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juulisbad's review
2.0
This was a lot of text about things that could've been said in a few pages. It actually annoyed me how I needed to read so much inflated speech and motivational phrases. The book did have a few good points but it really did not have to drag for so long. If you're a non-fiction enjoyer who loves to read things with a lot of examples and catch phrases and motivational speech to feel more powerful. This is for you. If you want a quick and efficient way to get your information, then don't read this book
jurgenappelo's review
4.0
Reads like a summary of design thinking, lean startup, and his previous marketing books.
bootman's review
5.0
I love Seth Godin and his advice about marketing, but his books are sometimes hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I just feel like the books are a little too profound without much insight or wisdom. This book is definitely one of the ones that I loved and will be reading again for sure. There is so much practical advice with solid logic about marketing in this book that makes it more than worth the cost of the book. I think the best part about this book, and Seth’s skillset in general, is that regardless of what you’re marketing, you can use every ounce of this book from cover to cover. As a writer, I’m always trying to make my writing inclusive, and Seth seems to do it seamlessly. Whether you’re selling a product, service, or just marketing your ideas, this book will be exactly what you’re looking for.
kimball_hansen's review
3.0
I've read a few of Seth's books and I expect big things but end up being mildly disappointed. He said the TV and radio were invented to hold ads, but the internet wasn't. I don't believe that. I think the marketers saw an opportunity and went with it. Mr. Farnsworth or whoever it was that is credited for inventing the modern television set wasn't thinking about a way to show stupid ads.
But there are some decent bits mixed in with the book. Let's dive into the notes.
Notes:
If you see a way to make things better, you have a marketing problem. I don't understand this one but it sounded neat.
It's easier to make products and services for your customers than the other way around.
Desire for gain always trumps avoidance for loss. I don't know how true this is as people have more loss aversion than they do for the potential to gain something.
The thing you sell is the road to achieving those emotions.
All effective marketing makes a promise. The promise isn't the same as a guarantee.
1,000 true fans is more important than 1,000,000 average fans.
But there are some decent bits mixed in with the book. Let's dive into the notes.
Notes:
If you see a way to make things better, you have a marketing problem. I don't understand this one but it sounded neat.
It's easier to make products and services for your customers than the other way around.
Desire for gain always trumps avoidance for loss. I don't know how true this is as people have more loss aversion than they do for the potential to gain something.
The thing you sell is the road to achieving those emotions.
All effective marketing makes a promise. The promise isn't the same as a guarantee.
1,000 true fans is more important than 1,000,000 average fans.
apeeks's review
4.0
This is between a 3 and a 4 but I'll round up.
Some chapters are far better than others but overall the book provides some good information to be a better marketer. Seth has a few books out there and as his catalogue grows the number of references to this other books also grows. By no means are the other books required reading but a couple chapters are heavy on reference to his other material.
Its a short book but well written. Material flows well from topic to topic and doesn't try to cram to many topic into one title.
I consider this more of a brand/product management and market strategy book. The author touches on sales and direct marketing but only lightly.
Some chapters are far better than others but overall the book provides some good information to be a better marketer. Seth has a few books out there and as his catalogue grows the number of references to this other books also grows. By no means are the other books required reading but a couple chapters are heavy on reference to his other material.
Its a short book but well written. Material flows well from topic to topic and doesn't try to cram to many topic into one title.
I consider this more of a brand/product management and market strategy book. The author touches on sales and direct marketing but only lightly.
lavenderlazarus's review
1.0
I had seen Seth Godin's name and I'm open to just picking up a book to read but this was so bad it's making me rethink Godin's credibility. This is self-help for marketers. I didn't like the writing style that felt like a LinkedIn post. The advice discussed here is rebranded rules you would already know if you worked in the industry. It tries to sound profound but it's not. There's almost no practical advice here. Sure, there are some useful things discussed but it's so rudimentary and presented in such a self-aggrandizing way. And some things are just plain wrong. I'm not a fan of SEO either but writing a paragraph on it and dismissing it by saying you should just focus on making your brand important enough to search instead of doing any SEO, it was so laughably ignorant. The only thing it seems you can trust Seth Godin to do is market himself.
laurenbastian's review
3.0
Seth Godim would say that this book probably isn't for me, and I have to agree, at least, it's not for me right now. A lot of these markets tactics would be super helpful for somebody who already had a business, not necessarily somebody looking to start one.
rdelagarza's review
informative
fast-paced
4.75
Some incredible takeaways in this book that will change the way I think about bringing marketing into more than just my work.
picklestar's review against another edition
4.0
Let's say 3.5 stars
Since I've somehow found myself in a career under the 'Marketing' umbrella, but without any formal education in the field, I thought a book titled THIS IS MARKETING is probably a good place to start reading up on the topic.
And it is. This is a good, general guide to the state of Marketing today, and a good introduction into some of Godin's theories. Godin is concise, clear and engaging - I did 'read' the Audible version of the book too, which is narrated by the author. Although even as a relative newbie in the field, there were some parts that were 'revision' for me and I can see that marketing veteran might not get get much from this.
All in all, I have enough scrawled notes in the margin of my desk notebook to make this worth the read for me.
Since I've somehow found myself in a career under the 'Marketing' umbrella, but without any formal education in the field, I thought a book titled THIS IS MARKETING is probably a good place to start reading up on the topic.
And it is. This is a good, general guide to the state of Marketing today, and a good introduction into some of Godin's theories. Godin is concise, clear and engaging - I did 'read' the Audible version of the book too, which is narrated by the author. Although even as a relative newbie in the field, there were some parts that were 'revision' for me and I can see that marketing veteran might not get get much from this.
All in all, I have enough scrawled notes in the margin of my desk notebook to make this worth the read for me.