Influential Marketing Blog

How To Manage 1.4 Million People - 5 Questions with YUM! Brands CEO David Novak

No one writes a business book about leadership to help hungry children. Leadership, we usually read, is about having a grand vision. It is about the touchdown pass. No one wants to hear about the months you spent in the summer working out in the weight room. In our quarterly culture, fast results are the only thing that matters, and we expect our CEOs to be larger than life. So when David Novak, the CEO of YUM! Brands -- which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and employs over 1.4 million people worldwide -- first wrote a leadership book, I expected it to be about having a big vision.

Instead, Novak's newly released book Taking People With You is a surprisingly practical step by step guide on how to be a daily leader instead of an annual visionary. This week I had the chance to speak with him about the book and about why he felt it was so important to share his message with the world. His surprising answer for the first motivation to write his book is that all the proceeds from the book go to the United Nations World Food Programme (a CSR partner of YUM! Brands), so it may hopefully help feed some children. His second reason was because he felt it was time to share lessons from a management training program and philosophy he had already been using for 15 years to train over 4000 restaurant managers with huge success within YUM! Brands.

Here were five questions I asked him and his responses:

Q: How important is social media and digital tools to the way that you communicate and take people with you?

A: Even if you are in a huge company, you have to do everything you can to make the company smaller. I do a blog on my travels in the first person. Tell people what I see in each of our markets. I personalize it. I think relationships and having people feel like you are engaged and care is absolutely critical. If you are an "ivory tower leader" and never get out of your office, then you aren't going to get work environment and culture you need.

Q: In the quick service restaurant industry, there is high turnover. How important is what you do to helping address that issue?

A: Great people leave for two reasons. Money is not one of the reasons. The first real reason why people leave is because they don't get along with their boss. Second reason is where people don't feel appreciated. It may be more true in the services business, but it is true in any business.

Q: How important is likeability to leadership and taking people with you?

A: It is hard to like somebody who doesn't like you. You have to be a person that people want to be around. I don't think people follow people they don't like. They don't buy brands they don't like. But doesn't mean you need to run a popularity contest. Your aim should be to get a point where people want to be around you.

Q: What is the biggest mistake that you see other leaders and CEOs of organizations making?

A: Leaders don't tend to be self aware. They don't know how what people really think of them. Leaders are often in a cocoon, seeing themselves in a way which may not be true.  Also, a lot of times leaders will assume that people will just do their job. People want to be part of something bigger. Just because someone works for you, doesn't mean they will just do what you want them to do. That's niave. The real trick to getting results is involvement.  You need to get your people involved.

Q: One day when you one day retire or leave YUM!, how will you want people to remember you?

A: I would like them to remember me as a leader who believes in them and cared enough to pass on the learnings that I was privileged enough to gain. That I was genuinely a leader.

Disclaimer: Ogilvy, my employer, does some marketing and communications work for YUM! Brands. This interview was not solicited or granted as part of our work for them or compensated in any way. Novak's publisher (Portfolio Penguin) came to me directly to review the book, and I accepted.

The Influential Marketing Book List - May 2011

Who has time to read books? We all should, but it's tough to know what is worth reading. As an author in the midst of writing a new book, I have a unique point of view on what I look for in great books. The Influential Marketing Book List will spotlight and review the best new books relevant for marketers, entrepreneurs and those interested in business with ideas worth learning and sharing. 

1. Brand Atlas

Authors: Alina Wheeler & Joel Katz - http://www.brandatlas.info/

THE REVIEW: This book is the branding equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife, you'd never whip out all the tools at once ... but they are damn useful when used individually. The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the structure, created to mirror how an actual geographic atlas might be laid out (hence the title). Carrying through Alina Wheeler's trademark of beautiful layout and design, the book takes you on a journey through just about every important element of branding you could think of, from passion to positioning. Each page uses visuals and curated quotes from thought leaders to get you thinking about how that might apply to your brand. The best way to read this book is to skip back and forth between pages and ideas, with a notebook at your side to jot down notes and ideas that you are sure to get as a result.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A goldmine of ideas and resources to help anyone faced with the real task of figuring out what a brand stands for.

2. The Idea Writers

Author: Teressa Iezzi - http://www.theideawriters.com

THE REVIEW: I admit this book has been on my read list for months, and I only recently had a chance to read it - but it was worth the wait. In our world of instant content creation where anyone can become a "published" author - Idea Writers is a much needed rallying cry and inspiration for the professional writer. The author takes her considerable expertise at writing about brand marketing campaigns as Editor of Advertising Age's Creativity and delivers an inside look at how the role of advertising and the copywriter has evolved over the last 50 years. Deftly moving between the historical and modern perspectives, this book takes a sweeping look at advertising without becoming too academic or encyclopaedic. Many of the book's stories offer overdue credit to unheralded writers like Bob Cianfrone - the copywriter on CP+K's Subservient Chicken campaign for Burger King. For the sadly shrinking group of marketers and content creators who describe themselves first and foremost as writers, the author's takeaway message is clear: "if you're calling yourself a writer, you should be a strong writer first; you should be reading all you can and writing for all you're worth. If doing that doesn't appeal to you, maybe you should pursue some other creative path."

