The Lost Logo - A Review

This book is probably much like Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol....that is, not as exciting as previous outings. But entertaining nonetheless.

In this one, Brown continues his attack on marketing norms with zingers like the chapter where Abby trashed (literally) works done by hired brand consultants, those "fee-padding con artists".

I especially liked the chapter where a Coke executive tried to cut a deal with Magill to include Coke branding in Dan Brown's next book. How utterly uncool it is for brands to latch on to money-making mediums like books, using the most flimsiest of connections and at times, not connection at all! Seems desperate and yet, so very real.

The Marketing Code - A Review

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.

LEAP!: Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free - A Review

Short, succinct and to the point. With heaps of useful tips. However, I think this guide is for those who are considering setting up their own consultancy outfits. Not entirely useful for those in other types of home based business like network marketing or internet marketing, although some of the tips may apply. What I liked about the book was that it never tried to go into those mumbo-jumbo "find yourself","discover your inner mojo","get in touch with your inner self" rubbish so prevalent and long-winded in self-help books for entrepreneurs. Ian Sanders made his points clear and practical. I like this.

Mullahs, Merchants, and Militants: The Economic Collapse of the Arab World - A Review

In most history of military conquests and reigns of despots and corrupt government, the underlying reasons has always included economics. The kind where the country's riches are controlled by the very few and the many suffer.

Such as typified by the many Middle Eastern countries.

It's really not a huge surprise to see many turn to the likes of Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood and for those with more extreme tastes, Al-Qaeda as they seem to be the ones bearing beacons of hope.

If one is hungry, one will become very desperate.

The Online Advertising Playbook: Proven Strategies and Tested Tactics from the Advertising Research Foundation - A Review

It's like what the title says. This is a playbook.

Found a lot of useful case studies and nice tips. But what I found disturbing is that the strategies and tactics are too reminiscent of traditional advertising. It talks quite a bit about what size it should be, what should be said, how often it should appear.

Having said that, this book is very useful when dealing with the here and now. But it won't be useful for long as online advertising morphs further to include Web 2.0 elements. And that should be in a couple of years. This book was written in 2007. The authors should think about revised editions or follow-ups.

The Obvious: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed - A Review

Reading The Obvious, I could not help but think how familiar all the tips were. Aside from being obvious, they were logical and more importantly, practical.

I especially like the part about biz-speak. Being from the advertising industry, I confess to being guilty of 'weaseling'. And here's an excuse for doing so (not reason) : Everybody else at work are doing it. We try to cushion the things we say in business, because we think that the recipient cannot handle the cold, hard truth.

Or worse, to give the impression that we're smarter, or the better Agency because we're using the latest business terms which are currently the flavor of the month. And it's all semantics, really.

Make Your Money Work for You: How to Grow Your Investment Dollars - A Review

I am completely lost when it comes to understanding finance. Never liked it much in school. But this book really made investment much, much easier to understand. The examples of calculations are well-explained. The different types of investments are well defined.

A very good book for newbies on financial assets investment. The only thing was that it was Singapore market-skewed. Would've like a Malaysian version.

Nevertheless, a really good book, in my opinion.