Book Description

A McGraw-Hill Advertising Classic

A Technique for Producing Ideas reveals a simple, sensible idea-generation methodology that has stood the test of time.

First presented to students in 1939, published in 1965, and now reissued for a new generation of advertising professionals and others looking to jump-start their creative juices, this powerful guide details a five-step process for gathering information, stimulating imagination, and recombining old elements into dramatic new ideas.

Reviews (6)

Just do "this"!
Creating idea must be the most difficult part not
only in great invention but also in business or daily
life.
This book offers us simple principles of
the way to creat idea step by step.
I thought that I could do it, it completely
makes sense when I read it long
time ago. It was the same opinion which I have
when I read it this time. It is clear that by implementing
the principles I can make progress to achievement even if I do
not hit upon idea immediately.
Then, all I need to do is "just do it". Whether
you can start gathering information or not would be
the watershed of utilizing this book.

Like and instruction manual for your brain...
How to Get Ideas and other books on the subject of creative thinking are mainly just elaborations on the core thoughts laid down by James Webb Young. This is a classic read; short, pointed, and truthful. If you are in the business, you will find your hunches confirmed in simple, memorable language. The other books on the subject are very rah-rah; this book just tells it like it is. Not a self-help book, more like an instruction manual for your brain.

a secret treasure you should only share with closest friends
without giving too much away, the "technique" is so darn commonsensical you will no doubt whack yourself on the head at the simplicity of it all

i have tried his technique and shared it with close friends and it has become (so far) a fail proof way of striking creative oil. won us a fair amount of new business.

another plus is the book so small and concise it fits in most purses and can be read cover-to-cover during your morning latte.

O'really..
The contents' probably great, but what happened to the cover of the book? Did Young & Bernbach over-squeezed their "creativities" and left the cover of this book out cold? Wake up guys...bright yellow is a definite NO-NO for a book cover...leave the "neons" for Las Vegas...!!

"A must have for any educational institution"
Very often I notice that the execution of an ad is translated as "Creativity." James Webb Young reminds us in his small book that ideas are the soul of any good ad. This book is a critical tool for any teacher who wishes to instruct his or her students in the same principle. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

content OK, but printing and structure is bad
Content is OK, but 10 years old, so no recent new insights. The book is no fun to study. The quality of the printing is bad (like someone printed it on an old printer an then made some copies), some diagrams are hardly readable. Furthermore the structure is not recognizable in the formatting (for example paragraph titels), which makes it hard to know on which abstraction level you are reading.

Must read for marketing majors
I found this book very helpful for the marketing tools discussed for designing and marketing new products. It covers most issues for the pre-introduction phase of the product life cycle. Consumer measurement techniques are quite elaborate and simplified.
The only drawback is that the edition is old (1991) and hence misses out completely the high-tech products from the dot-com age. Can be used a good resource for most non-high tech products.

A good book
Its really a good effort to cover the product management. ... Read more

Book Description

Companies flying high on economic good times may be in danger of forgetting the business fundamentals that underlie their success. Increased focus on the bottom line, competitive strategies, and financial goals divert attention from the primary source of every company's good fortune—the customer. The Portable MBA in Marketing, Second Edition is dedicated to the principle that the only guarantee for continued success is a consistent focus on and attention to customer needs, preferences, and expectations.

This powerful tool for business success in the twenty-first century furnishes bright, ambitious managers with a solid grounding in MBA-level marketing theory and practice. Fully updated and expanded, this new edition emphasizes fresh marketing strategies and cutting-edge marketing concepts and techniques that help keep you in touch with your customers. It focuses on the key issues facing companies today, including how to outperform competitors, anticipate future trends, improve advertising and sales, build customer loyalty, and market on the Internet.

Witty, well-written, and packed with plenty of new real-world examples, The Portable MBA in Marketing, Second Edition brings you up to date with the latest marketing ideas and techniques, including:

• New negotiation skills for salespeople
• Current marketing strategies
• Innovative approaches to qualitative research that deepen your understanding of your customers
• Hot topics such as cohort marketing, person-to-person marketing, and marketing on the Internet.

Written by two leading educators/marketing consultants and drawing material from the world's finest MBA programs, The Portable MBA in Marketing, Second Edition covers all the marketing innovations of the past decade in an engaging, accessible format that gets you to the information you need quickly and easily. It's the fastest way to give yourself the intellectual currency you need to market your products, services, and ideas at a whole new level.

The Portable MBA Series

The Portable MBA, with over 350,000 copies sold, continues to provide instant "MBA literacy" to managers, professionals, and business owners. Wiley's Portable MBA Series now takes this idea one step further by providing readers with a continuing business education. Titles provide comprehensive coverage of the primary business functions taught in MBA programs, as well as focused coverage of today's vital business topics.

SERIES TITLES: Core Curriculum

The Portable MBA, Third Edition

• The Portable MBA in Economics
• The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Second Edition
• The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting, Second Edition
• The Portable MBA in Investment
• The Portable MBA in Management
• The Portable MBA in Marketing, Second Edition
• The Portable MBA in Strategy.

Vital Business Topics

Real-Time Strategy

• New Product Development
• Total Quality Management, Second Edition
• Psychology for Leaders
• Market-Driven Management.

Also Available

The Portable MBA Desk Reference

The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship Case Studies

Praise for ThePORTABLE MBA in Marketing, second edition

"I'm really 'gung-ho' about this book. If you follow its advice, your customers will become your 'raving fans.' Everyone needs to understand and apply these essential principles to attract and retain delighted customers." —Ken Blanchard author of the bestseller The One Minute Manager.

"Helps you keep your eye on the all-important marketing ball. Infused with turbocharged examples and the latest cutting-edge concepts. . . . [You'll learn] winning strategies and actions that will propel you successfully well beyond the millennium. This fully revised book will do wonders to improve your marketing game!" —Scott H. Creelman, Executive Vice President Spalding Sports Worldwide.

"Translates the MBA marketing curriculum in a thorough and fascinating manner for practical use in the real world of business. Extensively updated, it's chock full of success-building case histories . . . a must read." — Dr. Paul Green, Professor of Marketing The Wharton School.

"An in-depth treatment of all key subjects that anyone interested in marketing needs to know." —Jim Jubelierer, Senior Consultant Burke Customer Satisfaction Associates.

"Reveals the 'secrets' of success in a lively and engaging manner. From research to advertising, from product development to sales, the authors show how it's really done. It delivers a 'street-smart' MBA in marketing!" —Catherine McKinney, Director of Retail and Consumer Marketing Research Levi Strauss & Company. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Don't buy the audio version from audible
Don't buy the audio version from audible.com .