THE BOTTOM LINE: A much needed manifesto for the importance for high quality writing in marketing, advertising and our culture as a whole.

3. BOLD: How To Be Brave In Business And Win

Authors: Shaun Smith & Andy Milligan - http://www.boldthebook.com

If you believe everything you read, you might conclude that the biggest problem facing organizations today is the innovation gap ... most need to find a way to innovate more as an entire organization to drive their products or services. The premise of this book is that often innovation matters less than simple bravery. Through sharing the stories of 15 brands as case studies of companies who are bold and brave, it is only the last chapter of the book that is dedicated to sharing an analysis of what makes a BOLD brand and how you might go about creating one. Those last 15 pages are a guidebook to transforming an organization through 8 principles which are presented simply and clearly - they make this book an essential read.

THE BOTTOM LINE: An entertainingly unique marketing book that uses 14 well presented case studies as stories which lead to 8 core principles for how to create a BOLDER organization.

4. 15 Minutes Including Q&A: A Plan To Save The World From Lousy Presentations

Author: Joey Asher - http://www.speechworks.net/blog/

Most of us (myself included) avoid books that seem published simply to provide another piece of marketing collateral for a professional consultant. If that sounds familiar, you could be tempted to skip this little book by executive speaking coach Joey Asher, but that would be a mistake. In about 100 short pages, Asher shares some of the tips and tricks that have made him a successful consultant on professional speaking and presenting. While some of the tips in his book will seem quite obvious (eg - make sure to have 3 key takeaways from any presentation), the methodology he uses is useful for anyone who needs to present in front of a group. Packed together, this book is a quick read that delivers on its promise to offer ideas for how to make your presentations (and your delivery) stronger - and at just $3 for the Kindle version, it is a bargain.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A quick read of tips from a professional speaking coach on how to make your presentations 1000 times simpler and more compelling.

Review Philosophy (Why These Reviews Matter):

All the books that are reviewed in this series are worth your time. That's why you won't find any negative book reviews on this blog. As a Author myself, I have hundreds of book on my shelf and have researched hundreds more. I dozens of invitations to preview books and search online as well as looking at pitches to choose the 5 best books for marketing and busines readers every month to share here on this blog. Read my other book reviews at http://www.rohitbhargava.com/book-reviews/. 

Disclaimer: I have personally purchased many of the books reviewed in this blog, however many others are provided by publishers or an author for review purposes. In each case, the reviews of every book represent my honest and unbiased opinion about the book and are not paid or compensated for in any way apart from recieving a review copy or advance galley copy of a book at no cost. I have also used affiliate links for Amazon throughout this post.

To recommend a book to be featured in the Influential Marketing Book List, send an email pitch to influentialmarketing@gmail.com.

Likeonomics: A Book About Believability

This past weekend at the Mashable Connect conference in Orlando, I offered a sneak peek at my next book project which I recently signed a deal to complete with a new publisher (Wiley). The working title for the book is "Likeonomics" - a book on how to be more believable in the affinity economy.

What Is Likeonomics?
Likeonomics is a term that explains the new affinity economy where the most likeable people, ideas and organizations are the ones we believe in, buy from and get inspired by. 

Likeonomics: The Book

Regular readers of this blog will probably recognize the term Likeonomics as one that I first introduced in my 15 Marketing Trends To Watch In 2011 presentation released earlier this year.

5 Communications Insights Leading To Likeonomics

The book will be based on 5 big insights into communications that have fundamentally shifted our understanding of how people choose to believe or reject ideas and messages. Each of these insights is something that has been reported over and over in media, extensively analyzed in best selling business and psychology books, explored through academic research and spotlighted in trend reports. Here are the trends:

1. There is a modern believability crisis.
2. People make decisions emotionally, not logically.
3. Stories are the most compelling form of communication.
4. Simplicity is the foundation of all great communications.
5. In strangers (and “microexpertise”) we trust.

You can read more about the upcoming book at www.likeonomics.com or join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/likeonomics.  On the book website site, you can also join the official email list to be the first to find out when the book is coming out and receive an invitation later this year to join a reader panel to see an early version of the book.

The Influential Marketing Book List - April 2011

Who has time to read books? We all should, but it's tough to know what is worth reading. As a fellow author, I have a unique point of view on what I look for in great books. On the first Sunday of every month, the Influential Marketing Book List will spotlight and review several new books relevant for marketers, entrepreneurs and those interested in business with ideas worth learning and sharing. 

1. Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better And How They Can Change The World

Author: Jane McGonigal | Book Website

Reality Is Broken focuses on what could easily be one of the most important ideas of the decade - but most people haven't realized it yet. When the average businessperson hears talk of gaming, they think of teenage boys locked in basements firing virtual guns at one another. Gaming is much more than that. The basic premise of this book is that game mechanics are an intrinsic motivator for behaviour change simply because of how humans are wired. All people love games.

