Marketers – DaneCobain.com

Title: The Long Tail

Author: Chris Anderson

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 244

Rating: 4/5

This book was a bit of a weird read because it was written far enough ago now that a bunch of its references and case studies are out of date. For example, it was talking about Blockbuster and Napster, which are hardly relevant in 2020.

But still, the ideas in this book are super important and have influenced a whole generation of businessmen and marketers, and so even though bits of it felt out of date, it was still very much worth reading. True, if you’re already familiar with the overall concept of the long tail then there’s nothing much here to learn about, but if you’re not then I’d suggest giving this a read to make sure that you are.

I mean, with that said, there’s also a whole heap of research and case studies here for you to learn from, although again, you should remember that some of them are out of date. Honestly, this is such a seminal book that the chances are that there’s an updated edition knocking around, so maybe have a look to check that out before buying a used copy, like I did.

But overall, I would of course recommend it if you’re the entrepreneurial type. If not, there’s not much point, although it could give you a greater insight into the way things actually work.

Learn more about The Long Tail.

Dave Trott – Predatory Thinking | Review

Title: Predatory Thinking

Author: Dave Trott

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 264

Rating: 4*/5

Dave Trott – Predatory Thinking

This book’s interesting because it’s different to most other marketing books that are out there. That’s because, really, this book isn’t a marketing book. It’s more like a motivational book, one that makes you look at things in a new light. Trott teaches you how to think, and it really is a mindset rather than anything else. But it works.

The book takes the form of a number of different short essays that include a little bit of knowledge that people can learn from. But Trott doesn’t preach – he lets the stories speak for themselves, and he invites the reader to participate by drawing their own conclusions. That’s good, because it helps you to learn, and that learning is enhanced by the way that it’s written. It almost feels like a poetry collection, and it certainly has that kind of vibe. It makes it stand out, and standing out is good.

I’m still a little skeptical when it comes to books like this because while I work in marketing, I also hate marketers. I think it’s the nature of the job. But Trott seems to share my point of view, and it’s refreshing to read a book that changes the way you think about things. Whether or not I’m able to take any of the lessons from the book and apply them to my own career…well, that remains to be seen. Overall, if we’re talking about inspirational reads, you can’t do much better than this.