Which marketing book keeps you coming back?

A recent blog by Jonah Bloom with Advertising Age issued the Top 10 Media and Marketing Books of All Time http://adage.com/bookstore/post?article_id=134945



It's worth sharing to see which ones made your lists over the years. What's the best marketing book you've read not on the list? Which book do you have countless pages turned and sticky notes attached?


1."POSITIONING: THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND"
Al Ries and Jack Trout


2."OGILVY ON ADVERTISING"
David Ogilvy


3."THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING"
Al Ries and Laura Ries


4."E"
Matt Beaumont


5."HEY, WHIPPLE. SQUEEZE THIS: A GUIDE TO CREATING GREAT ADVERTISING"
Luke Sullivan


6."WHERE THE SUCKERS MOON: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN"
Randall Rothenberg


7."GOOD TO GREAT: WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP AND OTHERS DON'T"
Jim Collins


8."THE BOOK OF GOSSAGE"
Howard Luck Gossage, Jeff Goodby and Bruce Bendinger


9."INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION"
Robert B. Cialdini


10."BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING"
Malcom Gladwell

Irish Is An Attitude – Just Ask The Folks In Dublin, Ohio

Who says you have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day? Heck, Patrick himself wasn’t Irish. Apparently the folks in Dublin, Ohio feel the same way. This jewel of a town has done a fantastic job of leveraging one of their greatest assets –their name. One small secret is the town has little connection to Irish ancestry. Its founders gave the dubious honor of naming their new village to their land surveyor, an Irishman who named it after his homeland, Dublin, Ireland. Today, Dublin is becoming one of America’s least kept secrets for enjoying Irish tradition, particularly on that sacred day of green, St. Patrick’s Day. In August, they hold an Irish Festivals that now attracts near 100,000 visitors. This was no accident; the city of Dublin and their active Convention & Visitors Bureau make a strong effort to deliver an Irish experience 365 days a year. Dublin is a great example of how to extend the attributes of a destination brand into the community. As evident by their green fire hydrants, themed festivals & events, community colors (yes the Chamber, City and tourism logos all contain a green clover) and their three rival high schools nicknamed the Irish, Shamrocks and Celtics. They even give out a “Living the Irish Attitude Award” to community businesses that add to the Dublin destination experience. One local hotel named its meeting rooms after Irish counties. Now that’s living the brand!

If you are ever in and around Columbus, Ohio I encourage a visit to Dublin – check out their web site at www.irishisanattitude.com. It really is magically delicious.

Fans Rule! Just ask Coca-Cola.

Last week I posted an entry about the power in being fancentric in your marketing. Did you know Coca-Cola has the second most popular page on Facebook (#1 is President Obama)? Here's the kicker, Coca-Cola didn't create the popular FB group, a fan did. Advertising Age recently published this fantastic story - http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135238.

I also failed to mention a very popular book written about turning customers into fans called Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service written by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.

March Madness Teaches Us the Value in Being Fancentric

Is there a better month for any sport than that of March Madness and NCAA basketball? I personally love how it brings out the most rabid of fans. If you watch any Kentucky NCAA tournament basketball game (don't expect to see any this year) you'll see an Elvis impersonator dressed in complete Kentucky gear. You'd swear the King is alive and well living in the Bluegrass state. Also at the game will be students doning blue body paint and a sea of blue and white jerseys. Kentucky fans have actually been nicknamed the Blue Mist because of their numbers and extreme loyal following. Even UK graduate and well-known Big Blue follower Ashley Judd is among this group. After the buzzer, faithful fans will scream, cry, and even hug complete strangers all in the name of their team.

Creating fans should be the ultimate goal of marketers. If we could deliver an experience so authentic and meaningful to our customers that it helped them identify themselves, we'd have marketing gold.

Here are some examples of brands that don't just have customers, they have fans.

ESPN - I actually heard someone from ESPN speak to a group of Nashville marketers. They actually believe the difference between their network and others is that others have viewers while ESPN has fans. This is the basis of the "This is Sportscenter" ad campain.

Harley Davidson - What marketer hasn't mentioned Harley Davidson in a meeting as an example of someone who has created fantastic brand loyalty among its customer base. We all see people wearing the black and orange Harley apparel whether they are riding the motorcycle or not. It instantly makes a statement of who they are (I wish I had a Harley).

Other brands to deem fan-centric are: iPod, BMW, IKEA, and Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ? Sure. Followers of this man have cried, sang and hugged complete strangers. Sounds almost like a college baskteball fan.

Let's challenge all marketers to try turning their customers into fans. Maybe it will turn the consumer experience into something so valuable we wear a t-shirt to tell the world.

Who's on your list of fan-centric brands?