fall in love with some brands and hate others. Malone and Fiske share pragmatic examples of how to apply their findings, which I have contemplated with my… show more.

I found this book absolutely riveting. I geeked out on the science behind user behavior and how brilliant companies use these insights to create products that people can’t live without.

In Eyal’s Hook Model, he lays out a four-step framework that consists of a Trigger, an Action, a Variable Reward, and an Investment that is truly ingenious. The framework reveals how successful brands keep their consumers coming back. With all his research and examples, I was fascinated by what companies do and found myself constantly asking, “Could I do that with my own brand and products?”

It really made sense to me from multiple perspectives: as an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and marketing consultant. What makes this book so compelling is its ethical approach. Consumers know instinctively when brands are disingenuous, and so using these insights is sure to make my products more addictive and delightful to my clients and their… show more.

I work in brand strategy, brand expansion, and licensing. As such, I am always on the lookout for great books that discuss how these concepts are interconnected, as they are so rare. Anne H. Chasser and Jennifer C. Wolfe's book is one of those books.

I loved that the book illustrates how integrating intellectual property into brand development can help make brands better and more desirable. I love the real-world examples and how to take what companies are doing to protect the intellectual property and build a stronger connection to the end-user.

As someone deeply involved in brand licensing, I found this book to be a refreshing resource in a world of stodgy technical books on the subject. The world is surrounded by licensed products, and Brand Rewired helps to illustrate why that happens to be the case.

It’s hard not to put Fizz on the list because there’s proof in the pudding. Ted Wright and his team at Fizz (the agency) are responsible for probably half of the top 10 gold-standard word-of-mouth case studies. Period. Almost every brand they work with winds up with an army of raving fans and a bottom line with more than a few more digits than before. If anyone can draw up a great WOM playbook, it’s Wright. So, the book has to be here.

I read Primal Branding when it was first published in 2006, and I still talk about it today in 2025. In fact, when I’m working with clients, I often talk about Hanlon’s seven elements that comprise a strong brand and aim to create these components in my clients’ brands.

So, right behind The Brand Gap, Primal Branding is the book I cite the second most often. When I think about Primal Branding, I recall that it’s a short book, but it’s actually 272 pages long for the first edition, which shows that it is a fast read, even with the deep insights and wisdom that it conveys. 

First published in 2001, Emotional Branding emphasized a new perspective for marketers and business leaders: the importance of human connections between corporations and people.

I believe an understanding of these connections has always been central to excellent brand strategy and now is critical for business to have positive social impact.

As Marc Gobé aptly states, emotional branding “is a culture and a way of living: a fundamental belief that people are the real force in commerce….” 

Filled with examples of the range of brand expression – from logos to packaging to experiences – Gobé, who I had the pleasure of knowing, inspires readers while also illustrating how many decisions about branding are actually about integrated business strategy and cultivating meaningful connections.

Like so many people, I feel icky when I see the term “personal brand.” But this book reads as a step-by-step guide for folks who want to succeed in some area—as a founder, a thought leader, or to look ahead to their next promotion or career role.

It teaches you how to strategically position yourself as you chart your path forward (and is actually a great book to read right after you finish my book) I really liked how she broke down each concept into actionable steps and left space for readers to not only enjoy the stories and concepts but to turn parts of it into a workbook to fill out.

One of the most crucial elements of my marketing journey was to understand the use of “hooks” that clever brands build into their products and messages. I found this book explains the most effective strategies to bring innovation to your business while scaling it to become an influential brand both online and offline. Because social media reshaped our world in a way that people have short attention spans, from the book I learned how to grab potential audiences’ attention by communicating effectively. The book is an excellent guide on succeeding with brand communication in our short attention span world, so highly recommended to everyone.

Few people have more experience in the field of visual branding than Michael Johnson of London-based johnson banks. In my humble opinion, this tome is one of Michael’s greatest contributions to the profession.