Required Reading
People often ask me for book and/or resource recommendations within the sphere of marketing and branding - so I curated the below list of my “required reading” on the topics. This is a collection of my favorite books on brand management, the overall concept of marketing, and digital marketing - a personal library of sorts that I love to share.
Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and start exploring these gems. Each one has something special to offer, and I'm excited for you to discover the knowledge and inspiration they hold.
I have only two asks if you find value in this curated list:
Let me know what you think of whatever material you read. I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you.
If you found value in the list, share it with a friend or colleague who would also benefit.
Happy reading!
Note: The below are not affiliate links and I earn nothing from making these recommendations. This list is curated simply for your benefit. While Amazon links are provided, I highly encourage you to leverage your local library along this reading journey.
Positioning
By Al Ries and Jack Trout
An absolute classic - this book outlines in great detail (with helpful examples) the concept behind brand positioning, why it is important, and how to think about it for your brand as well as competitive brands. If you’re not sure where to start, this is a great place.
Permission Marketing
By Seth Godin
The concept of permission marketing hinges on one central tenant: you need permission to speak to your audience. This was something that I was always guided by in my approach to marketing, but failed to have terminology to discuss the concept until I came across this book. Highly recommended for all marketers - but especially those working on smaller brands vying for attention or marketers in large organizations managing multiple brands.
The Big Moo
By Seth Godin & Others
This book is an outstanding, curated collection of short stories and thought-starters that I re-read nearly every year. Each “chapter” is only a page or two but deliver nuggets and insights that punch well above their weight-class in terms of length. While some will be more resonant than others depending on your work - as your work changes, the relevant sections will also change. Makes for a great gift if you’re willing to spend the time hand-selecting sections for the recipient!
Why We Buy
By Paco Underhill
While this book is a little outdated (references to the coming failure of eComm), the retail principles shared within these pages are a goldmine for thinking about consumer behavior and psychology within any physical environment. If your brand is sold in-store, you would benefit from this read - retail insights, shopping patterns, and best practices come rapid fire. The trick post-read is figuring out which ones to apply first.
Predictably Irrational
By Dan Ariely
If you intend to market your brand to humans - it’s worth understanding behavioral economics (which, importantly, differs from traditional economic theory) - and this book is an excellent crash course in the concept. There are tons of nuggets, examples, and stories helping to dimensionalizes and explain why people make the decisions they do. Spoiler alert: the decisions aren’t always rational.
Contagious
By Jonah Berger
A big part of marketing is getting things to catch on and to create word of mouth. Contagious dives into exactly those topics - why some things are highly shareable and others don’t seem to generate any buzz. An interesting read that will challenge your thinking and likely spark ideas for your own brands as you turn the pages.
The End of Marketing as We Know It
By Sergio Zyman
This book outlines the case for marketing being a way to drive sales and revenue - rather than viewing it as a cost center, including how to sell this concept internally. As the previous CMO at Coca-Cola, Sergio talks about his views on marketing efforts as a scientific discipline rooted in data-driven decision making focusing on the ultimate output: ROI. This view makes marketers accountable for their campaigns - a level of accountability we would all benefit from taking seriously.
This is Marketing
By Seth Godin
Seth Godin often talks about the work we do as “art” (true in this book, and also The Icarus Deception - another great read). This is Marketing serves as a reminder of that concept as we seek to serve our audience - and no one else. The goal is to serve your audience, build trust, and provide value - but you have to see your audience with empathy and understanding first.
The Infinite Game
By Simon Sinek
If there’s one takeaway from this book, it’s that “you can’t win at business”. Rather, the idea is to try to stay in the game as long as you can - by focusing on long-term thinking and decision making. A good reminder that we’re building brands to create connection - not to meet next quarter’s earnings. This book offers a fresh (and truthful) push on the idea that the world ends on 12/31 - reminding us that the sun rises the morning of 1/1, both for our brands and for our customers.
Simple
By Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn
Simple is a beautiful little book for two reasons: 1. It forces us, as marketers, to think about the consumer experience with a lens on how we might simplify every step of their experience, 2. For marketers working in large companies, it provides ideas and examples about how to move towards simplicity within complex, corporate machines.