Apr 7, 2016 - Growth primarily comes from gaining new users (penetration) rather than driving increased loyalty. Most of a brand's users will be light users. At least according to Byron Sharp. Normally when I read a marketing book I take notes, underline, highlight and analyze the book. But in this case I listened to the Audible edition, and I didn't follow along with the downloadable PDF file that is constantly referenced in the book.

This is tricky. On one hand this seems to be mythbusting, forget-everything-you-know kind of sensationalist book with researches to back its claims. On the other hand it is off-handed and lazy writing treating its reader as dimwit.

It is worth flipping through with a hint of common sense and finding if these truths work for you: -Reach is everything. Target audience are bullshit.

Reach as broad audience as you can. -For advertising to work you need to build memory structures. -Create brand assets - This is tricky.

On one hand this seems to be mythbusting, forget-everything-you-know kind of sensationalist book with researches to back its claims. On the other hand it is off-handed and lazy writing treating its reader as dimwit. It is worth flipping through with a hint of common sense and finding if these truths work for you: -Reach is everything. Target audience are bullshit. Reach as broad audience as you can. -For advertising to work you need to build memory structures. -Create brand assets - branding is crucial tool to make the brand as easily recognisable as possible.

-Consistency rules. -Loyalty is overrated. -Lovemarks (brands people love) does not exist. What happens when you subject fashionable marketing theories to actual observed behaviours and supporting statistics? Most of them crumble.

This book is surprising and forehead slappingly obvious in equal measure. It peels away accepted truths and paints a more rational picture of customers as 'uncaring cognitive misers'. Next time you hear somebody trying to sell the power of brand personalities, segmented targeting strategies, or long term algorithmic growth forecasting in a meeting - take a w What happens when you subject fashionable marketing theories to actual observed behaviours and supporting statistics? Most of them crumble. This book is surprising and forehead slappingly obvious in equal measure. It peels away accepted truths and paints a more rational picture of customers as 'uncaring cognitive misers'. Next time you hear somebody trying to sell the power of brand personalities, segmented targeting strategies, or long term algorithmic growth forecasting in a meeting - take a walk around the block.

I would rate this book a 4 but really, how high would your conscience allow you to rate a book about marketing? This is an outstanding book for anyone who is interested in selling - which since all business is selling, should be anyone in business. It debunks quite a lot of ideas around marketing - e.g. There is no such thing as loyalty - most big brands are big because they have massive distribution so it makes is more likely consumers will find them on the shelves when they're looking for something in the category.

The nice thing is that much of the earlier chapters are backed by reasonable amounts of d This is an outstanding book for anyone who is interested in selling - which since all business is selling, should be anyone in business. It debunks quite a lot of ideas around marketing - e.g. There is no such thing as loyalty - most big brands are big because they have massive distribution so it makes is more likely consumers will find them on the shelves when they're looking for something in the category. The nice thing is that much of the earlier chapters are backed by reasonable amounts of data (e.g. How easily consumers switch brands, etc) - something that is unusual in marketing. It also ties in nicely with the work of Daniel Kahneman on heuristics saying that, despite having little loyalty, most people only buy things they've heard of (we take mental shortcuts for decisions as Kahneman has comprehensively proved) so you need to make sure people have heard of your brands in the first place if you want to sell it.

However, I only give this four stars as in some of the later chapters (e.g. Chapter 9, 'How advertising really works') the author suddenly drops his evidence-based approach and goes back to the time-honored marketing approach of making authoritative but evidence-devoid assertions.

For example, the now popular idea that you need to create more 'occasions' around your brand to grow mindshare clearly come from this book, but no data for it is ever presented. Excellent and very, very challenging. Especially humbling for marketers in its stark reminder that the consumer's primary goal in life is NOT bonding with our products. And all the things this reality leads to.