Customer Reviews

Meaningful Marketing: 100 Data-Proven Truths and 402 Practical Ideas for Selling MORE with LESS Effort

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Being an engineer turned marketer similar to Hall, I have much appreciation for his data based approach. The data is excellent... I use it to make a case frequently... although it could be more accessible in it's layout. Not to be confused with a 'how-to' book, this is a 'why and proof' exercise I have found quite useful in gaining buy in to new ideas.

This book should be on every marketer's bookshelf.

Packed with solid information on how to sell more product and services, Doug Hall backs up his assertions with research-backed studies and data to assure the reader that these truths fall out from hard data. Experienced marketers might not learn anything new, but they probably will. At the very least the book will have you revisiting sacred cows and "common knowledge" about what you think you know about marketing and sales tactics that elicit customer response.

While probably not meant to be read from start to finish as a typical marketing work, this book belongs in your library as a handy reference. Packed with common (and not-so-common) consumer insights, the book is arranged with each left-hand page being a "truth" and the accompanying right-hand page listing several practical ideas to support those truths. Everything is well-indexed and easily findable.

Perhaps the most valuable gem of the whole book is the author's complete list of all references that support each truth so that you can track down the primary research or journal articles that the author researched. This list alone is worth the price of the book if you are looking for jumping off points to dig deeper into any of the topics.

Doug Hall is the co-founder of Eureka! Ranch, a think tank that has produced more successful marketing campaigns than almost any other in recent memory. This book builds on the experiences that Doug has had with helping clients develop both products and marketing campaigns that truly enrich the reader. Meaningful Marketing draws comparisons and contrasts between Meaningful Marketing and Mindless Marketing. Hall and his co-author Jeffrey Stamp not only grab us with data, they grab us emotionally. For example, based on the results of 901 new products at the end of five years, those with a Meaningful Marketing approach had a 53% survival rate (still available and profitable). Those with a Mindless Marketing approach had a 24% survival rate - almost a 100% difference. And the point is, we can all choose between approaches.

This book says that you can take the moral high road, tell the truth about your products and services, charge a premium because they solve problems, add value, and make a difference - and sleep like a baby at night! I like that.

In this unique two-page format, a data-proven point is made on the left-hand page, and then on the right-hand page are 3 to 5 practical applications of how to make it work. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone with any responsibility at all for either sales or marketing.