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Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity Hardcover – April 2, 2013

by Alan Siegel (Author),
Irene Etzkorn (Author)
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Irene Etzkorn (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 31 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Twelve (April 2, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1455509663
  • ISBN-13: 978-1455509669
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 starsIronically hypocritical
By Candyman736 on August 6, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This book covers some good information, but the content should have been right-sized and illustrated in to a much "Simpler" magazine article. Simple dwells too much on a handful of case studies, and repetitively iterates through each of them. The book also incorporated one example from the "reality" show Undercover Boss, which IMO is one of the phoniest reality shows I've seen. At the end the book tries to make Simplicity a cause for political and consumer activism.

Should you choose to get this book, let me make it Simple for you. Read chapter 6 and skip the rest.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn idea whose time is now
By Laurence D. Ackerman on April 5, 2013
Format: Hardcover
After finishing this seductive little book, one of the most memorable passages for me was the one in which the authors assert that there is no perfect definition of simplicity. Why? How can that be? Their reasoning is that what it takes to accomplish true simplicity calls upon many factors and, that in the end, what is - and what we regard as - truly "simple" is really anything but.

I loved this book. It led me to appreciate the constant battle we all face to make sense of our world in these crazy, hyper-technologized, choice-inundated, supposedly modern times . My conclusion, born of Simple? More is definitely not more. But less is only less if it doesn't sacrifice content and meaning.

Siegel and Etzkorn advocate a 3-part formula for simplifying almost anything: The need to empathize, distill, and then clarify. Easier said than done, but rock-solid in its logic. Read the book to learn the "how to" behind this approach.

In the end, the thought that has entered my mind and won't leave is this unrelenting, conundrum: We want things simple but gladly welcome more in the way of choice (mobile phones, brands of milk, cars, cereals, etc., etc.). Underneath this conundrum is a kind of immaturity, a lack of personal self-awareness, which marketers exploit and we don't seem to see. Maybe, it's time we did. Alan, Irene, perhaps you can aid the cause by applying your experience and wisdom to simplifying us human beings?

To all who yearn for - really yearn for - a window into the mysteries of what simplicity is all about and why we crave it, grab a copy of Simple. Sit down with a glass of water, in a quiet room, read this book and see if you don't "see" how life might be, were it just a little bit simpler.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBest Business Books 2013: Marketing by Catharine P. Taylor
By strategy+business on December 6, 2013
Format: Hardcover
If marketing isn’t concerned solely with marketing anymore, it makes sense that the year’s best marketing book isn’t solely about marketing either. Instead, "Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity," by Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn, is something of a diatribe against the pervasive complexity that serves to frustrate consumers and undermine customer relationships.

At first, "Simple" struck me as over the top in its obsession with indecipherable phone bills and menus crammed with too many choices. Doesn’t society have bigger problems to address, such as climate change and cancer? But soon the realization dawned that complexity hasn’t jumped out at me as an urgent problem because I’ve become inured to it. I expect hidden gotchas in the reams of pages in credit card agreements that I will never actually read until it’s too late to avoid them, and I assume that the directions for assembling my new patio set will be so confusing that I will need to make multiple calls to the manufacturer’s helpline. Traditionally, we haven’t classified these annoyances as marketing problems—but as customer experience becomes a core element of marketing, it’s clear that the damage caused by complexity extends far beyond the customer service department.

Although Siegel and Etzkorn take on everything from the 14,000-page U.S. tax code to prescription drug labels, rest assured their book is written from a marketer’s point of view: Siegel previously founded and led the global branding agency Siegel + Gale and now leads Siegelvision, an organizational identity and brand strategy consultancy; Etzkorn is Siegelvision’s chief clarity strategist.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA new take on K.I.S.S.
By R. Mavis on June 30, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
How complex is your world? Is more making your world a nightmare? Are you bogged down by complex, bloated policies, laws, regulations and activities? Well this book brings the concept of "Keep It Simple Stupid" to everything you do. If you understand Critical Thinking then this book will make you practice it in new ways.
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2.0 out of 5 starsLength of book inconsistent with its message
By Kalyan Jana on December 30, 2013
Format: Hardcover
While the message is straightforward - keep documents short and to the point - it could have been conveyed in far fewer pages. I agree with another reviewer that the entire book's message could have been equally effectively conveyed in a magazine-length article. Simply put, the authors are not practicing what they preach.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMandatory Reading
By BeeCharmer on April 28, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
All who navigate the maze of unnecessary complexity imposed upon us by government, business and other organizations as we live our lives should cheer this work; someone finally gets it. Every one of us has experienced the frustrations it describes. Everyone one of us of will benefit from the solutions it proposes.

Clearly, concisely and, yes, simply written, this book is a quick and easy read. It should, however, be read a second or third time. The simplification process it proposes is adaptable to any organization at any level. It should be mandatory reading for every executive, manager and government official.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsWell written, great resource.

I loved this book! Simple is a competitive edge in business today. This book does an excellent job of outlining challenges and opportunities. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Karen Post
3.0 out of 5 starsCould have been 1/4 as long and just as good.

Love the concept, BUT this book gets really repetitive and introduces no new ideas in the second half. Read more

Published 15 months ago by gold1384
4.0 out of 5 starsGood useful book

Good clear usable advice. In a society and that is unnecessarily complicated...the book provides good specific ideas on how to make things simple.

Published 19 months ago by Mark P. Rockwell
5.0 out of 5 starsHighest recommendation if you believe as I do that words are important...

A lighthouse of intelligence, clarity, and sanity in a world gone mad with complexity. I write grant proposals for a living and this is my new Bible. Read more

Published 20 months ago by wechsmeister
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat stuff

I've made a mini-career out of helping my clients simplify their processes and the way people get the tools and information they need to perform them properly. Read more

Published 22 months ago by W R Daugherty
5.0 out of 5 starsCut the crap

This book captures, in a much more systematic and disciplined way that I had ever done, the importance of cutting through the rising tide of needless complexity and legalese that... Read more

Published on March 25, 2014 by Peter R. Longini
4.0 out of 5 starsTerrific ideas.

I enjoyed the ideas in this book very much but thought the writing was just okay, which took away from the experience.

Published on March 17, 2014 by S. Pizza
5.0 out of 5 stars5 Stars for "Simple"

East to read (like the title would imply) but highly applicable to all businesses seeking greater overall productivity, less stress, more positive culture.

Published on November 6, 2013 by Oris9
4.0 out of 5 starsUseful definition & examples of SIMPLE

When a book's title is SIMPLE, I expected a simple definition of the title word. The authors did not disappoint. Read more

Published on October 22, 2013 by T. Pryor
3.0 out of 5 starsGood Stuff, Needs the Right Audience

The Long Tail may offer unlimited choice, but what happens when too much choice and information becomes a problem in and of itself? Read more

Published on October 15, 2013 by George Rodriguez - Nonfiction Author

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