Sharing examples from her work at the Institute of the Future, McGonigal lays out not only a vision for how games can shape behaviour through new models of motivation, she also explores the important soceital questions of when gaming can become addictive and isolating. Ultimately, the vision presented in this book goes beyond academics to present a captivating case for how games really can change the world ... and why we should all be considering a more "gameful" existence.

Bottom Line: A brilliantly presented case for how gaming can change the world from a visionary mind.

2. World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration Of Humanity, Machines And The Internet

Author: Michael Chorost | Book Website

What if the link between man and machine continues to evolve deeper until we reach a point where technology enables us to connect more deeply to one another?  Some could argue that perhaps we have already reached that point thanks to social networks - but in this wonderfully written philosophical memoir, Michael Chorost argues that our future will likely include far more technology of the mind.

Thanks to his own story of having cochlear implants to counter deafness, the author is connected to the idea that we all may have technology implanted to help us live better or overcome physical limitations. The best thing about this book, though, are the thought provoking questions that this raises around the nature of technology and where we might draw the line between machine and humanity. Chorost's voice is a remarkably personal one and you get the sense that he has struggled deeply with many of the questions he now brings into this book.  These are not questions with easy answers, but the experience of even thinking about them will be sure to open you up to new ideas - and that alone makes this book worth it.

The Bottom Line: A thought provoking "philosophical memoir" on how technology could better help us understand one another.

3. How To Market To People Not Like You: "Know It Or Blow It" Rules For Reaching Diverse Customers

Author: Kelly McDonald | Book Website

Your customer is not like you. No matter how many times you might hear that piece of wisdom, it is still remarkably easy for most marketers to forget. In this necessary book, advertising exec Kelly McDonald shares plenty of insider tips on how to reach diverse audiences such as rural consumers, Asian Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Military, and many more through case studies of real organizations doing it well (and those making big mistakes you can learn from).

Reaching diverse niche audiences is an unfortunately rare topic for marketing books, and as a result this book really stands out. Far from being purely theoretical, it is easy to tell that the lessons McDonald shares are based on real experience.  If you are looking for a competitive edge that your competitors are not thinking about, this book can help you get it.  At the very least, it will help you think about how to reach many different audiences who are sadly used to being marginalized or ignored.  As a member of one of them (Asian American), trust me when I tell you we will be grateful if you can be one of the brands who actually pays attention to us.

The Bottom Line: A (sadly) rare look at how to reach diverse audiences, why it matters and what to do first.

4. Built To Sell: Creating A Business That Can Thrive Without You

Author: John Warrillow | Book Website

You can't take it with you. This well known proverb often comes as something of a surprise to many business owners when it comes time to think about selling their business. According to John Warrillow, building a thriving business is not enough, you need to think about creating one that can survive without you.  During my first experience interacting with John, he was interviewing me about the role of personality in building an organization that could succeed without its owner or founder.

This is a profound question in the business world of today, and one that every business owner must be ready to answer. In this highly readable book - Warrillow tells the story of one character, Alex Stapleton - the owner of a small regional marketing agency. The book reads more like a novel than a traditional business book, but its clear that Warrillow (a serial entrepreneur who has started and exited 4 companies himself) has a sharp eye for how businesses really run. Pairing his "parable" with an "Implementation Guide" - this book is an ideal read for any small business owner considering starting or exiting their own company and looking for an action guide on how to do it.

The Bottom Line: A highly readable guide for any business owner considering selling or exiting their business and needing a roadmap to do it.

5. Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System To Drive Breakthrough Creativity

Author: Josh Linkner | Book Website

If you work in an organization that could be described as "creatively bankrupt" - this book will help you jumpstart the process.  Written by CEO of ePrize - this book presents a five step process to encourage creativity distilled from the author's efforts to interview 200 business leaders, billionaires, entrepeneurs. His 5 step process ... Ask - Prepare - Discover - Ignite - Launch, features several thought starters and basic tools on how to use each one in a business setting.

Throughout the book, you will likely find useful snippets of wisdom that could immediately be applied to many different situations.  There are tips and tricks for creative brainstorming, guidelines such as the "Eight Commandments of Ideation" and plenty more tactics to try in each phase.  While some of the examples and advice may seem a bit basic for those who work in highly creative roles or organizations already - Disciplined Dreaming remains a good reminder that adding a structure to creativity can greatly increase its impact.

The Bottom Line: A good reminder of the importance of creativity and plenty of useful tools and ideas to help make it happen.

Review Philosophy (Why These Reviews Matter):

All the books that are reviewed in this series are worth your time. That's why you won't find any negative book reviews on this blog. As a Author myself, I have hundreds of book on my shelf and have researched hundreds more. I dozens of invitations to preview books and search online as well as looking at pitches to choose the 5 best books for marketing and busines readers every month to share here on this blog. Read my other book reviews at http://www.rohitbhargava.com/book-reviews/. 

