OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder – The Illusion of Business and The Business of Illusion (Perseus Books Group, 2008) by Lucas Conley takes us through a revealing, instructive and entertaining examination of branding’s dominance in the world of marketing and how it permeates our daily lives.

As the title suggests Conley argues that obsessive branding and it saturation into the field of marketing can generate negatives for businesses and society as a whole.  However, the author also points out the effectiveness of creative branding and how it can help companies rise above the noise of thousands of products that share seemingly similar traits and benefits.  In that way, this book is instructive to both consumers and to marketers.

There is no substitute for talented and motivated representatives when it comes to success in generating sales for your business.  However, any owner or manager who has attempted to develop an effective sales staff knows that finding such individuals can be difficult and that retaining a successful team can be even tougher.