The Momentum Effect: How to Ignite Exceptional Growth [Hardcover]

J.C. Larreche (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2008

A few rare companies have discovered the secret to sustained high growth: momentum. They’ve learned how to create the conditions that lead to exceptional organic growth–which feeds on itself, continually accelerating the business forward. In The Momentum Effect, J.C. Larreche introduces a complete framework for gaining momentum, keeping it, and harnessing its power. Drawing on new research and powerful case studies, Larreche demonstrates the stunning role of momentum in value creation. He sets out the process for developing the “power offers” that lie at the heart of this powerful force. This book offers a systematic process for creating momentum that will work in any business, in any industry, and under any market conditions. You’ll learn how to create new value through a momentum strategy and build the leadership competencies to deliver highly profitable growth over the next six months…five years…even decades.

 

•Pioneer or die: drive momentum and harness its stunning power
How momentum-powered firms create 80% more shareholder value

•Understand the drivers of momentum strategy
Craft power offers, mobilize for growth, and more

•Master the Momentum Process: design and execution
Eight specific steps to implement a long-term winning momentum strategy

•Climb the five-step Momentum Leadership Ladder
How leaders can systematically generate and direct momentum

 

"This book shows you how to build momentum for growth and leave your competitors trailing far in your wake!"

—Sir Richard Branson

 

"J.C. Larreche’s book, The Momentum Effect, is a must-read. It highlights why more marketing spend and further value extraction are not the key determinants for future growth. To create powerful momentum for exceptional growth, it is essential to offer innovative value to the marketplace. The Momentum Effect outlines just how to achieve this. The results are illuminating.

–W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne, Authors of Blue Ocean Strategy

 

"How can companies achieve exceptional and sustained growth? The Momentum Effect explores this challenge and reveals successful strategies for originating new sources of growth and value from customers with the power to unlock great potential.”

–Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman & CEO, Novartis AG, Basel/Switzerland

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Momentum does offer a big unifying theory... Read and enjoy this book." - Financial Times, May 2008

 

"Larreche's research throws new light on age-old debates about marketing budgets and marketing effectiveness" - Marketing Week May 2008

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

A few rare companies have discovered the secret to sustained high growth: momentum. They’ve learned how to create the conditions that lead to exceptional organic growth–which feeds on itself, continually accelerating the business forward. In The Momentum Effect, J.C. Larreche introduces a complete framework for gaining momentum, keeping it, and harnessing its power. Drawing on new research and powerful case studies, Larreche demonstrates the stunning role of momentum in value creation. He sets out the process for developing the “power offers” that lie at the heart of this powerful force. This book offers a systematic process for creating momentum that will work in any business, in any industry, and under any market conditions. You’ll learn how to create new value through a momentum strategy and build the leadership competencies to deliver highly profitable growth over the next six months…five years…even decades.

 

•Pioneer or die: drive momentum and harness its stunning power
How momentum-powered firms create 80% more shareholder value

•Understand the drivers of momentum strategy
Craft power offers, mobilize for growth, and more

•Master the Momentum Process: design and execution
Eight specific steps to implement a long-term winning momentum strategy

•Climb the five-step Momentum Leadership Ladder
How leaders can systematically generate and direct momentum

 

"This book shows you how to build momentum for growth and leave your competitors trailing far in your wake!"

—Sir Richard Branson

 

"J.C. Larreche’s book, The Momentum Effect, is a must-read. It highlights why more marketing spend and further value extraction are not the key determinants for future growth. To create powerful momentum for exceptional growth, it is essential to offer innovative value to the marketplace. The Momentum Effect outlines just how to achieve this. The results are illuminating.

–W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne, Authors of Blue Ocean Strategy

 

"How can companies achieve exceptional and sustained growth? The Momentum Effect explores this challenge and reveals successful strategies for originating new sources of growth and value from customers with the power to unlock great potential.”

–Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman & CEO, Novartis AG, Basel/Switzerland

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wharton School Publishing; 1 edition (April 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132363429
• ISBN-13: 978-0132363426
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as (maybe even better than) Blue Ocean Strategy, April 14, 2008

By 

Richard Catton - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Momentum Effect: How to Ignite Exceptional Growth (Hardcover)

As good as (maybe even better than) Blue Ocean Strategy


It is worth reading this book and Kim and Mauborgne's Blue Ocean Strategy together (the authors of both books all teach at the same school and Kim and Mauborgne have endorsed The Momentum Effect, calling it a "must read"). Personally I think The Momentum Effect is even better than BOS.

