Customer Reviews

The Age of Engage: Reinventing Marketing for Today's Connected, Collaborative, and Hyperinteractive Culture

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have not had any (or very little) exposure to digital marketing, by all means buy the book and read it. However, for anyone who has had some experience with digital marketing the last 5 years, this book offers very little new thinking (unless you are really bad at your job).

While the book is full of examples, if flows poorly. The author's points seem to get lost in a somewhat poor structure, and too many points thrown at the user without a proper flow to it. The author should definitely look into pyramid consulting techniques in order to present better. And given the author's savvy in online marketing, it does make me wonder whether the other reviews are legitimate.

But again, if you are a CEO, or non-marketing exec, or an "old school" marketer, this books seems like a useful intro to you. But you should be out reading Techcrunch, Marketing 2.0, Mobilemarketer, Mashable etc etc on a daily basis, and you would not only learn just as quick, you'd stay more current.

I just finished reading The Age of Engage, and all I can say is WOW! As a thought leader in Internet marketing I read 4-5 books a week. And this book stands out in the questions it surfaces, and then (more importantly) the answers it provides.

I literally went through three highlighters trying to extract every golden nugget of information this book delivers. Plus, I bought copies for my entire staff - with the directive to read this ASAP!

If you are looking for a book that does more than just lay a bunch of theory on you... a book that really explains what must change, why it must change, and then most importantly HOW TO CHANGE - then look no further, you have just found THE book that delivers on all three aspects.

Lastly, the final seven pages of the book are filled with marketing exercises/questions that do an excellent job of helping readers take what they've learned and now apply it to their businesses. I hope more books begin to follow this format beacause it makes the takeaway value so much easier to dimensionalize and act upon.

I picked this book up and could not put it down. This is a total paradigm shift for the marketing world. This book replaces the principles of 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) with the 6Vs (Venture, Value, Voice, Verifiable, Vicinity, and Vehicle).

With 15 years experience in technology and having lead major technology initiative for two Fortune 500 companies I recommend that IT professional read this book to gain an understanding of how to use their knowledge of technology to help transform their companies to be able to compete in the new marketing age that we have entered into.

Whether you are a small, medium or large business you have to read this book. This book is a must read for every single person in every organization.

Kevin Dean

This book was a good read. It did not set my world on fire because over the past year or so I've been reading quite a few marketing books on how to incorporate blogs, comment sites, and social networks into the marketing plan of a business plan. In a way, it's just another of the many books that are flooding the book market regarding Internet marketing.

The book is sweet, though. It's pretty to look at. It's well outlined and well written. And, oh, the pictures of the author I have spotted on her Amazon profile, LinkedIn profile, and her book's own Web site and blog indicate she is a knockout appearance-wise. The best parts of this book in my humble opinion are the real-world examples about how to open meaningful interactions with potential customers.

The book points out well that traditional marketing involved the following approach: static, publish, inform, link, sell, and control. And now the marketing or Internet marketing approach involves live, interact, engage, tag, socialize, and collaborate. The new approach seems to take much more time from the marketer's perspective than the old approach. But the new approach costs so much less than the old approach. And the new approach is proving to be so much more effective.

The target audience for this book supposedly is marketers, communications experts, CEOs, and business owners. I highly recommend each of these people get a copy of this book to either learn something about Internet marketing done the right way, or to reinformce what they already know (or think they know) about Internet marketing. 5 stars!

Keeping in mind that this book was published in March 2008, this is a great primer for people who are still just dipping their tow into social media and Web 2.0. While many of us live in this world on a daily basis, there are still a lot of people working in business today who have absolutely no idea as to the different between a static website, and a "Live Web" presence as Shiffman likes to refer to it.

No, she is not the best writer in the world, but she gets her point across, and she does provide numerous examples to help the reader better understand the concepts that she desires to emphasize. The book is an easy read, and it keeps you engaged throughout, and upon completion, it provides a great beginner's look at the way the digital world is changing the way we operate our businesses.

If I were reviewing this book in April 2008, it probably would get five stars. Today it is a bit outdated, but still rates four stars as a primer. Well worth reading, but do so quickly before it is all a bit old.

For marketers that haven't grasped the fundamental changes occurring in our industry, The Age of Engage will be an eye opener. For the rest of us, it's an aid to realign our approach and remain relevant in today's conversational, connected and collaborative culture.

Over the past two months, I've gotten to know Denise Shiffman, the book's author by reading her book, blog and tweets. Experiencing the author in this The Age of Engage fashion confirmed to be that: she gets it; she speaks it; and she lives it. That's an admirable achievement for a 23-year marketing veteran.

"Social media will eventually become a part of every company's DNA. Anyone in marketing without this knowledge and skill set will be left behind," Shiffman told Social Meteor in a recent interview. "At some point we will come out of the economic downturn and companies that have set the stage for growth will rebound the quickest. Success will be determined by today's priorities. And companies that prioritize customer experience, loyalty and affinity high will gain in market influence and momentum."

Social media is a cost-effective way to reshape customer experience, build loyalty and increase positive word-of-mouth. And, Shiffman told us there's no more important time to do it than now.

The Age of Engage is a strategic manual for marketers, public relations professionals and other communicators who have honed their skills in the `Age of Influence' and want to remain relevant professionals in the current culture, which Shiffman deems appropriately as the `Age of Engage.' At less than 200 pages, it's one of the easiest ways for a professional to remain relevant during a challenging economy. After reading the book, they'll be able to describe new tactics and thought processes companies need to deploy to be enduring, relevant and successful.

Read a full review of this book, the author's blog and her tweets at:
http://socialmeteor.com/2009/03/10/the-age-of-engage-is-the-rage/

This book is very very good in regard to the organizational issues that Marketing 2.0 companies should take into account to thrive in this new era. You should read it beacuse it is short and very informative.

However, if you are looking for digital marketing explanations, DigiMarketing is extremely better. This book complements DigiMarketing, although DigiMarketing is a lot better.

I would have given this 3.5 if I could. It is an entirely decent introduction to the world of online community building; a few decent examples and so forth.

Of course, this is such a fast moving sector that it's hard to feel fresh after even a year - so it's a little unfair to judge on that - but the reality is this barely mentions facebook or twitter, for example, and will feel like old news pretty soon. In fact, it already does.

That said, there is plenty to be gained from a read-through if you are new to this world, and it doesn't intimidate you with the intense fizz that is rapidly leaving us all feel totally at sea in this new world.

Very up-to-date book. Right on top of one of the most important Megatrends of 21st century, the empowerment of the people, Shiffman helps marketers to work with all this new media available these days.
It's worth every penny!

I couldn't put it down...I received it as a gift from a friend and fellow consultant. You have nailed the challenge, precisely and relevantly. I have translated the book to apply it to my work, Healthcare (largely hospital) marketing...and while Revolution Health goes a long way towards all you recommend, we providers need to run, not walk, to keep pace. Transparency driven by third parties who take our data and compare it to others, coupled with a more knowledgable and demanding purchaser (aging boomers), followed by a growing number of wired new users (who's having babies and raising young families..)...the tools and ideas you generate are EXACTLY what we need to consider as we try to reach these key audiences.

Thanks for the exercise!!!!