Cambridge Business Association
This Is Marketing
Book

This Is Marketing

You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See

Seth Godin
Portfolio, 2018
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Overview
  • Engaging
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

Best-selling author and marketing expert Seth Godin reminds you that even the best ideas aren’t an easy sell. The ice cream sundae didn’t scoop the market, nor did placing stoplights at intersections immediately get the green light – people resisted both. New things require change, and people naturally resist changing. As Godin says, “Marketing is the act of making change happen.” Using material from his popular 100-day seminar, Godin offers nuggets of marketing wisdom in quotable exclamations as he emphasizes his main points with enthusiasm, hyperbole and repetition. Godin fans will appreciate his now-familiar turns of phrase and proven advice, such as identifying the “smallest viable” audience, pinpointing their underlying goals, gaining “permission to engage” and telling the right story. Marketers and anyone seeking a lively overview of the business will enjoy Godin’s refreshing refresher.

Summary

Effective marketers are change agents who work to make things better for those they seek to serve.

Say that you have an idea, product or service you believe will improve people’s lives. You tell an engaging marketing story about it, then demonstrate how people’s lives will be better when they try it and then deliver on your promise. The market responds by embracing your product. Savvy marketers use this process to facilitate change and improve the world.

Marketing is a selfless act, not a selfish one. For a long time, marketing and advertising were the same thing. You reached the masses by purchasing advertising. Brands bought people’s attention. But the Internet doesn’t co-opt people’s attention for the sake of advertisers. Blasting your message online doesn’t garner the same response as placing an ad in traditional media. Today, marketers must understand what their customers want and need. Then they must gain customers’ trust and start a conversation.

Help people live their best lives by creating something worthwhile. People crave things that solve a problem, help them feel connected and included, and give them status...

About the Author

Seth Godin, an entrepreneur, marketer and public speaker, founded Yoyodyne in 1995 and Squidoo in 2006. His bestsellers include Permission Marketing, Purple Cow and Poke the Box.

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