I live to turn the page.
I am the poster child for the Bookworm Society. My favorite episode of The Twilight Zone is “Time Enough at Last.”
So, when I say I’m a bit behind in reading the latest crop of business books, you must know it takes a blizzard of activity to keep me from my precious reading time.
Four books to bring to your attention from the piles next to my desk:
Firms of Endearment - David B. Wolfe, Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth (Wharton School Publishing)
This is the first book to dissect what the authors call “the greatest transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith,” the emergence of love, joy, authenticity and soulfulness within a company. While other books have extolled the virtues of the “customer experience,” Firms of Endearment breaks it down to its smallest molecules, showing how successful companies like JetBlue, Commerce Bank, Whole Foods, and Patagonia create an environment of love (and big profit) - from within, with customers, and with society as a whole. They discuss the need for legal contracts and emotional contracts with everyone associated with the company, and have wonderful, detailed examples of companies that fall into the “Firms of Endearment” category. This is a must-read for businesses of every size, and should be a required textbook in the entrepreneurship program of every university.
Citizen Marketers - Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba (Kaplan Publishing)
Coming off the much-deserved success of their first book, Creating Customer Evangelists, Ben & Jackie have stepped forward with a fun, eye-opening look at “citizen marketers,” those consumers who have taken the tool of social media and used it to not only create a fan base for a product or service, but in some cases, actually affect the future of a company. They have taken what could be an overwhelming topic and simplified it in a systematic way that makes sense. From Fanatics to Firecrackers, there are specific categories of social media users - people and groups that have spoken loudly about consumer frustrations (think Dell) and cheered on their favorite companies (Moleskine, for example). Whether you’re an individual looking for a voice or a company unaware of what people are saying about you (how about it, Revlon?), you need this book to enlighten you as to what’s going on behind the computer screens of the world.
The New Rules of Marketing and PR - David Meerman Scott (Wiley)
Hundreds of channels on cable and satellite TV. Decline in newspaper readership. Satellite radio. In a world that amounts to fractured advertising opportunities, what’s a business to do? According to David, it’s time to look at marketing & PR from a whole new vantage point. Using the foundation of blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, and online media, David shows you how to catch this tiger by the tail and gain big exposure for your business. This isn’t just another “how to” book about marketing and PR; David throws the old rules out the window (“they just don’t apply online,” he says) and gives you a whole new playing field. If you’re looking for a book to get you started in online media, this is the one.
Small is the New Big - Seth Godin (Portfolio)
know, I know. I am REALLY behind - Seth already has a newer book out called The Dip. But I just can’t let this one go by without a big shout-out to y’all to get a copy of this one, and keep it. This is the Godin version of The Daily Drucker, various and sundry thoughts (or as Seth calls them, “riffs and rants”) on all things business. Some entries are only a couple of paragraphs long, others are expanded; Seth is smart enough to know when enough is enough on a topic. I must admit, when I received my copy of this book, my first impression was that it was just a simple collection of blog posts. I was wrong. Everyone will find something in this book that will affect how they perceive their business, their marketing, and the future. It will be interesting to keep this on hand and look at it again in five and ten years, to see how its relevance holds up.
So there you have it - reading for the beach over the 4th of July holiday. Pick one - you can’t go wrong. And I’ll dive into my next pile of books to see what gems pop up. That is, if I can find the time with all my travel and a book of my own in the works (more on that very soon!)...
Hi Michele,
Many thanks for including my book in such esteemed company!
Cheers, David
Posted by: David Meerman Scott | June 26, 2007 at 02:29 AM