Disclaimer: I have personally purchased many of the books reviewed in this blog, however many others are provided by publishers or an author for review purposes. In each case, the reviews of every book represent my honest and unbiased opinion about the book and are not paid or compensated for in any way apart from recieving a review copy or advance galley copy of a book at no cost. I have also used affiliate links for Amazon throughout this post.

To recommend a book to be featured in the Influential Marketing Book List, send an email pitch to influentialmarketing@gmail.com.

Interview: 10 Insights On Enchantment With Guy Kawasaki

1. What is the big idea of Enchantment and how did you land on that word as the title?

The big idea is that if you want to change the world, you need to enchant people. Inronically, the more innovative your product, service, or idea, the more you need to enchant people. As for the title, I wanted to own a work like Tom Peters owns "excellence," Malcolm Gladwell owns "tipping," Geoffrey Moore owns "chasm," and Robert Cialdini owns "persuasion."

Too many people use "influence," and "woo" lacks depth. No one owns "enchantment," and the Facebook vanity URL Facebook/enchantment was available. I took this as a message from above that "enchantment" was the way to go.

2. Can anyone master the art of Enchantment, or do you need to have a certain type of personality or skill?

Everyone can increase their level of enchantment--it's like increasing one's level of physical fitness. Enchantment is a process that moves you along a continuum. People are not born enchanting or not. Sure, there are outliers, but if a person believes they are naturally enchanting, then they're probably not. And if a person believes he cannot be more enchanting, then he won't be.

3. This is your 10th book - what were some of the mistakes that you might have made with some of the earlier books that you learned from and used to make Enchantment even better?

It's not that my other nine books were perfect, but a book is a work of art. It's the best you could do at a given time. Maybe my early books had too many passive-voice sentences, adjectives, and adverbs, but they reflect what I knew at the time.

4. You talk about everything from being more trustworthy to being likeable - including directions on how to achieve the perfect handshake. If you could choose one part of the book that you'd love for everyone in the world to read, what would it be?

The single most powerful recommendation in the book is that if you want to enchant people, you should default to a "yes attitude." In other words, when you interact with people, you should assume that you will agree to their requests of you--you are always thinking of how you can help other people instead of how they could/should help you. The world would be a better place if everyone embraced this attitude.

5. A danger of enchantment that you talk about is the potential for misuse. You have a list of where people should draw the line, including at enchanting "gullible people." Doesn't that exclude a lot of people? ;-)

You're right--it does. And that's why I had the moral obligation to tell you not to abuse your enchantment skills, and I also include a whole chapter about how to resist enchantment. Everyone does not have your best interests at heart. Let's not be naive about this.

6. One thing I have always loved about your writing style is that you can write a book in a way that is easy to digest in pieces. How important do you think it is that someone read a book like Enchantment from cover to cover versus just dipping in and out of it?

One of my recommendations in the book is that if you want to be likable, you should not enforce your values on others. Diversity is good, so I would be a hypocrite to tell you that people should read my book in only a certain way. I'm a big believer in "letting a hundred flowers blossom."

7. It seemed that you chose to include many more personal elements in Enchantment, like pictures of yourself and stories of real people instead of charts and tables like you have done before. What led you towards doing it this way for this book?

I'm getting all warm and fuzzy in my old age. Plus, I love my Nikon camera. I included people's personal stories in their own words because I believe in the principle of social proof. That is, if you see that many people have been enchanted, you'll believe that enchantment is possible.

The personal stories are also a testament to the power of social media. I used Twitter and my blog to ask people to submit their personal stories. Of the twelve or so in the book, I only knew one of those people before I wrote the book: Garr Reynolds. I also used Twitter and my blog to solicit examples of enchantment techniques. Now I'm using social media to evangelize the book. This book is truly a product of social media.

8. Was there a second favourite title for Enchantment - like something the book almost was titled before you decided on the title that you went with?

You may find this ridiculous, but the first title was The Elements of Guile. It was a pun on The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. I even considered The Elements of Guyle. I wanted to own the word "beguiling" for a while. Luckily, my publisher talked me out of these.

But then the publisher wanted to call it The Yes Factor, and I didn't like that title. Finally, we settled on Enchantment, and I hope the "rest is history" as the saying goes.

9. As part of your book release, I imagine you will be heading out on a speaking tour - what is the most unexpected thing that you will be doing to promote the book this time around?

There isn't anything unexpected in the "Richard Branson parachutes in" way that you mean. I have never done a book launch with so many things in place, though. The list is long: Facebook fan page, online quiz to determine how enchanting you are, badges to promote your level of enchantment, infographic, background page for reviewers including photos of enchanting examples, and wallpapers. We also sent out review copies to about 1,500 bloggers which is the largest number I've done by a factor of four.

10. What's next for you - more books, focusing on starting new businesses like Alltop, or something else?

I don't know, and I can't even think about it right now. The proper launching of a book is an all-encompassing effort. Gone are the days when you do a two-week book tour, get on a few TV shows, and cross your fingers. This is hand-to-hand combat where every email, tweet, like, share, and update adds up.

