Customer Reviews

All You Need is a Good Idea!: How to Create Marketing Messages that Actually Get Results

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked this book. I can't say it is anything special. And I can't say that anything in particular included in it stood out for me. But the book is very practical, informal and easy to read. It's written by a seasoned ad man who has written this book to help marketers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs stand out from their competition. This book is all about how to create GOOD marketing communications. And that process starts with having good ideas. Hence, the title of this book: All you need is a good idea.

Good ideas result from novelty and cleverness. They give your business a different and lasting identity. And you'll get good ideas if you spend some time looking at what your competition is doing (and not doing). Build on what they do so you'll be better. And it is important to remember that GREAT ideas are not necessary. If you consistently pump out good ideas you will do just fine.

This was kind of a short book. It has small pages, large type, 1.5 line spacing, and the margins were not small. And it was padded with blank pages, too. But there is good content included. The long list of 21 chapters is geared toward helping the reader get his or her marketing creativity working. And I particularly liked the "Good Idea" sidebars. There were many bullets included throughout the book that helped me grasp points better as I read.

I would have liked the book better if was not as conversational as it was. The book felt a little like the author had not really written it. But instead, he had dictated into a digital recording device and had someone type his dictations into paragraph form. Maybe this explains why the author kept telling me what was to come later in the book. I generally don't like that style of writing. I like books that are well outlined and written. The kind where every word has a purpose and none are wasted. 4 stars!

PS. Take a look at the Search Inside information Amazon provides for this book. The TOC provided there will let you know specifically what this book covers.

I don't think this will be an unbiased review of All You Need Is A Good Idea! since I am the author, but Amazon requested my feedback, so here goes:
What a terrific marketing achievement this book is. For any small business looking to stay afloat during and after this tough economy, All You Need Is A Good Idea! provides keen insights and clear direction on becoming a true brand, without spending a fortune. There is nothing more effective or economical than the power of a good marketing idea to differentiate yourself from your competitors. If you are not perceived as being different, you are a commodity, and can only differentiate yourself based on price. But using the power of a good idea, you can reach more people, attract an audience that will have a clear idea of your benefits.
My book shows you how to find a good idea, and what to do with it after you have created it, to get maximum benefit.
Take a look at the other reviews, which I have not written, to get more of an unbiased feeling for the book.
And be sure to check out my blog, [...] for my latest thoughts.

Too many people stall and stare at walls instead of taking action. Why? Because they're trying to come up with a 'great' idea when all you really need is a 'good' idea (that gets put into action.)

Jay H. Heyman knows this and explains to the reader how they can do it too. The real-world examples and case studies taken from his career in advertising demonstrate these are no pie-in-the-sky theories that "might" work -- they are valuable war stories from the creative front designed to give you insight into how you can experience satisfaction and success by getting great results from putting your own (good!) ideas into action.

Jay Heyman is known for helping businesses stand out from the competition. Without developing yourself as a brand you are basically invisible. Jay is chock full of good ideas to help you make your brand conspicuous.

I love marketing and am always trying to see things from different perspective. Jay Heyman is one of the smartest people I know and has a keen eye for seeing things from the customer's point of view. You've got to speak the customer's language when marketing your product. Jay Heyman knows how to do that and showed me how in this book.

I'm always in search of new and fresh ideas that won't cost me alot. "All you need s a good idea" is overflowing with them.

Jay Heyman is an idea guy. His book on the topic, All You Need is a Good Idea!: How to Create Marketing Messages that Actually Get Results, pulls back the curtain on the idea creation process to reveal why a "good" idea is so much more valuable than a "great" idea. (Hint: Perfection kills!)

As part of Paul Williams' Idea Sandbox virtual book tour, I had the opportunity to read about Jay Heyman's experiences and playful opinions on the world of ideas.

That experience comes in the form of the New York advertising and marketing world. As principal of a creative marketing firm, Heyman's daily work involves the very raw, emotional, and oft times maddening process of developing ideas. He describes what life is like working through those chaotic, collaborative relationships that underpin the ideation process itself.

