Suggested Reading
Browse by Subject
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The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate Them at Your Own Risk
by All Ries and Jack Trout
After years of working on marketing principles and problems, Al Ries and Jack Trout have distilled their findings into the basic laws that govern success and failure in the marketplace. They call these principles the Immutable Laws of Growth and there are 22 of them. This isn’t a marketing textbook replete with complex theories and case studies. Rather, this is an easy to read book containing 22 bits of business wisdom, or "laws" of common sense marketing with some solid examples from the real world to prove them. From the Law of Leadership, to The Law of the Category, to The Law of the Mind, all the laws have relevance today. This is a great primer on the core concepts of effective marketing. The book enables you to focus very easily on the `laws' that are most relevant to the challenges and opportunities which a company is currently facing.
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The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
How to Build a Product or Service Into a World-Class Brand
by All Ries and Laura Ries
“The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” is the definitive text on branding, pairing anecdotes about some of the best brands in the world, like Rolex, Volvo, and Heineken, with ezpertise of marketing gurus Al and Laura Ries. Combining The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding, the authors argue that the only way to stand out in today's cluttered marketplace is to build your product or service into a brand—and provides the step-by-step instructions you need to do so. “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” also tackles one of the most challenging marketing problems today: branding on the Web. Ries and Ries divulge the controversial and counterintuitive strategies and secrets that both small and large companies have used to establish internet brands. “The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding” is an essential primer for anyone seeking to build a category dominating, world-class brand.
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Selling the Invisible
A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
by Harry Beckwith
Instead of producing tangibles—automobiles, clothes, and tools—more and more businesses provide intangibles—health care, entertainment, financial services, and so on. However, according to Harry Beckwith, most of these intangibles are still being marketed like tangible products. How do you sell, develop, and grow something that can’t bee seen, touched or heard? “Selling the Invisible” answers that question by offering insights on how markets work and prospects think. Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then “Selling the Invisible” is definitely a worthwhile read.
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Leadership and Self-Deception
Getting Out of the Box
by The Arbinger Institute
Organizational problems are almost always people problems. Despite continuous efforts to find solutions, organizations seem to still exhibit symptoms fed by blame, lack of accountability, complacency and motivation. “Leadership and Self-Deception” is based on the key insight that most problems facing organizations and individuals are nearly always symptoms of a deeper problem, known as self-deception. Self-Deception is not well understood, yet reduces the effectiveness of every individual, leader and employee. Whether your organization is very successful or in major need of a turn around, or you as an individual are trying to make personal changes, self-deception will reduce your ability to get the results you want. The authors write that self-deception actually “determines one’s experience in every aspect of life.” The extent to which it does that, and in particular the extent to which it is the central issue in leadership, is the subject of “Leadership and Self-Deception.” This book has profound personal and professional implications for managers at all levels of an organization.
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Positioning
The Battle For Your Mind
by Al Ries and Jack Trout
“Positioning” describes creating a "position" in a prospective customer's mind—one that reflects a company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors. Advertising gurus Ries and Trout explain how to: make and position an industry leader so that its name and message finds its way into the collective subconscious of your market—and stays there; position a follower so that it can occupy a niche not claimed by the leader; and, avoid letting a second product ride on the coattails of an established one. “Positioning” also shows you how to: use leading ad agency techniques to capture the biggest market share and become a household name; build your strategy around your competition's weaknesses; reposition a strong competitor and create a weak spot; use your present position to its best advantage; choose the best name for your product; determine when—and why—less is more; and, analyze recent trends that affect your positioning. Ries and Trout provide many valuable case studies of some of the most phenomenal successes and failures in advertising history. “Positioning” is required reading for anyone in business.
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Purple Cow
Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
by Seth Godin
The rules of marketing have changed. Seth Godin describes how a number of incredibly successful brands, like HBO, Starbucks, JetBlue, and Apple have created new ways to differentiate themselves from all the other companies around them. “Purple Cow” has a simple message. Be remarkable. “Purple Cow” is about the why, the what, and the how of being remarkable. Godin writes, “Something remarkable is worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting. It’s a Purple Cow. Boring stuff is invisible. It’s a brown cow.” You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. “Purple Cow” is an entertaining look into how remarkable marketers are taking action to separate and elevate themselves above the crowd. Entrepreneurs and marketing leaders of any size company can consistently outthink and outmarket their competitors by applying the real world ideas found in “Purple Cow.”
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The Tipping Point
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Malcolm Gladwell argues that ideas, products, messages, and behaviors “spread just like viruses do.” Based on his research covering a number of different fields and industries, Gladwell identifies three key factors that each play a role in determining whether a product will launch successfully, an idea will spread or a particular trend will become popular. Gladwell’s discussion and illustration of the concepts of the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context comprise the majority of the book. Gladwell illustrates these concepts and their interdependency in a series of case studies and examples. “The Tipping Point” is about change and it offers a new method of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and unexpectedly as it does. Business leaders who understand “The Tipping Point” will have a way of interpreting the changing world around them.
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How The Mighty Fall
And Why Some Companies Never Give In
by James Collins
“How the Mighty Fall” is a look into top companies that had it all—a strong brand, global recognition and a seemingly immoveable presence in the market. They had it, and then they lost it. Decline, Jim Collins argues, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. Collins' research uncovered five step-wise stages of decline: Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success, Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More, Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril, Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation, and Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death. By understanding these stages of decline, Collins contends that leaders can substantially reduce their chances of falling all the way to the bottom. Collins presents a framework designed to help business leaders and companies identify the "silent creep of impending doom" and quickly set a correction course. “How the Mighty Fall” is an in-depth look at the decline of some of our nation’s greatest companies and offers leaders insight into how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course.
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More Than a Motorcycle
The Leadership Journey at Harley-Davidson
by Rich Teerlink and Lee Ozley
“More Than a Motorcycle” is the story behind the story of the transformation of an American icon, as told by the two individuals most deeply involved in that process. The book chronicles the triumphs and setbacks along Harley-Davidson’s difficult journey from a traditional 'command-and-control' culture to an open, participative learning environment. Teerlink and Ozley deliver three fundamental messages: people are a company's only sustainable competitive advantage; there is no 'quick fix' to effect lasting, beneficial organizational change; and, leadership is not a person, but a process to which everyone must contribute. They provide practical, reality-tested prescriptions for critical tasks like developing employee alignment, building structures that support participation, and implementing effective reward programs. Finally, they draw lessons from the Harley experience—lessons about values, trust, and community—that apply to any business. This honest, detailed, and compelling description of the transformation at Harley-Davidson is a must-read for anyone attempting to lead organizational change.
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Pour Your Heart Into It
How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time
by Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, and writer-researcher Yang trace the growth and development of Starbucks from a single store in Seattle, which in 1973 sold only dark-roasted coffee beans, to the international business success it has become today. Schultz’s initial goals were to introduce Americans to really great coffee, provide people with a "third place" to gather, and treat his employees with dignity. The extent to which he succeeded and the obstacles encountered along the way are the subjects he tackles in “Pour Your Heart Into It.” Schultz illustrates the principles that have shaped the Starbucks phenomenon, driven its remarkable growth, and led the company to market dominance. The insights contained in “Pour Your Heart Into It” are applicable for any entrepreneur, manager, or marketer.