The Influential Marketing Book List - March 2011

Who has time to read books? We all should, but it's tough to know what is worth reading. As an Author myself, I have a unique point of view on what I look for in great books. On the first Sunday of every month, the Influential Marketing Book List will spotlight and review several new books relevant for marketers, entrepreneurs and those interested in business with ideas worth learning and sharing. 

Enchantment: The Art Of Changing Hearts, Minds & Actions

Author: Guy Kawasaki  | Book Website: http://www.facebook.com/enchantment

The first time I saw Guy Kawasaki, he wanted to know who called him an a**hole. He was on stage as part of a panel, simultaneously sharing advice and checking his Twitter stream for comments. He found one that was unflattering, and challenged the person to share their distaste verbally. By the end of the exchange, Guy had won over the crowd and his detractors - with the art of enchantment. A year later when I had my own book (Personality Not Included) coming out - I asked Guy to write the forward (which he did).

Whether you are a reader of Guy's previous books and blog or not, Enchantment is Guy's moment to share his secrets. Theories built up over his lifetime of influencing others are packaged in neat sections with titles like "how to be more likeable" and "how to overcome resistance." Best of all, Guy's writing style is always short on "bullshiitake" (as he entertainingly calls it) and filled with easily understood and implementable advice. Very few successful entrepreneurs have the ability to look at their success, break it down and present it in a way that anyone can learn from. This book will not only take you inside the mind of one of the most innovative entrepreneurs and marketers you will ever meet ... it will give you amazingly useful advice on how to use his techniques for yourself. 

Bottom Line: Guy's best book yet, filled with "how to" style information you can use immediately.

Tell To Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story

Author: Peter Guber  |  Book Website: http://www.peterguber.com/telltowin/

Reading this book is like slipping back stage into moments in pop culture that you have heard about, but never knew how they came to be. In this amazing book of stories, Peter Guber creates a powerful combination of a personal memoir from his more than 30 years in Hollywood and his time tested business strategy of using stories for success. From moments like sitting in his backyard listening to Carl Sagan share the story of Contact before he wrote it, to the real story behind how Gorillas in the Mist actually got made (hint - it involves Peter lying on the floor in front of a door) - Tell To Win has example after example to prove the power of storytelling for business success.

Whether you consider yourself more analytical or emotional, you'll find Tell To Win is one of those rare business books that is impossible to put down because of the compelling stories that Peter shares and the lessons they offer to anyone. This book is the product of a philosophy that Peter Guber has used to carry himself through a career that any of us (whether we work in Hollywood or not) would be lucky to have. 

NOTE: Check out my post about 6 Lessons From A Hollywood Producer for more insights from Peter Guber's Tell To Win.

Bottom Line: A rare business memoir offering a powerful look into how storytelling can propel your career.

The Thank You Economy

Author: Gary Vaynerchuk  |  Book Website: http://thankyoueconomybook.com/

When Gary Vaynerchuck appeared in front of a live studio audience and showed Conan O'Brien how to spot the "earthy" flavors of wine by feeding him spoonfuls of dirt, it was clear that he was a guy about to change the wine industry. Gary earned that appearance through his growing reputation as a brash video blogger and social media enthusiast who used his own video blog called WineLibraryTV to supercharge his family liquor shop into an online wineselling powerhouse.

His first book (Crush It!) was all about attitude, encouraging anyone to "hustle" their way to success. In his second effort, The Thank You Economy, it is clear that Gary's philosophy is growing up. He includes more data, shares many corporate examples and manages to bridge the gap between encouraging people to act more intuitively with social media, and actually giving them to the tools and examples to sell it to a skeptical boss.

Ultimately, The Thank You Economy isn't just about why social media works. It is a story of a gifted entrepreneur who has found a way to take the lessons he has taught himself and share them freely.  At the top of that list is Gary's own self-professed secret to success ... that he has mastered the art of simply caring way more than anyone else. Just a few pages into The Thank You Economy, you'll wish every business you ever had to deal with as a consumer had read this book.

Bottom Line: An unexpectedly sophisticated look at how caring more than your competitors is the new secret to social media success

Poke The Box

Author: Seth Godin  |  Book Website: http://www.thedominoproject.com/

This may be the most useless book you'll ever read. If you are used to reading useful books, you probably have a few expectations when you open any book. You might look for case studies, or data and statistics. It is possible you are looking for step by step instructions on how to accomplish a task, or new research that you can use to make a case to someone else. By all of those measures, chances are you will find Poke The Box to be completely useless. But consider this: being useful is consistently overrated.

Most of us spend too many months planning and not enough doing. We wait for the perfect industry leading example which we can then follow. And we generally avoid taking big risks. The message in Seth Godin's newest book/manifesto (and first of his new Domino Project) is as simple as you could imagine ... go! A useful book would tell you how to go, but Poke The Box doesn't do that.

Filled with simple and profound ideas (ie - "it does hurt to ask the wrong way"), this book is not a guidebook ... it's a spark. And despite its laserlike focus and lack of detail, this spark might just inspire the next big world changing idea. Poke The Box is your wakeup call to take the initiative and just go, because (useful or not) the future belongs to those who do.

