Marketing Books

One of the most important jobs of marketers is to question assumptions. In his book BrandSimple, Allen P. Adamson talks about Jerry Seinfield’s uncanny ability to point out things that don’t make sense but are never questioned. For instance he once said “It’s amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every … Read more

Awesome customer service is very difficult to achieve, unless you meet a guardian angel who specializes in creating raving fans. Raving Fans is a short story about a new area manager who learns how to revolutionize his customer service by not just creating satisfied customers, but by creating raving fans. From the people who brought … Read more

I just finished BrandSimple by Allen P. Adamson and I thought it was a fairly valuable read. The thesis is really simple. To create a strong brand you must find a simple idea that is differentiated and relevant. You then build the brand by focusing on specific points in the customer journey, and craft the … Read more

We are constantly uncovering new insights into the way the mind works which can be used to better understand the consumer. I highly recommend How Customers Think by Gerald Zaltman, an extremely insightful and practical book that is written by an academic but in non-academic speak. For those who do not have time to read … Read more

Stumbling on Happiness is a fantastic book on Psychology that discusses some interesting phenomena in human behavior that effect our pursuit of happiness. The author, Daniel Gilbert, previously wrote fiction before becoming a professor at Harvard. I picked out a few marketing implications from the book. We tend to think of money in relative terms. … Read more

The brilliant book, How Consumers Think, has a very interesting insight on the power of placebos that connects with the book’s theme on the impact of unconscious thinking on consumer behavior. The Placebo Effect, which is typically used in a medical context, also has very profound marketing implications. Our perceptions, expectations, and beliefs have a … Read more

Albert Einstein said “Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” I am currently reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and he recommends that you don’t read the … Read more

I just finished the forward thinking book Re-Imagine! by Tom Peters. It was a phenomenal read and a great thought provoker. I especially recommend the 4th section of the book, “New Business, New Brand” which focuses on marketing. Tom argues that in marketing, experiences are king. The winners are those who can transform a physical … Read more

Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Miller solves the problem of how to get ideas to stick in the mind. Marketers are first and foremost communicators, and so we are constantly working on the stickiness problem. Chip and Dan lay out the easy steps to creating a message that will be profoundly memorable. The … Read more

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson is an observation of the behavior of consumers when given nearly limitless choice, as in the case of Amazon. The major observation is that the aggregate demand of the niche products is substantial and can be profitable when distribution efficiencies allow such choice. An internet company does not need … Read more