Back in the halcyon days of summer, we asked our marketing directors which business books they’d be reading while lazing on their sun lounger. From napkins to new ideas via chimpanzees, their answers were illuminating, insightful and intriguing. So why not do it all again for the winter holidays?
Read on for our strategy experts’ pick of books to enjoy by the fire; best enjoyed accompanied by a glass of prosecco (or a post-Christmas mulled wine).
Joe Tidd and John Bessant A very well-written book with loads of good case studies and an online portal to help businesses to innovate. The UK is good at research and poor at development, and as a services-based economy in which businesses typically don’t have what manufacturers call “R&D”, we need to significantly up our game at developing world-beating services, processes and business models.
Michael Woodford I’m going to be reading ‘Exposure’, a book kindly given to me by Chris Hanson-Abbott at Brigade Electronics, with whom The Marketing Centre works. This is a real-life account of how company-man Woodford stumbled upon a $1 billion fraud while working with technology giant Olympus. Unlike his fellow board members, Woodford refused to hide what he had discovered. Risking everything, he exposed the crimes at the company’s heart and brought down those who tried to silence him. Woodford now lectures on business culture and the nature of human frailties in the workplace.
- Alex Swann, Thames Valley
Chip and Dan Heath The Heath brothers take the reader on an inspirational journey into understanding why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck. The case-study-come-storytelling style of the book makes it an easy read, with many examples to illustrate points made. This book compliments Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Tipping Point’ as it considers his concept of ’stickiness’ in much more detail. Each chapter explores the six principles that – in combination – make the difference between what’s memorable and what isn’t. The six factors: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion and stories.”
Joe Pulizzi As marketers’ influence becomes ever more virtual and Google increases costs for ‘Search’, companies are finding the best source of customers is content. Proprietary content such as case studies, customer experience and testimonials create the biggest echo. Among the next books you read, you must include ‘Content Inc.’.
Ross Brawn One of the more compelling reads for me in 2016 was ‘Total Competition’. Written by Ross Brawn - one of the most successful technical directors in Formula One - and Adam Parr - the former CEO of Williams - the book examines Brawn’s 24 drivers’ and constructors’ championships with Benetton, Ferrari, Jaguar and others. Both Brawn and Parr were forced out of Formula One due to internal conflict within their teams, and the book sets out to analyse why that happened using Parr’s knowledge of business and military strategy. The result makes it possible to use ‘Total Competition’ as a reference manual for all professions
Colin Mills I recommend Scale Up, by our very own Colin Mills. Colin is the founder of the Liberti Group – to which The Marketing Centre belongs – and here shares our collective experience on how ambitious businesses can prepare for and achieve substantial growth without losing control or running out of cash. Indispensable!
There you have it: fast cars, whistleblowers and the innovation imperative. Think we’ve missed something? Tell us which business books you’d recommend on Twitter.