The strategy canvas in BOS is a fantastic tool and I've used it a lot but I've always had three nagging questions about the blue ocean book. First, blue oceans sound great, but if I'm stuck in a red ocean is it really true that my only hope is to find a big innovation to sail into a blue ocean? Second, if you do manage it, how do you stop your blue ocean turning red. Third, what are the fundamental mechanics and processes that underlie the creation of uncontested market space. These are three things that Larreche's book is brilliant on.

First, he points out that even in red oceans (I don't think he uses that term - he talks about "old established firms" in highly competitive markets) it is possible to generate growth through a series of small cumulative improvements rather than trying all out for a "big bang". He has an amazing graph on page 214 showing cumulative impact of a series of 1% improvements in key performance criteria. As an aside, this graph is an example of one of the differences in this book - Larreche's background was in developing marketing simulation software (eg Markstrat which I used doing my MBA) - the simulations are used sparingly but they add depth.

Second, he explicitly states that he is not offering a once through process - if you want to stay on top you have to keep working, keep improving. Lots of books "say" this but few really take it to its logical conclusion, preferring to offer a cosy "destination point" as if beating your targets this year gives you an out for not doing it next year. In the real world reaching one goal is just the jumping off point for trying to hit the next one. Larreche's process shows how constant iteration can be built into your business and how it becomes a source of strength - "momentum" comes from the feedback effect of taking each small success and building on it to make an even bigger one and so on.

But for me the real strength of the book is in the way it answers my third point. In Part II, it devotes about 80 pages to the process of designing what he calls "power offers". Part III has the same sort of space devoted to the practicalities of actually executing the strategy. This is one of the first strategy books I've read that manages to balance the grand design with the practical implementation.

In short, if you liked Blue Ocean Strategy, you'll love this - if you've always had doubts about BOS - this book might answer them.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for the real world, April 7, 2008

By 

Pardo (Kent) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Momentum Effect: How to Ignite Exceptional Growth (Hardcover)

This is one of the most powerful and exciting books I've read in years. I've been following Larreche's work for about ten years now, since I came across some reports he did for the FT. A few years ago I also got a chance to see him speak. The guy is great and I've been waiting for this book ever since - especially as, unlike some other management guru/professors/authors he also has experience of the real world (he was on the board of a FTSE 100 company for a long time).

It doesn't disappoint.

The process he sets out is simple but it is also very powerful - and it also makes sense. He starts by challenging the assumption that increasing marketing spend is the best way to deliver growth. He argues that this is often just a way of buying growth that your products aren't good enough to earn. Instead, he says, you should develop a genuinely deep understanding of your customers that goes beyond the usual surveys and segmentation studies and gets under their skin - then use that understanding to create better products then be ambitious enough about the way you deliver the product and make sure that your customers' experience is so good they start to become engaged - this engagement will help you learn more about your customers and so the whole thing kicks off again.

It might sound simple but in practice it's not easy. However, the tools that are all through the book are a great help in putting this into practice - just one (the customer value wedge) is worth the price alone - I've already used it three times today already with members of my team.

That's just one example. Most strategy books combine a bit of research and with good stories. What really makes this book stand out is a grounded realization that the real world is a messy place where things don't always go right first time. It's brilliant.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book about Exceptional Growth!, June 2, 2008

By 

A. Frontistis "Chairman and CEO, EMI Group" (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Momentum Effect: How to Ignite Exceptional Growth (Hardcover)

When I first leafed through this book, I thought it was a novel. How else could one interpret the fact that tables, figures and diagrams are just a small part of only the 10% of its total pages! Authors of scientific, marketing and management books have not used us to such a minimalism. J.C. talks substance, not visuals. Even for this reason, this book is exceptionally impressive. This "nothing less than exceptional growth" book smells strong, innovative thinking. It's a book on business total philosophy rather than a simply marketing or management text. It provides a sharp anatomy of things, supposedly known in a business enterprise, with the result that bold substance is revealed. Doing things right is not enough for Larreche. One has to do things exceptionally right. "Very satisfied customers" is not enough. Delighted customers should be the basic purpose of any business. Superb, total value to customers is running throughout the book. More revenues for less relative marketing expenditures is to look for. Anything else does not provide proof of the existence of momentum in a business firm. Larreche, a recognized expert of marketing, emphasizes its customer value building wisdom, rather than its routine functional elements commented about and stressed in all common marketing texts. This book, as product, provides the customer with real super value. It has been some time since I read a real best seller to be!