Book Review: Brands Win Championships by Jeremy Darlow

Before you read my first review, here's some things you should keep in mind:
     Those of you that know me know I am NOT a reader. Getting me to read a book for class was hard enough so the thought of me voluntarily cracking open a crisp new book (instead of a Bud Light) is difficult to believe. But here I am, reading books AND writing reviews. Shockingly enough, I'm not straying too far off the path because all of the books I review on Caitlins Commentary will be sports related or written by current or former athletes and coaches. Since July, my goal is to read one book a month and, surprisingly, I am still on pace. I am new to book reviews so I'm sure the first few will be far from perfect, but I think it will keep me motivated to read by sharing my thoughts to my fellow sports enthusiasts and, hopefully, give them some new reading material as well.

PC: Amazon

So, here goes nothing.

Brands Win Championships is interesting from start to finish. I read this book rather quickly (could be because the font was big and there wasn't much on each page) and found myself wanting to read more of Darlow's work by the time I flipped the last page.

The book focuses on the do's and don'ts (but mostly do's) of marketing a college athletic department. He stands firmly on the positioning that in order to win a championship at the college level, you must have an excellent and extremely creative marketing department. It is a very bold statement, sparking immediate interest, however Darlow proves his point by using his own experiences with college athletics and what he has observed since working as a top dog on Adidas's marketing team.

By the end of the book I was fully convinced that marketing an athletic department properly, has the power to increase the number of highly skilled recruits, grow a massive fan base across the country, and bring home a championship title to any university that follows his blueprint. 

If you are someone who is interested in college sport, sport marketing, or even traditional marketing, I would suggest this book. The book did have some "well duh" moments, but overall provided fresh ideas and real world examples on how the power marketing can affect a college athletic department.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Brands-Championships-Jeremy-Allen-Darlow/dp/0990562204/ref=sr_1_1?crid=22SOOJ1P0PN63&keywords=brands+win+championships&qid=1568320665&sprefix=brands+win+%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-1