Brandly Speaking (2012) by Tom Sitati is no sentimental look back; it is an invitation to look back so we can see forward; it is a diagnostic tool for today’s marketers and business owners. By revisiting the debates, breakthroughs, and bold forecasts of over a decade ago, some argued in print, some delivered from the podium, he forces us to question whether branding fundamentals have truly evolved or whether we are simply repackaging old missteps in fashionable “digital” jargon. His perspective as a strategic branding consultant, columnist and speaker freezes a critical moment when African strategic branding came of age, offering a mirror to measure our actual progress. The book challenges readers to decide: was brand ever ours to shape, or has it always been determined by forces beyond our control? It dares us to confront our present assumptions and rethink what it really means to build a brand.