Their programming skills are terrible. I could not download some of the books I bought, could not burn into cd the ones I could download, and forget about making it work with an mp3 player, unless you're lucky.

I know about 5 people who bought stuff from there and only one had the luck of downloading a working file and burning it successfully to a cd.

The quality of the narrations is awful, at least in the books I managed to hear (only on windows media player, nothing else worked). If you're used to books on cd or tape, you're up for a big disappointment buying from audible.

On top of all that, they have the worst customer service I have ever witnessed. The site was not working right when I tried to purchase there for the first time. I sent them a message with no answer.

In a second attempt, I bought the stuff and some files never downloaded (which means they just stole my money and I don't know what I can do since I don't live in USA). I sent another message with no answer again.

Then their weird program, which turns Windows Media Player automatically on instead of working alone, showed no compatibility to Itunes and no possibility of burning cds or dreaming about hearing books on Ipod. I sent them a third message and nothing. A fourth and guess what? Nothing again.

So I am at least trying to warn other people here to avoid being caught by such scheme. I hope Amazon gets rid of audible as soon as possible. I always got great service from Amazon and the affiliated bookstores, or even other stores selling electronics, health products and others, but audible is just the worst company I ever wasted my money with. Too bad we cannot give notes to them like with the affiliated booksellers.

Sorry by the poor text, I am just mad with them.

A persuasive sell, packed, practical and fast paced.
Just like all the other portable MBA books. This book is packed with pretty useful ideas. It is very focused and so you 'll need to be as well when you read it.

Why did I go to B-school?
This book boils all of the marketing concepts I learned while in B-school(and some I didn't) into an easy read format. The only thing missing is that annoying quant-jock who sat behind my chewing gum the entire semester! If you just want a great introduction to marketing, or are an MBA looking to refresh your understanding of the 4P's, pick-up this book. You won't be disappointed.

Focuses on customer needs, preferences & expectations
Companies flying high on economic good times may be in danger of forgetting the business fundamentals that underlie their success. Increased focus on the bottom line, competitive strategies, and financial goals divert attention from the primary source of every company's good fortune-the customer. The Portable MBA in Marketing, second edition, is dedicated to the principle that the only guarantee for continued success is a consistent focus on and attention to customer needs, preferences, and expectations.

This powerful tool for business success in the twenty-first century furnishes bright, ambitious managers with a solid grounding in MBA-level marketing theory and practice. Fully updated and expanded, this new edition emphasizes fresh marketing strategies and cutting-edge marketing concepts and techniques that help keep you in touch with your customers. It focuses on the key issues facing companies today, including how to outperform competitors, anticipate future trends, improve advertising and sales, build customer loyalty, and market on the Internet.

Charles D. Schewe, PhD, is a principal at Lifestage Matrix Marketing and a full professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has authored ten books and more than fifty articles on marketing. Alexander Hiam is the author of a dozen books, including Marketing for Dummies, The Vest-Pocket Marketer, and The Entrepreneur's Complete Sourcebook.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan Adnan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School, London. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good marketing book
This book was very easy to follow.

Horrible to read
This book is horrid to read, the chapters drag on and there simply too much information crammed into one chapter. Its hard to differentiate the points in the chapters, and many of the important points are not emphasized.

well duh
You know this book could have been nothing more than a glossary of definitions, a few summarys and outlines of the 4 this or 8 thats and it would have been much more interesting. The material in here is so basic and simple that I do the reading and don't feel that I have actually learned anything that wasn't fairly obvious to begin with. The examples are relevent if you happen to be a really slow learner and need 3 page explainations of 2 sentence definitions.

Comprehensive Book for Principles of Marketing Course
This is a fairly comprehensive fundamentals of marketing book. It is laid out well. It begins with an elementary explanation of the marketing discipline and its relationship to society. This is followed by an explanation of the ingredients in marketing strategy planning. Following this section, the author addresses the external factors that affect marketing decisions. This is followed by a discussion of demographic and behavioral deminisons of the customer. Then, the author catergories different type of customers. The next chapter presents an elementary review of marketing research. The most of the remainder of the text focuses on the 4 Ps--Product, Place, Promotion, and Price. This is probably the strongest part of the text. Throughout the text the author incorporates global and ethical issues that relate to the subject matter of each chapter. This is an excellent text for a principles or fundamentals of marketing course.

Good, but grossly overdone
This book made it point in the first 3 chapters. They also add useless software to drive the price up. Their coverage of basic marketing and the 4 P's is done ok but the book just drags on and on. Their readable examples are great. What they need is minimal theory, lots of examples and NO SOFTWARE in a 200 page book for $19.95. Then this would be a good book. ... Read more

Book Description

Forget Madison Avenue!Learn the unvarnished truth about what works, what doesn't and why from the most fascinating storyteller since Paul Harvey. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Like DaVinci, Aristotle & Edison - Ahead of his time...
I've just read The Wizard of Ads for about the sixth time. Hey... it's been a year since the last read. The reviewers that scored this gem a single star, and who whined, "I can read it in a day", just don't get it. (I finished my sixth read in just over three hours - and my mind sees more every time.) This is a peek into what's possible in advertising and in life. The word "Wizard" has its origin in the 15th century, wisard - meaning wise. The wisdom in this book will, without doubt, lead you to Roy's subsequent Wizard of Ads releases, which I've also read several times and will read again. I have 37-years in the ad business - and I promise you this is worthy of your time and your money. Ignore the critics. As Roy says, "The price of clarity is the risk of insult." I'm pretty sure the early reviews on DaVinci, Aristotle and Edison were not univerally five stars either. Buy it, read it - then read it again. You'll give yourself a big bear-hug for doing so.

Extraordinary thinking for communicators
In a way, the title of this book (also the nickname of the author, Roy Williams) is somewhat misleading. It suggests that only advertising mavens need read the book, but that is not so. This amazing writer/thinker has challenging insights for virtually anyone who communicates for a living, or who simply likes to communicate well. The short, one page chapters are perfect for quick reading on a regular basis. However, don't be surprised--the Wizard's writing is like Lay's potato chips...you can't eat just one. I would recommend it as a gift for anyone who communicates and wants to grow in that skill.

A piece of art
There are two things I really like about this book:
1. Each chapter is small on length and long on meaning
2. Not only does it talk about the power of words, every page is an example of how to do it RIGHT!

