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Best Marketing Books for Beginners
Updated: Jun 29, 2020
A list of the top 7 books one must read if interested in marketing & advertising:
Marketing is my personal favourite, so it was extremely difficult for me to select the top 7 books that any marketing enthusiast must read. I've picked the books that have had a great influence on me and have completely changed my point of view regarding what marketing is or does.
Purple Cow by Seth Godin Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It's a manifesto for marketers who want to help create products that are worth marketing in the first place.
Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful books ever written, Blue Ocean Strategy argues that cutthroat competition results in a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout In this book, Ries and Trout offer a compendium of twenty-two innovative rules for understanding and succeeding in the international marketplace by using marketing.
Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission: how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.
Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini This book is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request) and is written in a narrative style combined with research.
How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know by Byron Sharp This book provides evidence-based answers to the key questions asked by marketers every day. Tackling issues such as how brands grow, how advertising really works, what price promotions are really, etc.
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy A candid and indispensable primer on all aspects of advertising from the man Time has called “the most sought after wizard in the business.”
So, these were my top suggestions, all of them are hand-picked, you can be rest assured about the quality of content in there. If I could just suggest one more to get an insight of advertising a little better - must read Pandeymonium: Piyush Pandey On Advertising. I absolutely loved it and also was in awe of Mr. Piyush's work.
P.S. - I read this book on my way to my IIM-A Interview, so it was a lucky charm.
You might be wondering why Marketing Management by Philip Kotler didn't make it to the list. Well, it goes without saying that it's the best book on marketing, but it is more of conceptual. So, if you want a sneak-peak into it in the form of notes, you can read this post.
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