Bottom Line: The most useless book that you'll ever read (but that you still need to).

About Face: The Secrets of Emotionally Effective Advertising

Author: Dan Hill  |  Book Website: http://www.sensorylogic.com

If there was one underappreciated book that everyone working in a role that touches advertising should read, this would be it. Building on his considerable body of research into the power of emotions in advertising, Dan Hill's latest book shares ten powerful rules for what he calls "emotionally effective advertising." There are lots of books talking about the power of emotion or intuition versus logic (Blink, Predictably Irrational, and Sway). but what sets About Face apart is how Hill uses his research into human emotional reactions and facial cues to give you a better roadmap on how to read the signs that people are giving you (whether verbal or not). Reading some of the conclusions in this book will transform how you use and interpret data from a focus group, if you use them. Even if you don't, the lessons Hill shares will help to you get better and understanding and reacting to emotions that anyone displays, from your boss to your spouse. In fact, if everyone had to read this book in college - it would make life's relationships a whole lot easier.

Bottom Line: The 10 rules for "emotionally effective advertising" make this book a worthwhile read.

Review Philosophy (Why These Reviews Matter):

All the books that are reviewed in this series are worth your time. That's why you won't find any negative book reviews on this blog. As a Author myself, I have hundreds of book on my shelf and have researched hundreds more. I dozens of invitations to preview books and search online as well as looking at pitches to choose the 5 best books for marketing and busines readers every month to share here on this blog. Read my other book reviews at http://www.rohitbhargava.com/book-reviews/. 

Disclaimer: I have personally purchased many of the books reviewed in this blog, however many others are provided by publishers or an author for review purposes. In each case, the reviews of every book represent my honest and unbiased opinion about the book and are not paid or compensated for in any way apart from recieving a review copy or advance galley copy of a book at no cost. I have also used affiliate links for Amazon throughout this post.

To recommend a book to be featured in the Influential Marketing Book List, send an email pitch to influentialmarketing@gmail.com.

The Influential Marketing Book List - February 2011

Who has time to read books? We all should, but it's tough to know what is worth reading. As an Author myself, I have a unique point of view on what I look for in great books. This monthly feature will spotlight and review several new books relevant for marketers or people in business with ideas worth learning and sharing. See my review philosophy by scrolling to the bottom of this post. To recommend a book to be featured, send an email pitch to influentialmarketing@gmail.com.

Evil Plans: Having Fun On The Road To World Domination

Author: Hugh MacLeod  |  Book Website: http://gapingvoid.com/ep/

Book Review: Hugh MacLeod is like the ultimate cross between the delightfully cranky uncle and all knowing grandfather that we all probabably have somewhere in our families. While his first book focused on the art of being more creative, Evil Plans takes a more poetic approach to looking at the mixture of life and work. Filled with his trademark unforgivingly brutal advice: "Whining is not an exit strategy" and deeply philosophical observations like "liberation from oneself is the hardest kind," this is a book of nuggets. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to read this book as if it were a book of poetry where each idea needs a moment to really hit you before you move to the next chapter. Not that this is a slow read, of course, filled with Hugh's cartoon's and short observations about daily life - this is the sort of book where you won't read it from cover to cover or even remember many of the insights the author shares. You will, however, find at least one idea that will change the way you see the world - and that alone should be enough of a reason to buy this book.

The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, And Powerful Ways To Use Social Media To Drive Social Change

Authors: Jennifer Aaker & Andy Smith  |  Book Website: http://www.dragonflyeffect.com/

Book Review: This book has the title I wish I thought of (not to mention a beautifully designed logo). In nature, the dragonfly is the only insect able to move in any direction when its four wings are working together, and taking this metaphor to heart the entire book is structured into "wings" instead of chapters. Focus, grab attention, engage and take action are the four elements of what the authors share is the "Dragonfly Effect" to create powerful social change.

Unlike many other books on how to leverage social media, this book is not filled with the same old social media war stories. Instead, the authors merge their experiences in teaching and consulting to offer a repeatable model that anyone who has a vision for changing the world but not necessarily all the resources can take and use. The examples in Dragonfly Effect with inspire you, but more importantly the methodology the authors share will actually give you what you need to create a social change of your own.

Split Second Persuasion: The Ancient Art & New Science of Changing Minds

Author: Kevin Dutton  |  Book Website: http://www.flipnosis.co.uk/index.asp

Originally published with the decidedly more manipulative title of "Flipnosis" in the UK, the US version of this book was slightly adapted. The content, however, remains a brilliant mixture of focus on science and psychology to help anyone reading understand what makes persuasion happen. Citing five key factors - simplicity, perceived self interest, incongruity, confidence, and empathy - Dutton lays out a model that any of us can use to be more persuasive at anything we are trying to do. While he does delve a bit too deeply into the science and research at several points, making the book longer than it probably should be, his point is well made and compelling. In a world where we often assume true persuasion is a more logical process that takes far longer, it is nice to see that "split-second persuasion" is not only possible but that there is a model you can follow to learn how to do it.