Use this book to get the juices flowing when you feel you are stuck in a rut, or need some inspiration for that next campaign.

Into Utopia?
I'm rereading this book for the second time. Not that it's impossible to comprehend, but I'm a bit wary of making the leap. The book makes it sound easy, but what book doesn't?

My hairdresser suggested I get it and Michael Levine's Guerrilla PR: Wired. According to her, her business is growing by leaps and bounds.

Nonetheless, I remain unconvinced. My husband thinks "now is the time." I told him to tell it to Ford's Edsel people.

Still, in a sense of fairness, I would recommend Williams' book to those who are determined to own their own business. I wish them luck.

Tipping Sacred Cows
Are you ready to discard what you learned in school and discover what really motivates people? Are you willing to break out of old, constricting paradigms? Then step forward and meet a master dreamweaver. From the early pages I knew I had found a kindred spirit; hope you feel the same. ... Read more

Book Description

As the media grows more ruthless, the role of public relations has become increasingly complex and critical. Savvy businesspeople know that how a company conveys and maintains its image has never been more important­­or more challenging. The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations & Integrated Communications is the definitive guide for communications professionals. Featuring the expertise of the world's foremost public relations and marketing authorities, it is the first book of its kind to combine the art and science of marketing, public relations and communications in one single resource. An indispensable reference guide to the best practices in every industry, this handbook features more than 40 information-packed chapters authored by the best minds in the business and covers cutting-edge tips, topics and techniques such as:

• Crisis management
• Marketing public relations
• Client-agency relationships
• Environmental public relations
• High-tech PR
• And more!

Reviews (5)

A Tough Read
Evidently, this book does not target people starting out in Public Relations. I am a VP of Marketing in a start-up company looking to get some feel for the value of PR. I found this book utterly unintelligible. I was also irritated by the constant reference to 'clarity of communication' - advice that the author clearly ignores. Why is 'plain English' considered to be such a crime? After reading this on a 3 hour flight from Denver to New York, I was none the wiser about PR and given the significant weight of the book, decided to leave it on the plane. This is a text for PR academics.

Wide-Ranging and Super Informative
The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Communications is a thorough piece of work that covers the entire gamut of the public relations industry, from dealing with clients to dealing with the media, from crises to working with marketing.

An extremely useful guide, it is not quite as up-to-date with the latest in the technological age. For that, Michael Levine's Guerrilla PR: Wired is an excellent supplement. Not as wide-ranging as the Handbook, Guerrilla PR: Wired zeroes in on cost-effective public relations strategies and tactics.

The Handbook of Effective Public Relations and Integrated Communications has numerous well-respected members in the public relations and marketing fields contributing their wisdom and experience, letting everyone know what the higher ranking people have learned, the tools to success.

A GREAT BOOK FOR EVERYONE IN THE BUSINESS
The Handbook of Strategic Public Relation & Integrated Communications gives simple and understanding examples for every chapter; It even explains the historical background of public relations which helps a lot to understand the evolution of the PR industry.
The book describes, in a superficial but clear way, every activity in the PR business; From investor relations to crisis management, The Handbook of Strategic Public Relation & Integrated Communications will give the basics for the PR profession.

Excellent resource for new and experienced practitionners!
The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations & Integrated Communications is an excellent resource for both new and experienced PR and communications professionals. You will love it for: the concrete and practical real-world (and all over the world) examples, the original and implementable guidelines and tips, the explanations of the theory (without being too theoretical!), and the thoughtful analysis of future trends by highly respected professionals and academics. If you don't have time to take a course, then read this book!

can't put it down
it is fascinating, informative, interesting to read, and very very very useful. ... Read more

Book Description

This cutting-edge book-with contributions by the star faculty of the Kellogg School of Management and the Medill School of Journalism's Integrated Marketing Communications department at Northwestern University-offers the latest thinking on the art and science of integrated marketing. A must for today's marketing professional, Kellogg on Integrated Marketing addresses the daily activities of marketing managers and helps them enhance brand equity with new techniques and strategies from the experts. You'll hear from:
- Eric G. Berggren - Stephen Burnett - Bobby J. Calder - Tom Collinger - Adam Duhachek - Lisa Fortini-Campbell - Nigel Hopkins - Dawn Iacobucci - Richard I. Kolsky - Maria Flores Letelier - Edward C. Malthouse - Francis J. Mulhern - Lisa A. Petrison - Andrew Razeghi - Don E. Schultz - Charles Spinosa - Paul Wang ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Support for the Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur getting my business off of the ground over the last two years, I found this book extremely useful. I was searching for a book that would fulfill the role of a text book without being so forumulaic and simplistic. This provides that balance, with it's original case studies. I was also searching for a book on marketing that would apply to me, with my limited marketing resource budget. I had heard ofthe term "integrated" marketing before, but I was unsure about how it could be effective vs. simply advertising or doing a good PR campaign.I recommend it highly for entrepreneurs who must rely on small budgets, grass roots events, word of mouth and small marketing budgets.

Tools I Can Use
Finally. In a world of one trend book after another, this book gives readers a solid foundation for understanding the latest developments in marketing. The authors provide a scholarly treatment of their subject matter, while not being densely academic and therefore difficult to follow. But although not academic, it is still a serious piece of work that makes you think. Today it is easy to find how to marketing books from practioners who want to apply rules based on experience without any thought to the discipline, human behavior, and deeper issues. Yet the book is loaded with original cases. In particular, the chapter on "viral marketing" provides grounded cases and a framework for applying solid word of mouth techniques. As a VP of a Sales Organization, this chapter gives me tools that I can apply to my sales organization without having to hope that a PR campaign has the expected impact.

Good companies with innovative products
This book is well targeted to companies that are bringing innovative products to market and have to be smarter than your average bear in getting noticed and taken seriously.

This book has a good compendium of what "integrated marketing" is all about.For most of us, we can't afford expensive TV campaigns, and need to address our customers in diverse ways, and measuring along the way. For me, CPM and audiences and demographics make no sense, so I appreciated this books more pragmatic cases studies.

Particularly for high tech companies, if you need a good overview of what it takes to create communities, create "BUZZ", and get people excited about your product in a natural way; this book is the best out there (read Chapter 6). The internet is a new medium, but most marketing is still primitive (pop ups? anyone?). There are some good ideas here on how to go about it the right way.

As with any compilation of articles, there are different voices and styles; some are better than others.Skip the bad ones.

But it's still only going to cost less than 10 minutes of your average marketing consultant; so buy it.

