Marketing Books

Books and resources that are useful.

Claude Hopkins Scientific Advertising 1923

You can buy from Amazon, or download the pdf at the link above. David Ogilvy said no one should be allowed to working (advertising)marketing until they had read this book seven times. Claude Hopkins was given a blank signed cheque every year by his employer and told to fill in whatever he wished.

Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman.

From Amazon: The New York Times Bestseller, acclaimed by author such as Freakonomics co-author Steven D. Levitt, Black Swan author Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Nudge co-author Richard Thaler, Thinking Fast and Slow offers a whole new look at the way our minds work, and how we make decisions.

Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing by Drayton Bird

Another direct marketing legend. Worked with/for David Ogilvy. He wrote the Amex letter that pulled $2billion in sign ups and was used as the control for about 20 years. I have worked with him directly for nearly 20 years. You might find his 51 helpful marketing ideas useful as well.

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples (revised Fred Hahn)

A legend in marketing. If you want to learn what works using email or inbound then you need this book. Written before the internet was even an idea it is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success: The Pros Tell You Their Time-Proven Secret

In these pages Denny Hatch and Don Jackson blitz you with the secrets, rules, and wisdom of nearly 200 of the great masters: from Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, and Max Sackheim to such modern greats as Jay Abraham, Dick Benson, Drayton Bird, Malcolm Decker, Bob Doscher, John J. Fleider, Jerry Gould, Bob Hacker, Dick Hodgson, Cecil Hoge Sr., Bill Jayme, Ted Kikoler, Jim Kobs, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Malcolm McCluskey, Don Nicholas, J. Peterman, Max Ross, Jim Rutz, Emily Soell, Lew Smith, Bob Stone, Joan Throckmorton, and John Yeck. So . . . what is this book’s proposition? Simply that you can have, at your fingertips, the individual and collective wisdom of the greatest practitioners of this century about: Creative, Copy, Math, Space Ads, Direct Mail, Production, Management, Strategy, Lists, Testing, Offers, Fulfillment, Back-End Operations, Lead Generation, and (of course!) much, much more!

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters by Joseph Sugarman

A really useful reference book if you want to write compelling copy. He talks about the slippery slope of copy, a simple idea to keep people reading. From Amazon: Great copy is the heart and soul of the advertising business. In this practical guide, legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman provides proven guidelines and expert advice on what it takes to write copy that will entice, motivate, and move customers to buy. For anyone who wants to break into the business, this is the ultimate companion resource for unlimited success.

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

While we don’t do much/any advertising the lessons can be applied to web and email layout.

The book of Gossage by Howard Luck Gossage

This is a brilliant book if you are interested in someone who understood how to engage prospects and customers. Whilst he used the medium of advertising to get his message across the lessons apply to many other media.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

On Writing Well is full of sound advice, it is clear and direct, but not over bearing. If you need to learn how to write or do some writing each day, as we all do in the age of e-mail and the Internet, then this is for you.

McKinsey: Four ways to get more value from digital marketing

Companies that make the deep strategic, organizational, and operational shifts required to become effective digital marketers can become more agile, more productive, and accelerate revenue growth.

PRSummit: Want to change minds? Narrative trumps facts

In changing minds, presenting compelling factual evidence doesn’t work, and may actually be counterproductive.