Three Books to Check Out

November 19, 2008 · Comments

I get the opportunity to read a lot of books, and I haven’t been doing a great job of putting up my reviews in a timely fashion. Here are three different books that I’ve read lately, that I recommend for you to consider:

Advertising 2.0

Tracy Tuten’s Advertising 2.0 had a lot for me to consider. She has lots of stats that you can use for your own presentations and proof points, but she also has some different ideas on the value of virtual worlds, for instance. I admit that the #1 thing I took from the book was how to appreciate the work being done in virtual worlds. I’m usually pretty bearish on that stuff. Worth checking out.

Secrets of Social Media Marketing

I think Paul Gillin’s Secrets of Social Media Marketing does a great job of giving us more than the lay of the land in this book. He gives great case studies, wonderful stories, and he engages with a lot of the current best thinkers in the space. These things all make this book a must for the bookshelf, and I recommend it. Paul’s a friend and business partner in the New Marketing Summit, but above that, he’s a well-respected thinker in this space.

Buyology

I really enjoyed Buyology by Martin Lindstrom. I guess it’s because I’m on this whole “change behaviors” kick thanks to Baskind, but this book is solid. My Mom stole this book before I could read it, but I thwarted her. I read another copy. Really, essentially, the book drags you deep into the “huh, I wouldn’t have thought of it that way, but…” space.

I can recommend all these books. Swing by your library. Bug your neighbors. Ask someone to get you one for Thanksgiving. But check them all out.

What are you reading these days?

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  • Thanks for sharing these Chris. Ignites book comes out tomorrow as well, titled Social Media is a Cocktail Party. http://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Cocktail-Par...
  • "iBrain" by Gary Small - great book on how digital technology is changing the evolution of the human brain and the myriad implications, especially in learning and behavior.
  • Hi Chris,

    They are on the same topic, but I actually enjoyed Meerman Scott's book "The New Rules of Marketing and PR" more than Gillin's first book - "The New Influencers". Would you say this second one by Gillin is better?

    I am reading Buyology right now, about half way through, and have about the same feeling as you did. =)

    All the best,

    Kristofer Mencák
  • Linda McCarty
    Thanks for your recommendations. I'm about to pick up "The New Rules of Marketing and PR" as David Meerman Scott's articles helped me greatly while working on a marketing project recently. He also uses examples of successful strategies to make his points and is a joy to read.
  • Hey Chris,

    I actually just read Buyology a few days ago and let me tell you... that book is amazing. The whole idea of "Smash Your Brand" in reference to the 1915 Coca Cola executive was great.

    Additionally, I loved his examples when hew as talking about selling Holy Dirt and Holy water - I can't believe people spent millions of dollars on dirt.

    - Derek
  • hi chris. i love your blogs. they are very helpful and inspiring. i am going to get the secrets of social media book. i will check out buyology on amazon and make a determination. thanks. ananda
  • As it happens, I just picked up some goodies from Amazon today - obvious, but should be good: Tribes (Godin), Back of the Napkin (Roam), Born Digital (Palfrey/Gasser). I also got Nudge (Thaler/Susstein) which looks really interesting, about "behavioral economics" and a book on Lean Dynamics (Ruffa, Going Lean). Just wish I had time really sit and read them...
  • Hello Chris,

    Thanks for reviews will have to check those out. Recently been reading Distracted by Maggie Jackson which I'm finding very interesting and re-reading Five Myths of Consumer Behavior: Create Tech. Products Consumers will Love by Smethers / France, also recommended. Looks like Buyology maybe my next read based on your review.
  • Finally started reading Wikinomics, wish I'd started earlier. Great read.
  • @Maddie You are going to love Tribes. It's a quick read, but it's comprehensive none the less. Let me know what you think about Seth's idea of "heretics"
  • I recently read Gillin's "The New Influencers" which was fantastic, and now per your recommendation of his new book and my satisfaction with his first, I'll definitely go pick up a copy this weekend. Thanks!

    -Andrea
    @AndreaNowack
  • Amy
    Chris,
    This is my first time on your blog but I found you through Twitter, I think.

    Thanks for these recommendations. I was actually just looking for a good book to report on for my Technology in Marketing class, and I had looked at the Advertising 2.0 on Amazon earlier. I think I'm going to go with that one now.

    Do you charge a lot for educational speaking engagements ;-)
    Amy
  • I'm re-reading Tim Berners-Lee's "Weaving the Web", 9 years later. The man had amazing foresight. It's fascinating to read about what was going on in his head back then and how things have played out so close to his vision. I feel like the book could have been written last month. Highly recommend!
  • Thanks for all the good recommendations.

    How the brain is changing due to the Internet especially interests me.

    There is a new e book, The Art of Seeing The Divine, Book 1: What Do You See, which helps to actually change how you see the physical universe, so that you see more of the energy that is all around us.

    Recent scientific findings show that 90% of the perception of vision occurs in the eyes as it decodes the impressions of light received from the eyes. Your eyes already perceive this energy (light is just energy or pre-matter particles), but until now our brains had no way to decode it.

    To see more energy all one needs to do is create more visual memories of the energy that the brain can use in the decoding process.

    This can easily be done through the Post Conceptual visual art that is in the e book, which is based on elementary physics and ancient spiritual wisdom.

    Plus, the side effects of doing the book (it is more like a personal visual seminar in book format) is you spend more time in visual concentration and purposefully learning and mastering working your brain. This helps make one more effective in business (including marketing) and in life.

    And, it is easy! If you can read this on a screen you have everything you need to succeed. See More!

    No trees were harmed in the making of the Art of Seeing The Divine e book. Soon, it will be available for Kindle, too. Save a tree. Read e books!
  • Thsnks for the reviews. I'm just a couple of chapters into Paul's book and enjoying it so far. Over the summer I read "Marketing to the Social Web" by Larry Weber. This book was not only a great read, but it has been a terrific resource that I refer back to frequently.
  • I'm reading BrandDigital by A. Adamson. He explains how customer insight is key. How to use what buyers really DO online. Not how they reply to surveys.

    When I worked in Corp. America, I saw firsthand how customers say one thing--and do another. During a market research onsite visit with a customer, one said "...I make buying decisions based on topnotch service. Not on price." And then in a few weeks told our sales person, "I did not choose you because your price was higher."

    Humm...the elusive "customer insight".
    I'm also going to read, Branding is for Cows, based on your recommendation.

    Cynthia Trevino
  • One of the best business books I've read recently was 'Funky Business' by NOrdstom and Ridderstrale. The premise was that the whole world was breaking up into tribes and micro-communities and the most successful businesses will be those that serve those communities.

    It's interesting that Chris Anderson came to roughly the same conclusions several years later in his book 'The Long Tail'.

    I have these (well-used) books in my collection and would recommend them highly.
  • Nice pick on Buyology. Martin was a guest of mine on my radio show a couple of weeks ago and was phenomenal.

    One of the most interesting points in the book was that a logo coupled with a sound not only makes it more memorable, but it actually causes people to prefer it more.

    Brad Brooks
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