Client case studies are pulled from his direct experience with people who struggled to distill the essence of what they offer to the world (what Jay codenames your "Phufkel") and the resulting creative journey for which Jay and his team served as happy guides. He also bravely shares those instances in which the idea went down in flames!

Jay's writing is extremely engaging and personable, capturing the voice of a warm, avuncular personality with real world experience. (This ain't HBO's Mad Men series!)

For any business or practitioner, Jay has solid, understandable advice with scores of simple questions to ask yourself or your clients. He shows us how to cut through the clutter of the strategic planning and branding process to form lasting relationships with customers.

To create marketing messages that actually get results, all you need is a good idea - and that truly is the key takeaway of Jay Heyman's book. Entrepreneurs often have good product ideas - but a good idea without an effective marketing message or strategy is dead in the water.

What I love about this book is that it is written in a very conversational style, yet, the thinking is grounded in classical marketing strategy. The author gives real-life examples and tips that are very practical and don't require large budgets. It's an easy and entertaining read and unlike many business books, the ideas actually stick.

One of my favourite examples in the book of a good idea is of a New York sightseeing company that uses double-decker buses. Instead of the traditional red, the buses are painted yellow and black to resemble a New York taxi. A simple yet creative idea that made this tour company stand out from their competition.

Heyman's whole mission is to give business owners the confidence to create or evaluate good ideas so they get sales results. Good ideas are fresh, often taking something familiar and giving it a new twist, something unexpected yet relevant. Good ideas differentiate and build a brand and also have the strength to carry a campaign. They have the power to make you smile and they are single-minded.

Good one Jay!

karin koonings http://theessentialorange.blogspot.com

I picked up this book on a whim and was very pleased. It is easy to struggle for a long time trying to build a "great" idea and never be satisfied. Heyman suggests that while a great idea is wonderful, success is frequently built on a solid good idea. He gives practical guidance on how to generate ideas right now, find a nice idea with promise and make it a good idea that you can use right now. It is also useful to be reminded that a single good idea can be used, reused, and extended in many executions over many different types of media. He also has great suggestions on taking a good idea and continuing to make it better over time.

I was able to put this book to practical use. It isn't the only book that you could read to help put some fire in your marketing belly, but it is definitely worth 100x the price if you do read it and use it.

As a small business owner,one never has enough money to commit to an ad agency to handle a coordinated long-term marketing campaign. One needs to reduce one's message to its essence and then use unconventional means to get that message through to your prospects. "All You Need is a Good Idea" is a message of encouragement that the unconventional approach can work. A big agency veteran who has successfully implemented his approach in his own business, Jay Heyman provides invaluable tips as to how that "good idea" can be expanded through other mediums. Using anecdotes and plenty of underlying humor (humor helps with those inevitable missteps), he provides examples of what worked and didn't work and why. Most of all it's a rallying cry against mediocrity. As Jay puts it: "Pulling back from something outlandish is easier than trying to convince yourself that the dull idea that has appeared in front of you is worth pursuing." So for a minor investment of time and money, you gain from Jay's experience on how to put your own "good idea" into action.

I really liked this book and the conversational tone. It's like having a friendly talk with a marketing expert who knows you don't have a lot of money or time and isn't going to waste either one for you. Packed with great ideas on how to come up with good ideas that are clever, memorable, and effective, and that set you apart from your competitors. Highly recommended, especially for the case studies that really illuminate the thought process behind the creation of the idea.

I enjoyed this book! It is entertaining and chock-full of good ideas. As a non-marketing-type person, I wanted to gain some insight on the creative process that goes into marketing a good idea (before I spend another dollar of my marketing budget) and Jay Heyman's book was just what the doctor ordered.

The information is delivered in a humorous and conversational tone, as if I was the recipient of a free consultation with a seasoned marketing professional. The specific examples of what has and has not worked helps me think through my own ideas on how to deliver my message.

The format of the book (bullet points, Good Idea summations, etc) also makes it easy to use as a reference guide. As I moved through the material I found myself looking back to the "good ideas" from the earlier pages in order to connect the dots. Great book - 5 stars.