Category: Marketing
Positioning: the battle for your mind
Al Ries; Jack Trout
New York: McGraw-Hill, c2001
ISBN: 978-0071359160
LCC: HF5827.2.R53 2001
A classic, as they say. Articulates the notion that successful marketing comes not from a quantity of impressions nor from having a persuasive sales message, but from owning a “position” within the prospect’s mind. Do something really well, and be the only one who does it. Recommended.Grapevine
Dave Balter; John Butman
New York: Portfolio, 2005
ISBN: 1591841100
LCC: HF5827.95.B35 2005
Interesting in that it distinguishes between “word-of-mouth” and “buzz.” Word-of-mouth, in this account, is talk about a brand, product, or service. Buzz is talk about a promotion or event. Example: how many conversations did you have in 2005 about the “Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich”?The anatomy of buzz
Emanuel Rosen
New York: Doubleday/Currency, c2000
ISBN: 978-0385496681
LCC: HF5827.95.R67 2000
Identify target market segments. Find opinion leaders within those segments. Convert them into ambassadors for your brand. Laugh at your peers who still work in broadcast.Disruption: overturning conventions and shaking up the marketplace
Jean-Marie Dru
New York: John Wiley & Sons, c1996
ISBN: 978-0471165651
LCC: NF6178.D78 1996
It’s this easy: identify conventions, develop a strategy to disrupt those conventions, and use that disruptive strategy to inform a vision for your brand. And, since it was the mid-90s, the whole process is non-linear. Recommended, if only so that you can say “Yeah, I read that” next time you’re at a party.
Life after the 30-second spot
Joseph Jaffe
Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, c2005
ISBN: 978-0471718376
LCC: HF5822.J33 2005
Again: traditional (in this case TV) advertising is dead, for reasons of clutter, credibility, and technology. Forward-thinking marketers should instead look to search engine marketing, viral campaigns, interactive media, and various types of branded “pull” content. Not earthshaking stuff, but timely.
