A must for MBA students and Experienced Marketers
922341
This is a very well-written and well organized book.  The many examples really bring the theories and concepts to life. MBA students to experienced marketers should have this book on their reference shelf. I am a fan of this book and can't recommend this enough.
4483377
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of, The Activation Imperative. I found it hard to put down. Every chapter is packed with helpful insight on why brand activation is becoming more and more important, and examples of how to use it in your marketing communications strategy. I would recommend it to anyone in the marketing and advertising fields.
2010446
I 'm an older professional who has always been mystified by the use of modern technology in marketing my business.  Barry Schimmel & Grant Polachek have finally written a book that provides sage advice on how to integrate these two disciplines.  They have managed to develop an easy to follow process that allows the reader to systematically work through their marketing framework one rule at a time. It is obvious that these authors have many decades of experience and expertise in their field.  I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to grow their business.  It is especially valuable for those of us who are not tech savy.  This is one of those unique nonfiction books that you will read over and over again.
1780652
I know more relevant information about marketing after reading The PEACE Process than I did after earning my MBA.  Mir combines a true understanding of the holistic practitioners unique challenges with the strategies and tactics that really work to create a thriving healing practice.  Youll appreciate her thorough step-by-step approach as she leads you through the entire process from defining your purpose (the why) to attracting and keeping happy, repeat clients/patients.  She demystifies marketing so we can get out of our own way and help more people, which is after all why we do this work.
1896978
If your business or organization relies on email to reach customers or members, then THE REBEL'S GUIDE TO EMAIL MARKETING is a MUST have for you.  I've been marketing via email for a number of years and wish I had a book like this when I was getting started.  Actually, it's not so much a book as it is a manual or guide on how to market via email smartly and effectively.

The information is extremely well-organized, and there are TONS and TONS of hands-on examples that make this a classroom-in-a-book taught by the experts in the field.  I'm probably going to need a second copy of this book in the not-too-distant future, as I've already marked up my copy, broken the spine, and have turned down so many page corners that the book won't lay flat anymore :)

Email marketing is NOT dead, it's just not being done correctly by most everyone who uses it.  This book will help you avoid the pitfalls that have branded most email marketers as spammers, and show you how to write and deliver email that will actually be opened and read.  Combine this knowledge with one of the online email marketing companies like MailChimp or Constant Contact, and you'll be a marketing force worth reckoning with whose customers will actually click the links in the email to find out more about your products or services.

Highly recommended!!
1405568
Marketing expert - Mitch Joel has assembled a fluid and detailed primer on the absolute necessity of applying social media marketing practices and techniques in order to stay fresh and relevant.  The book is comprised of two immensely readable halves where the first part focuses on social media as it applies to business/corporate function and the second half is about you - the individual person, and how social media marketing is an essential aspect of your personal brand.

The ideal audience for this book is a corporate executive who is 'sorta' up to date on popular social media channels but has yet to fully embrace the ecosystem as a whole, mostly due to uncertainty and non-native familiarity.  To this audience, Joel has put together a compelling executive briefing that walks the reader through the landscape of social media and how to nurture and utilize the various channels (Twitter, Facebook, blogging, YouTube, etc) for maximum reach and connection to their respective targets.  Readers who are more media savvy than the intended audience will still receive plenty of benefit by reading through this book from cover to cover.  Joel provides great insight into this rapidly shifting medium and the lessons and takeaways provided at the end of each chapter offers much food for thought.
2672026
Scott's book packs all the punch of a text book with interesting and often humorous anectdotes that make for a must buy book if one is interested in Marketing. His experiences, most notably at Nike and Starbucks, reveals the meat and potatoes of what is necessary for sculpting a brand image in the new millenium. At semester's end, I've asked my professor to make it a staple of the Marketing Administration class's curriculum!
4567201
I was not too thrilled to read this book for my MBA class. When I started reading it I was amazed to see how many people that I knew read it and enjoyed his work. Drucker gives information in an easy to understand style with plenty of real world examples. I enjoyed the book and I recetley passed it on to a friend to read. This is a must read for anyone who is interested in business or is in business school.
4119189
Over the summer, I worked though What the Best MBAs Know by Peter Navarro in preparation for entering the MBA program at the University of Iowa. I took notes on each chapter and tried to soak in the wealth of information in this book. Peter Navarro and the other authors who contributed to this book know what they are talking about and have presented it in an easy-to-read, well-organized book. I would recommend this to leaders in the business or non-profit sector, those considering an MBA degree, those entering an MBA program and perhaps even as a refresher for those who have earned an MBA.

