From Publishers Weekly
Despite the title's implicit promise to deliver down-and-dirty marketing tactics, the advice is tame. Drawing upon the practices of his Ohio-based consultancy, Slutsky assures readers they can maintain their company's current public exposure on half the budget, but the solution turns out to be a commonsense understanding of media demographics and cost-effective purchasing. Occasionally, there's a flash of insight—like using business cards from prize drawings to collect geographic data on customers—but most of Slutsky's methods are obviously conventional. Let's face it: a business owner who has to be reminded to include a phone number on all advertising material probably needs more help than one guide can offer. The handful of edgy suggestions may even border on the offensive—would you want to order something from a company that tricked you into opening its direct mailing ad by disguising it as a wedding invitation? And the let's put on a show mentality of the final chapter on special promotional events is likely to fall beyond the resources of most small businesses. Though none of these tips are actually harmful, they don't distinguish Slutsky from the rest of the marketing pack. (Sept. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Consultant Slutsky sets out to help us get more results from our marketing dollar through his methods called Street Fighter Marketing, any cost-effective, well-organized, and measurable delivery of a message that leads to a purchase decision and sale. He focuses primarily on local business strategies of owners, managers, and employees at an individual location who are seeking neighborhood or community customers. Stressing the necessity of tangible results in the development, execution, and continuation of marketing programs, the author explains in detail the important calculation of ROMI (Return On Marketing Investment). With hundreds of low-cost opportunities that can be implemented locally, he describes his Street Fighter methods as a neighborhood-by-neighborhood, grassroots, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners type of approach. Although the book itself is a marketing tool for the author's consulting activities, Slutsky nevertheless offers valuable ideas and thoughtful perspective for library patrons in businesses with neighborhood operations as they face complicated and competitive business-development challenges. Whaley, Mary