Spousonomics: Using Economics To Master Love, Marriage, And Dirty Dishes

Authors: Paula Szuchman & Jenny Anderson  |  Book Website: http://www.spousonomics.com/

The authors of Spousonomics may not have set out to write a marriage book for men, but this is exactly what they ended up with in this book. Taking the principles of economics and applying them to something as unexpected as marriage - they manage to add a layer of logic to something that is often seen as solely an emotional situation. Using economic principles like loss aversion, division of labor and trade-offs, they manage to dig deeply into the situations that often drive couples apart and deliver a startling conclusion: that many marriages may not end because of some deep disconnection or growing out of love, but rather through a steady stream of poor decisions. The scenarios they map out throughout the book are so familiar and predictable that it is easy to forget they are describing relationships that fall apart over ten years in a matter of pages. Of course it looks obvious on paper. As they share the solutions to each of the marriage challenges, you feel a bit like a voyeur looking in on a really good marriage counseling session where everything has been laid out in front of you ... including the solution to just about any marriage related problem. If you are in a great marriage, this book can help you keep it that way. And if you are not, Spousonomics might just help you get there.

Business Model Generation

Book Website: http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Book Review: If any of the hundreds of companies that have been launched with half baked business models could have have a guidebook to fix everything that is wrong with their business, this would be it. Aside from its unique story of actually being co-created and co-written by 470 strategists, the most valuable element of this book is easily the sections that dissect existing businesses and visually break down business models for the reader to learn from. It is like sitting next to a brilliant engineer as they take apart a gadget and show you exactly how it is made (and how you might be able to recreate it). Packed with examples of visual thinking, how to create a prototype, and focusing on customer needs - this is one of those books where getting a highlighter and trying to find just the important parts is going to be a waste of time because you'll end up highlighting almost all of the book. In fact, the only thing that could make this book better is if the pages were perforated so you could tear them out and post them on your wall. Yes, they are that useful.

Review Philosophy (Why These Reviews Matter):

All the books that are reviewed in this series are worth your time. That's why you won't find any negative book reviews on this blog. As a Author myself, I have hundreds of book on my shelf and have researched hundreds more. I get many invitations to preview books and choose between 5 and 7 every month to share here on this blog. Read my other book reviews at http://www.rohitbhargava.com/book-reviews/.

Disclaimer: I have personally purchased many of the books reviewed in this blog, however many others are provided by publishers or an author for review purposes. In each case, the reviews of every book represent my honest and unbiased opinion about the book and are not paid or compensated for in any way apart from recieving a review copy or advance galley copy of a book at no cost.

How Indifferent Authors Might Kill Traditional Publishing

The eBook won’t kill publishing, but the traditional book and its indifferent author just might. There was a time when the stereotypical aspiring author with a big idea would go from publisher to publisher in search of a believing partner. Few books would make it through the editorial filter to get published, but those that did felt significant. Not every book succeeded, but having the book published meant something in itself.

Today the popularity of real time media makes it easy to do everything from instantly reviewing a movie, to broadcasting our location and reactions to the world around us. As gratification has become instant, many have lamented the loss of a more considered, private and intellectual lifestyle. When media is instant, reflection becomes the missing link because there is rarely time to nurture and share it.

Books on how to use Twitter or Facebook are bought, written and published in a matter of months. Self publishing has afforded the ability for anyone with any kind of idea to create and publish their own tome without any filter at all. On one level, this democratization of publishing is liberating. Great ideas which may never have made it through the sometimes harsh editorial sphincter can now survive and thrive. The negative, of course, is that the quality can vary widely. Just because anyone can publish a book doesn’t mean they will publish a good one.

Now consider the new role of the author in this world. More than any other time in our past, there has been a rise of what you might term “indifferent authors” — the authors who care less about how many books they sell and more about the ego and reputation boost that having a book can offer. Indifferent authors are changing publishing because their priorities are different from the publishers they partner with.

While a publisher may care solely about book sales, the indifferent author has a much wider success metric. Speaking engagements, consulting work, guest article opportunities … each of these matter more to the indifferent author than the sales themselves. These authors are happy with niche sales, ready to step away from the bestseller list book race, and enjoy the reputation lift of having a book – whether the quality is there or not.

More than eBooks or digital content, the rise of this type of author presents a significant threat to not only the world of publishing, but the value that readers place on books themselves. This is a challenge we all must rise against. It is not about recreating a closed club of the “in crowd” where great ideas from outsiders never see the light of day. This is about respecting the ideal that a book should be significant. It should say something important. And it certainly should say more than an insightful blog post or a pithy 140 character observation.

These are the types of ideas that people will continue to pay to read, whether they are sold as a digital download or a printed hardcover book … and the future of publishing depends on finding and supporting the shrinking pool of authors who create them.

Note: This post is republished from an original article I wrote for the launch of The Gatekeeper's Post - a new online social community for the publishing industry.

