Great branding makes an emotional connection, it inspires, engages and creates passionate customers. But how do we engage them? What is the catalyst behind the creation of passionate brand evangelists?

Do we zag? Find Blue Oceans to live in? Use whole brain thinking? Maybe declare ourselves radical Punk Marketers?

There are a lot of ways to go about things. Here are a few of the great books that inspired us in the past year.

• ZAG by Marty Neumeier
• Punk Marketing by Laermer and Simmons
• A Whole New Mind By Daniel Pink
• The Designful Company by Marty Neumeier
• Buzz Marketing by Mark Hughes

These are just a few brand focused books that we like. Don't get us started talking about design books or our favorite pop-culture reads.

What are your favorite reads? Feel free to share.