ESSENTIAL READING
THE MARKETING CODE
Stephen Brown
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marketing-Code-Stephen-Brown/dp/1904879888/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531820966&sr=1-1&keywords=the+Marketing+Code
Brilliant pastiche of a novel, obviously taking Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code as its inspiration. The two follow ups, Agents and Dealers and The Lost Logo, follow in similar vein. Hysterical take on marketing and the odd people that peddle its wares all set against a background of intrigue in America, Northern Ireland. Great fun.
BRANDS AND BRANDING
Stephen Brown
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brands-Branding-Stephen-Brown/dp/1473919525/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531821013&sr=1-1&keywords=Brands+and+Branding
A great introduction into the heady world of brands and branding with some brilliant examples and all told in Brown's dry, laconic and easily-understood way.
PRINCIPLED SELLING
David Tovey
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Principled-Selling-More-Business-Without/dp/074946657X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531821049&sr=1-1&keywords=principled+Selling
I was actually given this book by the author himself during a talk he gave at Cheltenham Racecourse Business Centre not so long ago. A nice slant on the whole muddy area of sales, Not so many funnels and charts as Tovey concentrates on the real reasons why people buy and sell in the digital age.
POSTMODERN MARKETING
Stephen Brown
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Postmodern-Marketing-Consumer-Research-Policy/dp/0415109825/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531821168&sr=1-1&keywords=postmodern+marketing
Possibly a little out-of-date since it was written at the end of the nineties, but a fantastic introduction into what we now call postmodern marketing. Brown explains the concepts in a very readable way which manages the impossible task of actually being humorous with such a topic.
FREE GIFT INSIDE
Stephen Brown
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Gift-Inside-Customer-Marketease/dp/1841125466/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531821205&sr=1-1&keywords=Free+Gift+Inside
The latest offering from Stephen Brown and concentrating on the thought process behind the selling process. Readable, amusing with a plethora of great examples.
THE MARKETEER SERIES
Adrian Liley
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/adrianliley
A series of SIX humorous crime fiction books, which plot the fall and rise of Percy Gabbitt, a hapless, naive sales person in the language teaching industry. The plot ranges from the UK to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, as the hero attempts to come to terms with modern and postmodern life.
OLAF'S SAGA
Stephen Liley
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olafs-Saga-Stephen-Liley/dp/1434320316
Fantastic yarn told in the old way about a young Viking's fight for survival in a cruel world. The attention to detail of daily life in this times really makes it feel that you were actually there. Unputdownable novel!
THE SANCTUM LEGACY
Charles Liley
http://www.lulu.com/shop/charles-liley/the-sanctum-legacy/paperback/product-453294.html?ppn=1
Science Fiction novel about time travel with a slightly different slant. Told from the perspective of a young man who discovers the device in a recently deceased uncle's attic. What follows is a clever intermingling of multiple realities in the dinosaur period, the time of the English Civil War and in the far future. Its action all the way and has a neat ending.
REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY MARKETING
Sinha & Foscht
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reverse-Psychology-Marketing-Death-Traditional/dp/0230507549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531647750&sr=8-1&keywords=reverse+psychology+marketing
A great read if you want to explore what constitutes reverse-psychology marketing. The book is controversial in that it discards all traditional marketing theory as irrelevant and explores the area of 'less is more' in a society too crowded with sales alternatives.
NO LOGO
Naomi Klein
https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Logo-Naomi-Klein/dp/000734077X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531647811&sr=1-1&keywords=no+logo
Naomi Klein is an enigma. She recognises that sales and marketing are fundamental to human society and yet rejects the glitz of current trends with a clever and thought-provoking book which teeters on minimalist marketing by stripping away all the sales razamatazz. She also looks at how large corporations are now actually using minimalist or 'no logo' marketing to sell in a more subversive way
BRANDWASHED
Martin Lindstrom
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brandwashed-Tricks-Companies-Manipulate-Persuade/dp/0749465042/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656181&sr=1-1&keywords=Brandwashed
Brandwashed does 'what it says on the tin'. This is a great book on how we have all become hooked on our brands and how marketing people manipulate society without anyone realising it. A great take on the current condition of sales and branding.
PERSUASION
James Borg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Persuasion-influencing-people-James-Borg/dp/0273734164/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JWRBK1D66Y87SA8TDCFP
Clever book on how we are all 'persuaded' to do things we would never normally consider. Borg looks at persuasive techniques in a worryingly convincing way. Manipulation is the order of the day and there's nothing any of us can do about it.
NO B.S. TRUST-BASED MARKETING
Dan Kennedy & Matt Zagula
https://www.amazon.co.uk/B-S-Trust-Based-Marketing-trusting/dp/1599184400/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656133&sr=1-1&keywords=No+B.S.+Trust-Based
Hard-hitting text on marketing and sales written in a no-frills manner with trust-based marketing very much being the order of the day. The authors reject the froth and glitter of traditional marketing and return to a simple theme where gaining the buyer's trust is fundamental to getting the sale.
ETHICAL MARKETING AND THE NEW CONSUMER
Chris Arnold
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethical-Marketing-New-Consumer-Economy/dp/0470743026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656232&sr=1-1&keywords=Ethical+Marketing
What should be seen as a 'green' view on marketing nowadays. The book looks at fundamental issues facing our society and says that the answer is conservation and being thoroughly 'ethical' about all our choices or the future will be disastrous.