This book does not get into detailed financial calculations but rather provides a framework for the most important MBA courses and topics.
1682545
"Marketing to the Campus Crowd" is an intelligent and highly insightful book from someone that knows young adult marketing cold. Every page oozes the author's obvious expertise with this age group and the book even includes separate chapters on both pre-college students as well as the larger young adult market. As one who works for an ad agency that target's Generation Y, this book is a MUST HAVE! It is both an excellent source for strategic inspiration as well as an overall "how to" guide on tackling this coveted, yet highly elusive, consumer market. Thanks, David, for sharing your wisdom and your wit. Both are deeply appreciated!
4323575
This book should be required reading for all Business School Students.  It is a well-written, easy to use guide to building a brand.  A must-read for those who are thinking of starting a business and for those whose current business needs branding to tell their "story".
326334
This book addresses the challenge of growth through marketing strategy; it focuses on specific types of opportunities and ways to capture them. Based on their research and experience, the authors have distilled forty tactical moves (e.g., eliminate complexity), each of which is presented with a brief set of questions to consider its use. The moves are clustered into five strategies, each having a lens and tool: 1. transform the customer's experience (Lens: customers; Tool: consumption chain analysis); 2. transform your offerings (Lens: products and offerings; Tool: attribute mapping); 3. redefine profit drivers (Lens: key metrics; Tool: unit of business analysis); 4. exploit industry shifts (Lens: industry shifts; Tool: industry shift framework); and 5. enter new markets (Lens: emerging opportunities; Tool: tectonic triggers framework). Each of these is explored in depth, with examples and numerous, detailed guidelines and insights, and much attention to execution (a chapter is devoted to making it happen).  A self-audit to assess your strategy and clarify your process is presented at the outset. A chapter devoted to a case study further enriches this excellent book. This book is strong on meaty content. Very highly recommended.
300037
If you are in a business school, this book provides a bird's eye overview of many important aspects of business covered in business school.
  If you just finished your MBA this book is a good refresher -- easy and concise.
  If you are planning to get into business school -- take a look at this book and find out the stuff you'll be getting into. See if the material interests you before you actaully jump into an MBA Program.
  Makes a great gift to students and those who run and business but don't have an MBA.
  Highly recommend!
3166661
As a business owner, I found this book extremely thought-provoking in helping assess my product portfolio to develop a strong, lasting impression of my brand to customers.  The book is academic in tone, but it weaves in throughout its chapters the many tactics used by companies to build their brands across a variety of industries and markets. It also includes studies in consumer psychology, making it a more balanced read for me (academic and practical). The examples are interesting and creative, with key takeaways at the end of each chapter to reinforce the lessons and themes. The concepts, like many in marketing, are intuitive yet elusive and hard to articulate  but this book does a great job presenting all of them clearly, with the right balance of core branding themes and implementable tactics to solve actual branding problems.

It's overall a worthwhile read, and I highly recommend it to any business owner or even anyone interested in branding. Essential if you're serious about your brand!
4049497
In 2002 Iain Ellwood walked into my office at Interbrand and handed me a copy of The Essential Brand Book. We proceeded to have a conversation on branding that has continued for twelve years. Iain latest effort is refreshing and much needed. If you are looking for how to create logos, ads and brochures then search elsewhere. He has done the profession a great service by focusing on marketing's real purpose of tangibly growing the top line with a bottom-line sensibility.

Iain deftly balances concepts such as the net present value of a customer, the EBITDA Bridge, and the implications of switching with the strategic and creative applications of brand propositions and positioning. The result is a holistically concrete approach to helping businesses sell more, more often, to more people, at a higher margin.

Areas that were particular interesting included an examination of the brand valuation methodologies of Interbrand, Brand Finance, and Millward Brown. Iain's view on brand portfolio growth could not have come a better time as I am now assessing a multinational's very complex brand architecture. Lastly, the material dealing with employee engagement was also relevant. I was surprised to learn that Towers Watson conducted a study that shows just 35% of employees are truly engaged with their employer's brand (I actually thought it may be lower). Iain brings all of this material to life with great examples, facts and tools for helping attract and retain customers. In Marketing for Growth you will find Starbucks' core customer experience elements, Fidelity's marketing budget changes, and major airlines' seat occupancy figures.

The book got me thinking that if I could go back to school, I would study pricing and consumer behaviour. These to me are two significant and specific areas that benefit any company. Business schools need to figure this out and revisit their marketing curriculum. Iain's book would make for great source material in such an exercise. The lesson is marketing requires focus, depth and the ability to prove its financial contribution. So after all of this laudatory praise for Marketing for Growth I must profess I have one issue with it, that is, I didn't write it. Cheers Iain!
2463631
This was an excellent resource for me and my students, who were conducting focus groups as part of an MBA Market Research course I teach.  It is just the right length, and full of very  practical advice. Michele communicates her ideas and knowledge very effectively.
826793
I have recently gone back to review Fascinate and it is still as relevant today as when it was published 5 years ago. If you're curious about why you are drawn to some brands but not others - this is the book for you. If you want to learn how to attract & woo your ideal client even if you don't have the marketing budget of a fortune 500 company - this is the book for you. It's loaded with cases studies to help you apply the ideas across all industries. A must read for anyone in marketing or sales!