Every year, thousands of new business are started by people with no knowledge of modern marketing at all?and some of them survive and thrive. Accidental Branding tells the story of seven "accidental" brands and how their founders beat bigger competitors by breaking the standard rules of marketing. Successful brands like Burt's Bees, J. Peterman, and Clif Bar reveal how doing things differently can lead to big-time success. If you're an entrepreneur or a marketer, this guide will show you how to build stronger brands. The stories of acclaimed entrepreneurs like John Peterman (J. Peterman) and Gert Boyle (Columbia Sportswear), whose brands generate a cult-like loyalty from consumers, give this book a lively flavor that goes down better than any list of dry strategies. Author Vinjamuri—a marketing professor at New York University and the founder of a marketing training company—reports that “every brand I wanted to write about started with some fortuitous accident” visited upon perfectionists who “sweat every detail.” Gary Erickson, creator of the Clif Bar, is one such perfectionist; a long-distance cyclist disgusted with foul-tasting energy bars, he invented his own bar, more delicious and nutritious than any of its competitors. Another example is Roxanne Quimby, who was living in a tent in Maine with her five-year-old twin daughters when Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper, picked her up hitchhiking and inspired her Burt's Bees brand. Luck and good timing played a role for these businesspeople, but their success ultimately stemmed from an “ability to think like their own consumer.” Despite a tendency to digress, Vinjamuri has a similar understanding of his readers. The chapter he dedicates to his own conclusions is thoughtful enough, but not nearly as compelling as the stories of the entrepreneurs themselves. (Apr.) ( Publishers Weekly , February 8, 2008) This book discusses the phenomenal success of some very real people. They built some of the biggest and best-known consumer brands in the world—and they did it without any experience in marketing or branding. How did they achieve such profound success in such a super-competitive environment in which most new businesses fail? Accidental Branding explores this question by telling the personal stories of eight remarkable entrepreneurs. Accidental brands are those brands that don't come from corporate headquarters but instead from ordinary, hardworking people with good ideas and a willingness to trust their instincts over the established rules of brand building. In Accidental Branding, marketing expert David Vinjamuri reveals how each of these entrepreneurs broke some of the same conventions of marketing—and became stronger for it. They beat established brands by doing things differently and doing them with passion. With Vinjamuri as your guide, you'll meet John Peterman of the legendary J. Peterman catalog; Craig Newmark, founder of the online classified site craigslist.org; Gary Erickson, inventor of the Clif Bar; Myriam Zaoui and Eric Malka, founders of The Art of Shaving stores; "Mother" Gert Boyle of Columbia Sportswear; Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of Baby Einstein; and Roxanne Quimby of Burt's Bees. Accidental Branding reveals the new rules of renegade brand building that all eight of these inspiring entrepreneurs instinctively followed. They didn't go to business school to learn how to succeed. They didn't bother with consumer testing; they were the consumers—just like the rest of us. Read their stories and discover what it takes to grow a business and turn a brand into a household name. It's not always the marketing experts and corporate MBAs who build world-changing businesses. Sometimes it's people like Craig, Julie, Roxanne—or even you. If you're a small business owner, a future entrepreneur, or even a corporate marketer looking to build a more authentic brand, Accidental Branding offers an inside look at some of the world's best and least likely brand leaders. Praise for Accidental Branding "I've fallen in love with Accidental Branding . It is my favorite business book for 2008!" —Diane K. Danielson, TopShelf Reading Picks Blogger, Entrepreneur.com CEO, Downtown Women's Club and coauthor of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do? ) "The central idea of this book is nothing short of brilliant. Not that you can start a business like Burt's Bees in your basement, but that even experts can learn a lesson from the accidental marketers. Great stuff." —Seth Godin, author of Meatball Sundae " Accidental Branding is a gift from a master storyteller. Vinjamuri has an extensive knowledge of brands and a keen nose for great stories." —Scott WilliamsChief Marketing Officer, Morgans Hotel Group " Accidental Branding is a wake-up call for budding entrepreneurs who think a great brand is only about market research." —Eve TahminciogluMSNBC.com's YourBiz blogger, author of From the Sandbox to the Corner Office "Vinjamuri tells st