|
Books
|
|
Books The Secrets of Selling From advertising to window-dressing. BY STEVE COHN 1. "Understanding Media" by Marshall McLuhan
(MIT Press, 1964). I have no idea who might be the smartest human
ever, but the most brilliant marketing mind of all
belonged to Marshall McLuhan. "Understanding Media"
is a timeless analysis of how language, speech and
technology shape human behavior in the era of mass
communication. The book is a cautionary tale for
marketers today who hear the Web's siren call and
ignore the power of the spoken word. Whether
h 2. "Brand Sense" by Martin Lindstrom (Free
Press, 2005). Of all the books I have read on marketing,
"Brand Sense" is the most dog-eared. Martin
Lindstrom makes a strong case that engaging the
five senses is crucial to selling a brand. Whether
marketers are trying to persuade consumers to buy a
particular car or soda or shirt, they had better be
aware of the role that each sense plays in the
selling process, Lindstrom says, or they are
working with only half a deck. Lindstrom displays
much original thinking here, particularly with his
"authenticity test" for brands. Does the brand feel
real? Does it smell right? Does it tell a story
that stirs emotion? The final payoff in "Brand
Sense" is Lindstrom's checklist to help marketers
build maximum brand loyalty in their customers. 3. "Reality in Advertising" by Rosser Reeves
(Knopf, 1961). Rosser Reeves is not as well-known as the
advertising giants of his era, such as David
Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Bill Bernbach, but he was
every bit their peer. Reeves originated many of the
concepts--including what he called the "unique
selling proposition"--that make the difference
between marketing success and failure. Reeves was
immensely talented, and he expected to be paid
commensurately, which led to an incident that has
become something of a legend in the advertising
world. When a client demanded that he justify his
fees, Reeves asked him to take two quarters out of
his pocket and hold one in each hand. Reeves then
explained: "You pay me to tell the consumer why the
quarter in your left hand is absolutely fantastic
and the quarter in your right hand is not." Reeves
chose exactly the right title for "Reality in
Advertising"--all the marketing theory in the world
means nothing if it can't be translated into
specific techniques that make a product or service
stand out among all the others in its category. 4. "Why We Buy" by Paco Underhill (Simon
& Schuster, 1999). So you go to the mall, pop into a handful of
stores and walk out with a few shopping
bags--mission accomplished. Understanding how
retailers can facilitate that experience is the
particular talent of shopping-pattern researcher
Paco Underhill. He and his trusty band of young
sleuths have studied all age groups and looked at
every angle of how we behave as shoppers. More than
70% of the purchases made on most shopping
expeditions are unplanned, Underhill notes. He then
explains shopper psychology and the techniques that
retailers should use to maximize their chances of
snagging our unintended expenditures. From
describing how to create the most effective window
displays to analyzing optimum shopping-basket
placement, Underhill is unrivaled in his ability to
dissect the countless variables that are essential
to a store's success. 5. "Branded Nation" by James B. Twitchell
(Simon & Schuster, 2004). James B. Twitchell begins "Branded Nation" by
asserting that "the secret to great brands is that
they are often nonsensical." After all, what's
golden about McDonald's? What's real about Coke?
Among the endless number of books churned out each
year that try to explain brand success, this is the
best overview of the rules of the road. It also
provides an in-depth look at the often overlooked
marketing strategies of churches, universities and
museums. Twitchell is unusual among college
professors in that he teaches both English and
advertising, two disciplines that make perfect
sense together. Mr. Cone is a senior marketing executive at
Citigroup and the author of "Steal These Ideas:
Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star"
(Bloomberg, 2005) |
eard
onstage, over the phone, or on radio or TV, McLuhan
says, the spoken word is ultimately much more
powerful than the written. Part anthropologist,
part psychologist, part behavioral scientist,
McLuhan ponders many other aspects of how we
connect, such as the persuasive powers of
typography. He was a genius who understood why mass
media holds us in its grip and never lets go.