Posted by Episode #402 of Six Pixels of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.
Back in 2000 (yes, way back then), I read a book that made me rethink everything that I thought I knew about marketing. It was called, The Anatomy of Buzz, and it was written by Emanuel Rosen. Long before we were all talking about social media, viral videos, content marketing and more, Rosen was busy studying what makes people do the things that they do. You find a "best marketing books ever" list and not see The Anatomy of Buzz on it. Rosen, a former marketing professional, considers himself a writer, researcher, teacher and speaker. I’m fortunate because, over the years, Emanuel and I have become friends. In 2009, he looked again at what makes people talk about brands and wrote, The Anatomy of Buzz Revisited. Now, he’s back with a fascinating business book called, Absolute Value (that he co-wrote with Itamar Simonson). It has been getting incredible reviews… and for good reason. In this book, Emanuel wonders about the value of brands, marketing and advertising in a world where information is everywhere, available in real-time and spin becomes, increasingly, more difficult from brands to pull off. Enjoy the conversation…
You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation – The Twist Image Podcast #402.
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Speaking of branding, when I glanced at the heading for this article, I automatically read it as “Absolute Vodka!” That might say more about my current frame of mind than it does about Absolute’s powerful, creative and ubiquitous brand advertising approach. I look forward to this podcast, Mitch, even if it’s not about alcohol. Six Pixels is always at the top of my list when I hit the road.
What a great book. I started reading Absolute Value last week and cannot put it down.
I am not in the habit of reading many business or strategy books, but I must say the authors – Simonson & Rosen – are spot on. They back up their POV with robust data and clear/relevant examples. Branding is dying; I think we can all subscribe to this idea. Companies which continue to hold on to their brand as the holy grail with no relevant substance will die a slow death, or in some cases, a quick death. Brand is no longer a proxy for quality. Customers are too smart, quick to share their experiences with others, and will make up their own minds as to what they deem to be quality. This is starting to apply to just about any business.