ANTI-FRAGILE
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Antifragile-Things-that-Gain-Disorder/dp/0141038225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531744440&sr=8-1&keywords=anti+fragile+book
Very readable take on what Taleb calls 'black swan' incidents which affect pretty much everything in our lives
CRM AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
Greenberg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CRM-Speed-Light-Fourth-Strategies/dp/0071590455/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531744536&sr=1-1&keywords=CRM+at+the+speed+of+light
This is definitely a tome not for the faint-hearted. Greenberg pretty much covers everything in the CRM catalogue in copious detail. If you're doing a degree of any sort which involves analysing CRM, then this is a must read
STUFFOCATION
James Wallman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuffocation-Living-More-James-Wallman/dp/0241971543/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531744586&sr=1-1&keywords=stuffocation+by+james+wallman
Much under-rated book on how society has become obsessed with material gains and how we are literally 'suffocating' under piles of our own purchases. Great read
'THE 20 'P'S IN MARKETING' (2013)
David Pearson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/20-Ps-Marketing-Complete-Strategy/dp/0749471069
This is a book which boldly states that marketeers should have a new moral code. And along come Pearson's TWENTY 'P's. The impressive thing is that he finds 20 different words beginning with P to talk about. And so we have a run through of everything from the classic 4 'P's to more obscure, but not less entertaining, ones like Partnership, Perception, Positiveness, Professionalism and Passion, of course. A really interesting read which gets better and better as you get into it.
SURVIVAL IS NOT ENOUGH
Seth Godin
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Not-Enough-Seth-Godin/dp/0743233387/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531744921&sr=1-1&keywords=Survival+is+not+enough
Another brilliant observation from the 21st century 'anti-marketing' guru. This one concentrates on the 'threat' of change and how large and small companies avoid change at all costs because it's too risky!
MARKETING - THE RETRO REVOLUTION
Stephen Brown
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marketing-Revolution-Prof-Stephen-Brown/dp/0761968512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531744821&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Retro+Revolution+Stephen+Brown
Marvellous book covering one of the hottest postmodern marketing topics. With the rise retro images in marketing, are we faced now with a lack of creativity or is this just a clever use of old materials? Well worth a read.
ANTI-MARKETING BLUEPRINT
Kat Loterzo
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Marketing-Blueprint-Getting-Message-Revolutionary-ebook/dp/B015UGNSQG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531744695&sr=1-1&keywords=anti-marketing+blueprint
This is not for the faint-hearted. Loterzo has a go at pretty much everyone who thinks inertia and current thinking are the answer. He gets quite wound up about it too and is not afraid to 'eff' and 'blind' to get you out of your chair and doing... stuff. Only read this with a stiff drink in one hand.
THE POSITIVE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING
Julie Norem
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+positive+Power+of+Negative+Thinking
A great book on how to harness the negatives in your life and make them positive. The book can be a little confusing at times as the reader gets his/her round the fact that having a terrible time can actually be a good thing in the long run. But definitely worth a look at especially if you're in marketing or advertising.
THE POWER OF NEGATIVE THINKING
Tony Humphries
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Negative-Thinking-Tony-Humphreys/dp/0717137899/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656588&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Power+of+Negative+Thinking
Worth reading because this is one bizarre book. It's a great take on the old 'power' of positive thinking and concentrated on how thinking about all the bad things can actially be a good thing and prepare you better for what is to come in life and business. Worth reading, especially if you're a manic depressive.
ALL MARKETEERS ARE LIARS (TELL STORIES)
Seth Godin
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Marketers-Are-Liars-Works/dp/1591845335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656672&sr=1-1&keywords=all+marketers+are+liars
Great book on another aspect of postmodern marketing - the power of storytelling in a sale. This is an absorbing read with all the usual laid-back Godin panache.
PURPLE COW
Seth Godin
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purple-Cow-Transform-Business-Remarkable/dp/014101640X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656749&sr=1-1&keywords=purple+cow
Probably the first book you should read if interested in 'alternative' marketing. It was written a long time ago and concentrated on that moment when your company has to 're'invent' the wheel. Great read and full of inciteful thought.
STICKIER MARKETING
Grant Leboff
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stickier-Marketing-How-Customers-Digital/dp/0749471085/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656852&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=sticker+marketing+grant+leboff
Interesting take on how the internet is being used in marketing. Customers need to be drawn in and not just sold to. They need to be engaged in the whole selling process. This is trust-based marketing with a cherry on top. The book is all about establishing a relationship with the customer and keeping him/her buying stuff from you... forever.
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
Caspian Woods
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Advocate-Business-Rules-Break/dp/0273779494/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531656938&sr=1-14&keywords=the+devil%27s+advocate
A of a book if you like to break down the walls and say the wrong thing at the right time. The book lists pretty much everything an employee would love to shout out, but would never dare. It also values 'recommending the competition', hiring the wrong people and fighting like Nelson Dynamite stuff! Well worth a read.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE)
Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard and Hogg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consumer-Behaviour-Perspective-Michael-Solomon/dp/1292116722/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531657041&sr=1-1&keywords=consumer+behaviour+a+european+perspective
This is a massive tome which covers all aspects of marketing pretty much from the dawn of time. Richly-illustrated and with tasks at the end of every chapter to keep you on your toes. An absolute must for anyone embarking on a business degree of any sort. If it can be criticised, then perhaps one could say that too many cooks have spoilt the broth. With different experts writing different chapters, the text is a little disjointed and stodgy. But great as a 'dip-in' reference book.