Customer Reviews

The End of Marketing As We Know It

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

When a colleague handed me a copy of The End of Marketing As We Know It by Sergio Zyman, former chief marketing officer of The Coca-Cola Company, I had two reactions.

One was enthusiasm. I'd learn some things from a real pro and become better at what I do. The second was a wary feeling. Because Zyman is a pro, I was afraid the book would be full of "expert jargon" - over my head, dry, and reading like a textbook.

After reading the book, I'm wholly enthusiastic about it. The End of Marketing As We Know It is a good read - Zyman teaches with plenty of good examples, encourages one to think about one's own experiences and methods, and has an entertaining, conversational tone that keeps the book from becoming dry or "heavy." It's the first book in a very long time that I've wanted to re-read right after finishing it. As someone who writes features for a business magazine and also does PR and advertising, I found Zyman's words relevant and invaluable.

Everyone in business should read this book - and not just the folks in the marketing/advertising department, and not just the big companies. Its content is pertinent to overall business strategy, because it focuses on marketing as a business, or a science - producing measurable results in the form of increased sales rather than merely running some ads that may be appealing and even award-winning but aren't doing anything for the company's bottom line.

Readers will learn why it's important to form a marketing strategy and make regular measurements to test its success. They'll learn ways to position a product - their own and their competitor's - in the minds of consumers. And that continually presenting a brand in fresh and different ways - and in different markets - is essential to keeping sales up. And much more. Whether or not you agree with all of Zyman's methods, this book will definitely make you think and may even rescue you from stale, dead-in-the-water viewpoints about marketing.

I have great respect for the Coca-Cola marketing machine, but this book does not demonstrate that organization's genius. The book's title is a dishonest overstatement. The main thesis, "marketing is about selling things, not about being cool," is hardly "the end of marketing as we know it" -- it's basic stuff any kid with a lemonade stand could tell you. Zyman tells some amusing war stories, but ultimately, he is not bringing anything new to the table. (Perhaps he's guarding the Coca Cola "state secrets"?)

If you need to be convinced that marketing is about selling things, or if you'd like to read Sergio Zyman's marketing memoirs, then buy this book. Otherwise, it's of little value.

Zyman's premise -- that marketing is about selling rather than fluff -- comes as no revelation to any marketer. We are subjected to 247 pages that, in the end, do little more than meander around this notion, which most of us internalized in Marketing 101. At least it's a fast (and light) read. The "end of this book, as he wrote it," comes blessedly fast.

Mr. Sergio is really in a dire situation here. If he can attain bestselling status with such an unimpressive collection of essays, there is something truly wrong with the public. The "marketing" he discusses is almost common knowledge of the masses.

He is a master of disguising the traditional into something which is deceptively "new." I picked up his book at a local retailer thinking it would change my entire train of thought concerning smart advertising. Heck, half the stuff didn't even make sense and the other half I already knew.

Please don't waste your time reading this overly simplistic book. Or you could, if you wanted to read about how Coke commercials can be more trendy.

Honestly, I was expecting a lot more out of this book. Zyman does a wonderful job at taking a lot of credit for his accomplishments in the marketing world. Nevertheless, there was not a page in the book that the word "I" wasn't mentioned. I wasn't expecting a personal story on how he conquered the markets with the coke brand. I was looking for new and original ideas that were used to improve my marketing techniques.

The book provides an excellent reminder as to the purpose of marketing....that is, it's all about making a profit. However, the book lacks depth and fails to deliver new insights that will help the experienced marketer become more skilled or knowledgeable.

If you are looking for a simple, easy to read book on marketing, that is sometimes entertaining, then Sergio Zyman's book, "The End of Marketing As We Know It", is a good place to start

I was disappointed after reading Sergio Zyman's book with the provocative title "The End of Marketing as we Know it". Old marketing based on mass merchandising with little attention to customer needs was dead years ago. What the author calls new marketing principles, have been practiced as early as the 1980's. As someone who has been a CEO and director of marketing of a number of businesses, and am now an adjunct professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's School of Industrial Management, I found little new in the author's list of the principles of new marketing outlined in his last chapter. I am surprised that a book published in 1999 says so little about the impact and influence of the Internet in business to business and consumer marketing.

Byron Menides August 14, 1999 Worcester, MA

Do not buy this book. All he does is assure you, in an arrogant way, that he was not fired by Coca Cola and that Diet Coke was not a mistake. The only message you will get is that Marketing should focus on increasing sales, but does not tell you how or give you any ideas.

Insightful and inspiring. As a Marketing Director for aNational publication, I spend a great deal of time helping advertisersfocus on their objectives, and delivering added-value based on theirpage schedule. It's amazing how many companies stick with a campaign for the sake of consistency, not results.

The next time someone asks me for a "big, out of the box idea", I'm going to hand them a copy of Sergios book.

In addition to the basic "result oriented" message here, the book covered management style, hiring practices, and ways to restructure the payment system when working with an ad agency. I LOVED it! I'm gettting copies for my entire staff, and my Publisher! END

After more than 30 years as an advertising practioner I worried that this would be another rehash of the obvious. It's not. It does cover the usual ground but with exciting bumps and with an attitude that refreshes. If you think you are in the business of selling than this is a worthwhile read. If you work with, or in, advertising agencies you'll get your money's worth. db