Patchy work at best.
What can I say... it is extremely difficult to write a negative review against two of the most important authorities in Marketing today. However, even the best people/institutions have huge "misses". And this book, believe me, is one of them.

Because of the quality of the institutions behind the book it is easy to take the quality of this book for granted. So it is for the same reason that I thought this book merits a detailed review and explain why a simple reader like me gives it no more than 2 stars (meaning that the book is not the worst out there, but it is not quite an "average" book either).

I believe that most of the problem lies on the Editors of the book. I can't imagine how difficult must be to put together people and views from two different institutions (Kellogg Business School and Medill School of Journalism) plus collaborators from other academic institutions and independent consulting companies. What is clear is that the Editors did not succeed in creating a cohesive book: in some cases it is because of the selection of topics/subjects discussed, in some cases because of the selection of the authors and their style, but most importantly because the book lacks a common solid philosophy. It feels more like a collection of disparate work than a book.

Most of the chapters feel repetitive and disconnected. They range from a generalist view of the world (typical from business schools), to detailed discussions of technical subjects (typical from industry practitioners). These two views are not balanced in each chapter (which could be a positive thing), but actually each chapter is one or the other, which creates a mixed feeling of peaks and valleys as you read the book. So overall, the book does not achieve a compelling balance for the reader and fails to leave the reader with a couple of big ideas that help her approach the "issue" of Integrated Marketing.

A closer look by chapter

I truly enjoyed the Introduction to the book and chapter 3 (The Tao of Customer Loyalty). The article is direct, clear, and strong, with great common sense. Unfortunately, most of the good things about the book stop here.

Both chapter 4 and 5 are extremely repetitive as both build on the idea of customer-brand contact points, which should be to most readers an "old" concept already. Chapter 6 has great ideas on the need to understand different communities to achieve truly viral marketing. Unfortunately, I found the authors' style very difficult to read and the chapter extremely long. Just to give you an idea, this chapter is almost 20% of the book and there are other 13 chapters. This is again something the Editors should have spotted.

Chapter 7 on Acquiring The Right Customers is extremely basic, while chapters 8 (Database Sub-segmentation), 9 (Customer Profitability), and 11 (Scoring Models) are extremely technical and address how to look and organize data to help in the marketing decision making process. Then we have chapter 10 on Decision Guidance Systems, which feels that shouldn't belong to this book.

Chapter 12 addresses how the Web has the potential to deliver and support Integrated Marketing ideas. This explanation was needed and given by many authors 3 or 4 years ago. So while true, the chapter is pretty much a laggard in its perspectives. I don't think there is anyone today that does not understand this.

Chapter 13 (An illustration of Integrated Marketing) is simply appalling. Basically the author builds a theoretical example of what IM is supposed to look like. It is simply a waste of time and effort.

And finally, Chapter 14 (Reflections on Becoming a Great Marketing Organization) has a good authoritative tone and interesting closing thoughts. Though as the closing chapter of the book, suffers the same issues as the remaining of he book: the chapter is individualistic and pretty much ignores the content from previous chapters.

So as a closing thought on this review, I would say that this book could suffer from what was said about the old conglomerate structures: they are both worth more if sold (read) separately!The editorial value of bringing ideas and people together to create even more value is simply not achieved in this book.

Patchy work at best.
What can I say... it is extremely difficult to write a negative review against two of the most important authorities in Marketing today. However, even the best people/institutions have huge "misses". And this book, believe me, is one of them.

Because of the quality of the institutions behind the book it is easy to take the quality of this book for granted. So it is for the same reason that I thought this book merits a detailed review and explain why a simple reader like me gives it no more than 2 stars (meaning that the book is not the worst out there, but it is not quite an "average" book either).

I believe that most of the problem lies on the Editors of the book. I can't imagine how difficult must be to put together people and views from two different institutions (Kellogg Business School and Medill School of Journalism) plus collaborators from other academic institutions and independent consulting companies. What is clear is that the Editors did not succeed in creating a cohesive book: in some cases it is because of the selection of topics/subjects discussed, in some cases because of the selection of the authors and their style, but most importantly because the book lacks a common solid philosophy. It feels more like a collection of disparate work than a book.

Most of the chapters feel repetitive and disconnected. They range from a generalist view of the world (typical from business schools), to detailed discussions of technical subjects (typical from industry practitioners). These two views are not balanced in each chapter (which could be a positive thing), but actually each chapter is one or the other, which creates a mixed feeling of peaks and valleys as you read the book. So overall, the book does not achieve a compelling balance for the reader and fails to leave the reader with a couple of big ideas that help her approach the "issue" of Integrated Marketing.

A closer look by chapter

I truly enjoyed the Introduction to the book and chapter 3 (The Tao of Customer Loyalty). The article is direct, clear, and strong, with great common sense. Unfortunately, most of the good things about the book stop here.

Both chapter 4 and 5 are extremely repetitive as both build on the idea of customer-brand contact points, which should be to most readers an "old" concept already. Chapter 6 has great ideas on the need to understand different communities to achieve truly viral marketing. Unfortunately, I found the authors' style very difficult to read and the chapter extremely long. Just to give you an idea, this chapter is almost 20% of the book and there are other 13 chapters. This is again something the Editors should have spotted.

Chapter 7 on Acquiring The Right Customers is extremely basic, while chapters 8 (Database Sub-segmentation), 9 (Customer Profitability), and 11 (Scoring Models) are extremely technical and address how to look and organize data to help in the marketing decision making process. Then we have chapter 10 on Decision Guidance Systems, which feels that shouldn't belong to this book.

Chapter 12 addresses how the Web has the potential to deliver and support Integrated Marketing ideas. This explanation was needed and given by many authors 3 or 4 years ago. So while true, the chapter is pretty much a laggard in its perspectives. I don't think there is anyone today that does not understand this.

Chapter 13 (An illustration of Integrated Marketing) is simply appalling. Basically the author builds a theoretical example of what IM is supposed to look like. It is simply a waste of time and effort.

And finally, Chapter 14 (Reflections on Becoming a Great Marketing Organization) has a good authoritative tone and interesting closing thoughts. Though as the closing chapter of the book, suffers the same issues as the remaining of he book: the chapter is individualistic and pretty much ignores the content from previous chapters.

So as a closing thought on this review, I would say that this book could suffer from what was said about the old conglomerate structures: they are both worth more if sold (read) separately!The editorial value of bringing ideas and people together to create even more value is simply not achieved in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

A Blueprint for Great Marketing!

In Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days, co-authors Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager take the best selling marketing series in history, Guerrilla Marketing, and boil it down into one dynamic package of the most up-to-date guerrilla tactics.

Whether your goal is to develop a complete marketing plan or to focus on improving a specific component, this is the book for you.From competition and research to execution and expansion, you get 30 action plans via guerrilla marketing tips, methods, ideas and values—where the major ingredients are time, energy and imagination, not hard-earned profits.And on each and every day you’ll have developed plans to improve and re-engineer a piece of your overall marketing blueprint to maximize profits and increase customers.

Reviews (15)

My Favorite Guerilla Marketing Books
I read Levinson's original Guerilla Marketing Handbook a couple of years ago and liked it alot.I thought there were some good ideas for my small businesses; web design and wedding DJ.I've thumbed thru some of the other Guerilla Marketing books at bookstores, but got excited when I saw Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days.I've neglected marketing my business in the past year or so and saw this book as a roadmap for getting back on track.I think it's a great companion to Levinson's original masterpiece.

One of the things the authors recommend is to think about your marketing every day, which is something I haven't done.But I got stoked as I went thru the process and the exercise was made easy because it's all laid out for you.Low and no-cost marketing ideas?That's for me!

I have already gotten some inquiries which were the direct result of the marketing plan I put together with this book, and I'm sure more leads and sales will come.

Over the weekend, I began re-reading the Guerilla Handbook looking for some new ideas going forward.Tonite, I see that Amazon is offering BOTH books as a special.I think it's the best 25 bucks an entreprenuer can invest in their business.

Try Another Levinson Book Instead
I bought this book becasue I thought a 30 day, self-guided tour of Guerrilla Marketing would be a handy tool in my marketing tool kit.

I was disappointed.

The book is a regurgitation of Levinson's principles, which are more fully described in Levinson's other books,like Guerrilla Marketing. The 30 day approach is artificial, and the marketing advice in this book is almost too simplistic to be actionable.

Levinson has written so many insightful books that you'd do better to dive into one of his thoughtful books and absorb his timeless advice. This book misses that mark with its pat advice to complex marketing issues.

I think the format for the book is a good one, but the execution wasn't.

Really Helpful for Both My Businesses
I have a pretty good consulting business going now and this book helped me refine some of the marketing that I have been struggling with. Its quick and easy format gave me just what I needed. I have many other marketing books but this one seemed to get right to the point and didnt contain a lot of clutter. The examples made it click for me. Really pulled the information together. I also have start up going and just picking about 4 things out of the 30 days really helped with my focus. The action plans at the end of each chapter are what was missing from some of the other guerrilla books. Kudos to Jay Levinson on this one.

Great Stories, Poor Reference Material
This book was difficult to skim and skip over areas with which I was already familiar.I had to spend too much time reading details and stories about material I already understood.I could not tell what each chapter was about until I had finished reading it.The first chapter was basically a rah-rah-you-need-to-use-marketingcheer session.

The stories are great if you don't know what they are talking about.If you DO have a clue, you will find yourself wasting a lot of time searching for that tiny morsel of insight hidden among paragraphs of naration.And the summary at the end of each day doesn't correspond very well with the sections of that chapter.

What this book really needs are introductory statements to each chapter or sub-chapter summarizing that section or telling you what it is about.Day 12 is titled "Business Networking".The entire first page of the chapter is about a guy with a gimmick that makes it easy for people to contact him - I don't understandhow this relates to the chapter title of "Business Networking". The chapter should have started with a sentence in bold font saying something like:

"This chapter will show you the importance of interacting with other businesses and how to create those relationship." - Unfortuneately, I had to read 3 or 4 pages to figure that out.

I bought this book because I met one of the authors at a book signing and he tricked me.I am so bored with the stories (and unable to skip over them) that in 3 months I have only been able to push myself through 3 chapters.I have no intension, of wasting my time reading the last 27.I will find myself a book that is not quite so long-winded.

Good Info but a Little Too Old School
There are several challenges to reaching an audience in the world of marketing, advertising, and public relations.A marketing plan has to meet the needs of the business.Budgeting must be done with finesse and pinpoint accuracy.Above all, the message has to reach an organization's target audience.In "Guerilla Marketing in 30 Days," authors Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager provide the instructions on just how to achieve the aforementioned goals and then some.

"Guerilla Marketing in 30 Days" is packed with an enormous amount of information, including how to create a marketing plan, what to do when planning a direct mail campaign, and when to use PR instead of traditional marketing.The book is a comprehensive guide to almost everything that marketing encompasses.For example, the authors give expert advice and a dose of reality in regards to creating a marketing plan with the following:

"`Build it and they will come' is not an effective marketing plan or strategy.A successful plan boils down to two essentials:

1. Knowing the market inside and out, including what customers want and expect.

2. Knowing the way to satisfy customers by knowing competitors, barriers to entry, costs, outside influences, budgets, knowledge, etc."

Though the book is filled with useful information, it does have a few problems.For one thing, the writing is sort of plain and reads more like a college textbook than a "guerilla" marketing guide. Secondly, it leaves out a lot of some of the latest trends in marketing such as when to use pop-up ads, weblogs, and viral marketing.And finally, lots of the material seems to be outdated and at least five years late.

This book would make an ideal book for a college student in Marketing 101.It gives a thorough strategic and tactical marketing foundation for anyone looking to explore the topic.But those who are a bit more experienced in the marketing world may find the information in this guide a little too old school.

... Read more

Book Description

A companion to the bestselling Words that Sell, the next definitive advertising word-and phase book

More Words That Sell is packed with 3,500high-powered, idea-generating words, phrases, and slogans, arranged by category and purpose (example categories include Power Words, Sounds, Technology, Youth Market, and dozens more). Containing checklists and other helpful features like its bestselling predecessor Words That Sell--but with literally no overlapping words--it will be valuable for devotees of that classic book and new fans.

More Words That Sell includes:

• Power words for heightening impact
• Positive personal qualities for selling oneself
• Cliche's to avoid
• Color names beyond just red, white, blue, yellow, etc.
• Words that reflect current trends in popular culture

With all words reflecting current use in advertising and media, and sections covering internet marketing and advertising, More Words That Sell will be a must-have word and-phrase reference for writers of all types.

Reviews (1)

Simply Great! You've got to buy it if you write.
There's not much to say about this book except buy it if you need to write and if you need to use words to persuade. I keep this book at my computer --- inches away from my right hand as I write for clients.

Highly recommended.

