This is the first time I've added a review for a fiction book on this blog. But trust me, it's entirely appropriate. The Marketing Code is written by Stephen Brown, a Professor of Marketing Research at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. He calls this book a marketing thriller.
A marketing thriller? This book is like one of those marketing fads that he puts down in his book. An interesting idea but will it catch on?
Looks like it didn't judging from the very few reviews I found online. And it's shame. I liked this book. I absolutely dig that SA chapter where the Brady Bunch were cooking up fad marketing terms for sale. And the acronyms? Hilarious. It's a reflection of how ridiculous marketing is getting these days.
But this book wasn't just a rip-roaring yarn with some marketing theory thrown in. It actually got me thinking.
For instance, the book made me realise that all these marketing techniques are consumer-oriented. What if it's the wrong way to go? The marketers who have failed, are said to fail because they didn't follow marketing theory to the letter. Is this really true?
The other thing was (and this, I thought was utterly insidious) was when the Phllips character said "If 99% of the world's marketers accept what the textbooks tell them, then the remaining 1% is in a highly advantageous position." Whoa! Sounds like a would-be could-be conspiracy.
It almost explains why we somehow hear of those who become marketing winners are actually those who don't really follow the rules.
The Marketing Code is the first of a trilogy series. I'm looking forward to the next one.
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