In my opinion, there’s never been a better time to get involved in the field of marketing. The advances in technology, the spread of social media and the incredible need that organizations everywhere have for individuals that get that marketing is a philosophy…a way of thinking and acting, and not a department, has never been greater.
A sidebar…I absolutely hate the textbook study of marketing and the very narrow view that is perpetuated about this college major, profession and function. I asked for a show of hands recently from a group of college seniors (business majors) on how many believed that marketing was mostly about advertising and promotion. About 80% raised their hands….even with my obvious and leading question. The fault is not their own…it’s a flawed education process developed and perpetuated mostly by well-intentioned people that haven’t been on the hook for creating value through great marketing practices outside of the Ivy-covered walls.
Recently, a number of students and early career professionals have asked me for a reading list to help jump-start their learning (or re-learning) and to help support their job transition process. While my list is wholly incomplete, If I wanted to retrain my brain, jump-start my marketing re-education and a passion for this arena in the next 90 days, here’s what I would read:
Marketing Writing to Retrain and Inspire:
Books in order of my reading preference:
- Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch
- Purple Cow, Seth Godin
- Tuned In by Phil Myers, Craig Stull and David Meerman Scott
- The New Rules of Marketing and P.R. (second edition) by David Meerman Scott
- World Wide Rave, David Meerman Scott
- Winning, by Jack Welch (marketing and strategy content)
For Tech and Product Marketers (these are older…but timeless in my opinion)
- The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christenson
- Crossing the Chasm, Geofrey Moore
- The Discipline of Market Leaders, Treacy and Wiersema
- Innovation, Tom Kelley
Blogs
There are many great blogs out there, and I would definitely check out the “80 Essential Blogs for the Modern-Day Marketing Student,” of which Management Excellence is listed at #22. And while the names are familiar as the authors of many of the books above, these are some of the key people redefining the rules.
- WebinkNow David Meerman Scott
- Seth’s Blog, Seth Godin
- Small Business Marketing Blog (Duct Tape Marketing) John Jantsch
- How to Change the World, Guy Kawasaki
Magazines:
It’s an eclectic list that by design, crosses organizational boundaries:
- FastCompany
- Harvard Business Review
- Wired
- INC.
- MIT Sloan Management Review
- Something or several pop culture pubs, including People, Reader’s Digest (yeah, you heard it here)…and your choice of your favorite
The Bottom Line for Now
While the above list is fairly long, many of the books are quick and fascinating reads, and the blog and magazine content can be consumed on the fly. I’ll be back next week on activities that I would dive into to further my marketing re/self-education, including getting involved social networking beyond Facebook.
Happy reading and here’s to breeding a new generation of professionals that understand that marketing is more than advertising and promotion.
You are right on that much of what is taught on marketing sucks. I did a presentation last week to the student club of our American Marketing Association group and asked if any had heard of Seth Godin or even the concepts of permission marketing and not a single one was familiar. And as a management guy, who am I to know anything about marketing? right…. Good stuff, Art!
Bret, this is an issue that is vexing to say the least. And you my friend…are much more than a “management guy!” Hey, pass the reading list along to your management students…we can help solve this dilemma one persona at a time! -Art
Art,
Excellent point here. Today you must embrace continuous self improvement and thirst for knowledge. I believe you need to be a student of your profession no matter how many years you’ve been doing it.
Well said, Rick!
Love this list! I second your comments on marketing education. My undergraduate degree was in print journalism. I always thought learning to analyze information and write compellingly was the most useful skill of all. In my experience, those who had undergrad marketing degrees could hardly write at all, and the theories they learned in school weren’t much help in entry-level jobs.
I’ve been in the field for 20 years now. With the changes digital marketing hath wrought, you have to focus on learning. Daily. Thanks for the jump start.
Kate, thanks for reading and commenting. I’m glad the list works for you. Use it in good health! -Art
I am reading Duct Tape Marketing and Inbound Marketing right now for a business idea that we are starting up. I am hoping Duct Tape Marketing will give me better insight on integrating marketing into our overall idea and how to reach customers on a limited budget by utilizing all aspects of social media— customer reach / feedback loop. Also, have been looking into Swarm marketing.
I agree. I have a journalism background and since I graduated in 2005 I am seeing such a transition in the actual term ‘marketing.’ I read on a blog somewhere that you don’t show up to a cocktail party shoving a sales pitch down people’s throats. Marketing is becoming more about conversations and relationships rather than brands and promos.
Thanks for the list. I will definitely be checking those books out.