Susanna K. Hutcheson
... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Review of The Media Handbook authored by Helen Katz
As a 30+ year senior level media planning professional at the DDB Chicago advertising agency and now as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago, I read The Media Handbook by Helen Katz with great interest. Helen Katz is one of the premier media research professionals in the advertising agency business who has an academic as well as a professional background in media planning.

This handbook provides a comprehensive yet highly readable overview of the rapidly changing media planning and buying environment. Not only does the book explain basic media terms and concepts but it also places media in the emerging marketing planning context where media is viewed as a key tool in Integrated Marketing Communications.

It is well laid out organizationally and easy to follow. It also spares the reader volumes of "media math" which can be overwhelming.

The Media Handbook is a valuable reference tool that should be kept by marketing and advertising generalists, media professionals and students as a guide to making intelligent decisions about the role of media in a marketing plan.

Reviewed by Geoff McClelland ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Wave of the future--The New Professionals
If you are contemplating getting into a MLM company, are sitting on the fence and need just a little bit of convincing, read The New Professionals by James King and Charles Robinson.

A lot of myths and misconceptions abound in this industry, these two gentlemen offer the facts. Network marketing is growing by leaps and bounds and The New Professionals explains why.

The network is King . . .
The New Professional makes clear the evolution of multilevel and direct marketing. Like many folks, I had a pretty dim view of the overly aggressive sales tactics and misleading meeting agendas that I ran into with many of the earlier direct marketing efforts. Now I see that things have changed for the better - much better! Inventory is not in your home, it's not in someone else's garage, it is at the distributor and easily obtained through the internet. Supply chain management is superb in these new companies.

For example, King and Robinson provide statistics to show why direct marketing is a robust and very efficient model for introducing some products into the market place. And, they show why the type of person involved in network marketing today is truly a professional: "Of key interest, the research found 'successful (direct and network marketing) sales people have a communication style or social style that encourages the building of relationships with their customers . . . The most successful sales leaders have a combination of relationship and task orientation' (in their communication styles)."

Network Marketing and multilevel marketing are synonymous terms. They are defined by a business model which pays commissions on multiple levels of the sales organization. Network Marketing/Selling differs from Direct Selling in that Network Marketing:

1. Focuses on relationships rather than on closing the sale or booking an order
2. Focuses on information sharing
3. Independent business owner (IBO)
4. Commissions on multiple levels of sales (not just retail of the IBO)

The role of the network marketing channel is to accelerate the movement of products using the most efficient distribution technique: word-of-mouth communication.

This is an excellent book to bring you up to date on the network marketing phenominon and to understand the new business models (yes, there are many).

Must Read for New and Current Network Marketers
If your considering Network Marketing as a career move then this should be your first text book for learning what you need to know first about the business. I have also attended Dr. Charles King's Networking Marketing Certification course at the University of Illinois @ Chicago with equal enthusiasm. If you take anything from this review, understand that this book was written by a Harvard Grad and tenured Professor at UIC who spent much time researching the business. It is a great book that is required reading especially if you're new to the business of Network Marketing.
Last of all, don't listen to fools who scoff at this book or the Industry, unless of course you wish to remain a slave to your employer and retire a slave to the Governments program.

One of the worst books I have ever read
This book seems to be a commissioned marketing book for network marketing. It reads like a sales brochure and contained very little information that was of value to me. It seems likely that it was funded by a bunch of MLM companies, including Prepaid legal, Excel and Herbalife, among others.

Don't believe the other customer reviews, and don't waste your money on this book. There must be better books out there than this one.

I am also shocked at the number of people who endorse this book on the back cover. I wonder how many of them actually read it.

One of the worst books I have ever read.

New Century, New Biz World, New Money
If you are one of the many that are trying to keep up with the ever changing face of the business world, you need to read this book. In the last five years, I have personally experienced more changes and more growth in my own business life that in all the other 25 years put together. The bottom line is that things are rapidly changing - and we have two choices - embrace the changes and learn to use them to our advantage - or resist the changes and get left behind. While multi-level marketing is not new and not all multi-level companies are created equal, the industry is certainly emerging as one that offers some of the best opportunities for people to get started as independent business owners with a relatively small investment, especially for those who might never have had any other way to achieve financial independence. For some time now, I have had first hand knowledge of the money that can be earned by the small business owner, many of whom were not college educated and were not your straight A, honor roll student. There are countless thousands that have invested heavily in higher educations to obtain skills to get "good paying jobs" that will never come near the income levels working as an employee that can be achieved as an independent business owner. If you have looked down your noise in times past at "multi-level marketing", take another look!! After all, it wasn't but a few years back that most of us had never even heard of the internet, much less used it in every day life!! ... Read more

Book Description

Rothenberg chronicles the brief, turbulent marriage between a recession-plagued auto company and an aggressively hip ad agency (whose creative director despised cars), capturing both the ad world's tantalizing gossip and the broader significance of its creations. "Simply the best book about advertising I have ever read."--Neil Postman (Technopoly). ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A must-read for anyone interested in advertising, marketing
I remember it well: a dramatic image of a sleek black car, against a black background; a gruff world-weary voice dissing conventional auto advertising; an arresting multi-layered scroll of selected text over the fixed image, corresponding directly with the voiceover as the words were read... and remember thinking: "this is an amazing ad. This ad will be incredibly influential."

It was, too, insofar as it almost immediately spawned similar art direction for a host of other products. Only problem was: it didn't sell cars.

"Where the Suckers Moon" explains why. It explains every aspect of the businesses involved -- how car sales are based on image, not mechanics, and and how automobile advertising became the holy grail for agencies.

You learn all about Subaru, and how their corporate structure all but guaranteed failure. You learn about the hubris and arrogance of Weiden and Kennedy, the "hot shop" selected to create the doomed campaign. You learn about how cars have been sold in the past, and gain understanding into how they're sold today.

The lessons pointed out in "Where the Suckers Moon" are relevant for other businesses as well, because the book almost painfully explores the human dynamics of the company that created the product, the company chosen for promoting those sales, and the dramatic and catastrophic effects of a lack of alignment between the two parties. It can -- and does -- happen elsewhere. So don't imagine that you won't get anything out of it simply because you aren't directly dependent on cars or advertising for your bread and butter.

Failings? It's longer than it needs to be, and sometimes veers into philosophical discussions of advertising which clearly reveal the author's own biases. As such, it does somewhat undermine its own attempts at reportorial quality. This is a bit disappointing, because the research is spectacular -- the access that the author had to the entire process is stunning, and the candor of the participants would be enough to make most senior managers cringe.

