The End of Marketing as We Know It. Marketing for the 21st Century
Want to succeed in business in the 21st Century? Time to reorient your brain toward profit! What worked in the past bears little resemblance to what will work now. “You cannot bank on yesterday’s success” states Sergio Zyman. Former Chief Marketing Officer for Coca-Cola in The End of Marketing As We Know It. He packs the new realities for sales success into only 235 pages.
Not just a book, but more of an education than a book, it provides answers:
1) How Barak Obama strategically won the presidency – page 99
2) Popular advertisements that didn’t sell product, so wasted money
3) Why mega-brands are a bad idea
4) Why every company needs a strategy. (Otherwise your competitors will impose one on you!)
This book provides tons of gems to help you think daily about your business:
1) “Consumption, definition, re-definition and reinvention are the essence of growth.”
2) “Differentiation is critical; sameness has no value.”
3) “You must be willing to change your mind in order to succeed.”
4) “Under promise, then over deliver.” (Southwest Airlines key)
Want to be a terrific strategic marketer. Mr. Zyman shows how to
- Kill a category on page 37
- Neutralize the competition on page 35
The “end game” is to constantly change the definition of what you are doing, so your competition is constantly lagging behind. He states, “Remember a destination is nothing more than a new starting point.”
I found the goal of this book is to help you realize your “ultimate goal” in advertising – maximize profit!
- Sell as much product as possible;
- to as many people as possible;
- as often as possible; and
- at the highest prices possible.
I realize it is tough to wrap your mind around all these concepts immediately. That’s why you should invest in the book in hard cover. It will be usable for years to come.
The End of Marketing as We Know It by Sergio Zyman is one of the very few books you’ll own that provides new insight to increase business every time you read it. (With my significant experience in all these areas including B-2-B and retail, I found this book applicable and fascinating.) I heartily recommend this volume.
Photo by SEOPlanter 