The Publishing Industry Gets Its Own Social Network

The publishing industry is one that gets a lot of attention from many different places. For all of this attention, though, there has never been a single location that brought together the many different voices of publishers, authors and agents all talking about the industry they have devoted their lives to. The magazines for the publishing industry are too insular, and broader social media discussions tend to be too broad. Today, a site called The GateKeepers Post is proposing to fill the gap by launching with a slate of top notch contributors from every corner of the publishing world all sharing their thoughts about the industry. I'm one of the featured contributors as well, and just published my first post on the site titled "How Indifferent Authors Might Kill Publishing."

I asked the founder, Jeff Rivera, to share a few thoughts on why the site is so important, who might be interested in reading it, and what we can expect in the coming months. Here's a transcript of our interview:

1. What was the moment when you first became inspired to create The Gatekeepers Post and what is the mission of the site?

I write for many different national publications and one day I became ticked off. An editor scolded me for leaving out a semi-colon in a sentence and I thought to myself, "Really? Shouldn't the emphasis be about creating great content that has our readers coming back for more? " I just had one of those If I ruled the world moments and thought, "Hey, why not? I have the contacts, I have the relationships, I have the resources. Why not?" The mission of our site is to be a significant part of the book publishing conversation. So many changes are happening right now in our industry that if we do something now, the last 100 years of blood, sweat, and tears we've put into our industry, will all come crumbling down.

2. The topic of publishing tends to get a lot of attention on multiple media focused sites. Why do you think the world needs another site like The Gatekeepers Post?

Well, that's just the thing, there isn't another site for the book publishing industry like ours. The Gatekeepers Post is the first relevant social media book publishing community on the web.  To have this level of top-tier professionals in the industry all band together under one roof, tells you that the industry was ready for something like this. 

3. Describe the editorial vision behind the site and what you shared with all the contributors in terms of what they should write about.

My vision for this site is to allow each contributor to write about issues in our community that affect them and from their perspective. You can take the same event, such as the possible closing of Borders Bookstores and it affects an agent differently than an editor, than an independent bookstore, than an author.  It's very important to me to allow each contributor to have their own unique voice and take on the events of the day and not to try to cram them into a mold I see. I have Gatekeeper contributors on the site whose opinions I don't agree with and that's great, that's what our industry needs.

4. You obviously have some very influential participants in the site and on the editorial advisory board - how did you go about recruiting all of these people and what was the greatest roadblock you faced in getting them to come on board?

The book publishing industry for some crazy reason has opened doors for me from the very beginning and after you've worked with these amazing people and built a relationship on the foundation of honesty, of helping each other, of supporting each other, it was only a matter of asking and they were on board.  You see, we need something like this for the industry, it's time and as they say, "When something is meant to be, and it's the right time, it's virtually effortless." It was time.

5. The site is launching today - where do you hope it will be six months or a year from now?

I would very much like Gatekeepers to be a destination for people, for it to be one of the top sites our community bookmarks and reads regularly and not only reads but participates in.  When I say community, I mean it. Our contributors value the feedback from our readers and encourage it.  With the online video conferences and panel discussions and author readings we'll have in the near future, I anticipate in a year from now, The Gatekeepers Post will be at the tip of everyone's tongues when they're talking about significant sites that bring value to the book publishing community.

Book Interview: 5 Questions With John Jantsch About The Referral Engine

This is the first in a series of posts I have wanted to do for some time, interviewing authors about the big ideas that have led to their books. Here are 5 questions I asked John Jantsch about his new follow up book to Duct Tape Marketing, and how he would describe the big idea of the book to anyone interested in learning about it. It's a short and sweet interview, but hopefully gives you some more insight into the book. Look out for more of these in the future and let me know what you think!

And if you'd like to pick up a copy of The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business To Market Itself, you can do so here. I only intervew authors who I respect and would wholeheartedly recommend their books, and I definitely think the world of John and what he has been able to achieve offering small businesses a smart and efficient approach to creating better marketing.

1. What's the big idea of the book in less than 140 characters?

Referrals won't happen unless you're referable, but they happen even more with a systematic approach.

2. After reading the book, what is the best compliment or review that a reader could give to you and to the book?

This is more than a marketing or referral book, it's an entirely new approach to building a business.

3. Chances are you probably looked at lots of books before writing this one - what is one unique thing about The Referral Engine that you think sets it apart?

Most books tell you the tactical thing you need to do to get more referrals. This book allows you to build an authentic culture around the customer experience and tap that unique culture with a tactics approach that fits your organization.

4. What was the most surprising thing you learned while researching and writing The Referral Engine?

Nobody talks about boring businesses. Actually, I knew that, but I was surprised at how many businesses underestimate just how boring their business is.

5. As an eventual second time author myself, I'm wondering ... is it harder to write the second book, or the first one?

I think it was for me. At some level I was writing Duct Tape Marketing for twenty years. In The Referral Engine I had to work harder at extracting stories and examples that could help illustrate things that all of us have learned over the last couple of years.