Minor squabbles. All in all, this book is not only the most important book about advertising written in a long time -- it's also a genuninely entertaining read.

Footnote: Once you understand the mindset of Subaru management during the failed campaign, the shift to Subaru's current Paul Hogan/Crocodile Dundee campaign becomes even more remarkable. Sells cars too....

Interesting in-depth view at the birth of an ad campgaign.
"Where the Suckers Moon" starts out with a very interesting premise, whether you are a fan of the advertising world or not. Rothenberg seeks to sort of "pilot-fish" his way along while a million-dollar car company chooses an advertising agency for its upcoming million-dollar campaign. The ups-and-downs of the search are sometimes funny and generally interesting. But the hard-bottom line which Rothenberg shows clearly is that advertising can be a cruel and unfair business. The only bias he seems to have is a mild contempt for the advertising industry. If you swallow the majority of facts that he offers repeatedly, it would be hard not to share his contempt. I did not share his contempt and was annoyed by to employ what is considered to be a necessity in the advertising world: The ability to be concise. Rothenberg offers many bits-and-pieces about the selection process which just are not needed, which he follows up by omitting large parts of the overall selection process. Yet, I found it an interesting book to read. Though I would not consider it an easy, smooth read.

An entertaining, quirky little book
If you follow marketing, if you like Subarus, if you enjoy corporate history, or if you just like offbeat non-fiction, settle in for an illuminating account of Subaru's efforts to pick an ad agency to launch their misunderstood SVX. Follow the agencies in the review from over their shoulders, sit in on Subaru's deliberations, and then watch how their plans and intentions fare against the actual world. It's a wonder that any advertising ever emerges from these labyrinths to wind up on our TVs, our magazine, and our billboards. You will never look at a car ad the same way.

Cool story about two tough businesses -- advertising & cars
This is a detailed, on-the-ground tactical exploration of the Subaru ad campaigns of the mid-90s. Watch the idealist dreamer's of the agency's creative team collide with the cold, hard world of auto retailing.

To me, an entertaining business book is something that teaches you about a particular profession, industry, comapny or leader, and develops the story through a plot, inherent tension in the conflicts in the business, and a "what would you do in their shoes?" sensibility. Where the Suckers Moon has both, and is one of my top 15 business books as a result.

ZZZZZzzzzzzz
I'm amused by all the energy that went into defending this book. A cynic might sense other-than-unbiased forces at work. In any case, I found this book a snooze. Uncompelling account of a less than compelling company -- Subaru. Who cares? In the end, found myself agreeing with the reviewer below who called the book dated and unsexy. The book is now 7 years old; I only read it because it was in a giveaway bin at the local library. It should have been in the paper recycling bin. Look elsewhere, you can do better. Click on the suggested links on this page for other, more entertaining fare about advertising. ... Read more

Book Description

* Draws on the very latest research into the workings of the human brain * Based on the world’s largest database of TV advertising responses and new research undertaken by Millward Brown * A unique synthesis of the theories of memory and learning and how they relate to advertising effectiveness *Reveals why ‘ad-liking’ is a critical factor in persuading someone to buy a productMedia planners and market researchers have been trying for many years to measure the effectiveness of advertising. Various techniques based on recall and recognition of advertisements all show that different advertisements have widely differing success rates.Historically the methods for trying to increase the success rate focus on tweaking the advertisement’s media schedule, but these have shown limited success. However research by Erik du Plessis and his colleagues at Adtrack South Africa, and subsequently at Millward Brown, has helped to show that the strongest factor predicting success is not the scheduling rate, but how much an advertisement is liked.In "The Advertised Mind", Erik du Plessis draws on information about the working of the human brain from psychologists, neurologists and artificial intelligence specialists to suggest why ‘ad-liking’ is such an important factor in establishing a firm memory of an advertisement and predisposing consumers to buy the brand that is being advertised. By drawing on the findings of the world-famous Adtrack system, he explores what ‘ad-liking’ really means and suggests how use of this paradigm could lead to a new phase in the ongoing effort to obtain maximum return from advertising spend. A fascinating and fresh insight into how our brains work and respond. ... Read more

Book Description

Marketing is civilized warfare. And as high-tech products become increasingly standardized -- practically identical, from the customer's point of view -- it is marketing that spells life or death for new devices or entire firms. In a book that is as fascinating as it is pragmatic, William H. Davidow, a legend in Silicon Valley, where he was described as "the driving force behind the micro processor explosion," tells how to fight the marketing battle in the intensely competitive world of high-tech companies -- and win.

Blunt, pithy, and knowledgeable, Davidow draws on his successful marketing experience at Intel Corporation to create a complete program for marketing victory. He drives home the basics, such as how to go head-on against the competition; how to "plan products, not devices"; how to give products a "soul"; and how to engineer promotions, market internationally, motivate salespeople, and rally distributors. Above all, he demonstrates the critical importance of servicing and supporting customers. Total customer satisfaction, Davidow makes clear, must be every high-tech marketer's ultimate goal.

The only comprehensive marketing strategy book by an insider, Marketing High Technology looks behind the scenes at industry-shaking clashes involving Apple and IBM, Visicorp and Lotus, Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor. He recounts his own involvement in Crush, Intel's innovative marketing offensive against Motorola, to demonstrate, step-by-step, how it became an industry prototype for a winning high-tech campaign.

Davidow clearly spells out 16 principles which increase the effectiveness of marketing programs. From examples as diverse as a Rolling Stones concert and a microprocessor chip, he defines a true "product." He analyzes and explains in new ways the strategic importance of distribution as it relates to market sector, pricing, and the pitfalls it entails. He challenges some traditional marketing theory and provides unique and important insights developed from over 20 years in the high-tech field. From an all-encompassing philosophy that great marketing is a crusade requiring total commitment, to a careful study of the cost of attacking a competitor, this book is an essential tool for survival in today's high-risk, fast- changing, and very lucrative high-tech arena. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Double E!?
I was greatly impressed by the book. I really can't believe that what I have seen in the book is wriiten by a PhD in electronic engineering! William has no marketing expertise or experience before he join the company HP. Nevertheless, by his extremely strong observation and analytical mind, he had develop a excellent strategy to successfully market high technology. In addition, at the end of the book, he also added 16 factors to evaluate the high-tech marketing plan. As a marketing student, I must confess that, it is much more worthwhile to read this book attending hundreds of hours of lecture! Although one may thought that the book was written in 90s such that the thoeries should be outdated. However, I believe that truth remains true no matter how old it is. So, I will not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone (especially for marketing students)!

The Definitive High-Tech Marketing Guide
When this book was written, it broke new ground about the importance of crafting, marketing and selling "whole solutions." In an industry of constant technology innovations (and discontinuities, to steal a phrase from a follow-on editor), that is the only way to survive. This book is a must read, and really sets the stage for Geoffrey Moore's first book "Crossing the Chasm," another required reading for the student of high-technology marketing.

Lacks Substance
William Davidow has great organization in this book, but beyond the big picture, it lacks real substance. I could have taken this book, created an outline from just the chapter and section headings, and got as much out of it as I did reading the whole thing.

I recommend this book to the beginner in technology and marketing, but not to anyone with any real experience in either.

Don't Read Another
By far, one of the best (high tech) marketing books out. I couldn't put it down once I opened it.

An Intelligent & Insightful Book
An excellent manual on marketing of ANY product/service, & not just high tech ones. The idea of the complete 'product' that caters to a targeted niche market or group is truly insightful but which also makes perfect sense. 'Devices' are abound in all markets but 'Products' that hit the proverbial market spot are more rare.

An good accompaniment to Drucker's 'Innovation & Entrepreneurship', published just a year before this one. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Still, a great book for product development
Although I agree with several of the concerns by other reviewers, I recommend this book for product developers because it offers usable information that can improve the liklihood of success for a new product.

First my concerns:

- There's too many unrelated topics,
- There's too many acronyms,
- It reads like a textbook, it's a little hard to read as it feels disjointed somewhat.

Now the things that I like and recommend:

- Great reviews of successful product case studies (I particularly liked the OXO product one),
- Although trite, their 2x2 matrix was quite interesting,
- Their emphasis on how to put "style" into your product (this is not really covered in many other books),
- Their concept of Product Opportunity Gaps (POG, whoops there's another acronym).

I think the authors, who are quite astute, should rewrite this book. I recommend that they boil down the material and rewrite the book thinking of it as an instruction book from them to some MBA/Engineer (Hewlitt/Packard) who's working out of his garage on some new product. They should not see this as a college text, or some book that's a supplementary reading for college. They have great material and great ideas, but it needs focused. They can completely drop Chapter 6 on Teams. Their Chapter 7 on Understanding User Needs seemed weak. They should drop the case studies in Chapters 8 and 9 and integrate that great material into the core text -- otherwise it's just too repetitive.

There was an excellent article about the authors in Fast Company magazine, July 2002. page 123. "How to Design the Perfect Product". I recommend reading that article as well.

These smart guys from Carnegie Mellon's design school have a unique approach to "Value is all about fulfilling fantasy" and their methodology for getting that into your product.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

Great topic but too superficial
Cagan and Vogel are addressing a critically important topic. Isn't that every company and entrepreneur's dream to actually create breakthrough products? Are they going to find the formula in this book? Well, yes and no.

The good news is that there are some interesting insights on what makes breakthrough products, like the importance of providing compelling usefulness, usability, and desirability features, or the key role of style, technology, and branding in the success of new products, or the need for an integrated new product development process.

Can you read this book and start applying these principles? The answer is no. To start with, the authors resort to the universal 2x2 business tool to unveil their magic formula: the combination of style and technology is the way to create breakthroughs because these two attributes create value. It is what they call "moving to the upper right" or to the "value quadrant". This is a very simplistic if not erroneoous view of how value is created. This might be true for consumer items where value is mostly in the psychological and emotional realm but it definitely does not help most industrial and business applications where value is more in the economic, solution, and service realm.

The author presents a list of value opportunities that are supposed to be universal but they are brought without any justification. Why does adventure, independence, or security make the list and not other emotions? Isn't that the key to success to fist find what the potential customers really value before jumping to conclusions instaed of trying to fit a model on reality?

Central to breakthrough products is the importance of user-centered research and product development. The overall process is adequately covered in my opinion and since I am not a product development expert I learned some interesting things in these sections but again the tools do not seem very useful.

Regarding user-centered research, I do not feel it is given the importance nor the depth it deserves. It is the last chapter of the main text like if it were something to do after everything else.

Cagan and Vogel use many examples to illustrate their approach and several case studies at the end. It is a good side of the book. On the other hand, these examples are presented to fit the model, something they do more or less convincingly and in a way that does not generate great insights.

In summary, Cagan and Vogel wrote a good introduction to the topic, something that might be useful to newcomers to the field or to MBA students. The practitioners may learn the importance of integrating all disciplines and gained a few insights here and there. The book might make them think but they will find few practical tools and tips to apply on the job.

Useful to anyone in Marketing
Apple Computers/imac, VW/Beetles, OXO/Good Grips and Herman Miller/Aeron Chair are just a few examples of companies/brands that saw their sales rocket due to introduction of new products with unique packaging or design. This book highlights most of these examples and does a good job of showing that no long term strategic marketing plan can overlook the function of quality design. Great design makes a difference to a company's bottom line. People want to own products that not only function well but also look cool.
Mark H.
Art Director / Ming Diamond Price Consulting

Substantial, long-overdue contribution to Industrial Design
Cagan and Vogel make a substantial contribution to the field of Industrial Design with "Creating Breakthrough Products." This book admirably strikes a difficult balance between theory and practice. The concepts, theories and frameworks presented are based upon substantial practical experience that is insightful as well as inspiring. It avoids academic/technical jargon and allows the reader to get right to the meat of their arguments. The book both reminded me why I became an industrial designer and motivates me to do more to get "to the Upper Right Quadrant" with the projects I am working on. The examples and analysis of past success stories like OXO GoodGrips, the new VW bug, and Starbucks hit home, really making their point. Their concern and analysis of User-Research struck me as quite valid as well.

If you are concerned about making products that serve people in a significant way, then this book is a must-read and hopefully marks the beginning of a new wave of insightful Industrial Design research that is capable of positively affecting theoretical discourse as well as everyday practice.

Creating Breakthrough Products: Innovation from Product Plan
Cagan and Vogel's book Creating Breakthrough Products is long overdue in the fields of business and (industrial)product design. It provides a realistic view of product development and a "behind the magic curtain" look at product successes and failures. The arguments, visuals, and product case studies provided in the book helped me envision a mental map that I can use in my work. It is a great read...one that every hardware and software product manager should read. The book is a solid contribution to the design field and would be great for industry and academia. Students learning this stuff will have a faster start toward more effective product design. ...