“The new rules of Marketing & PR”…and book reviews
June 23rd, 2007
I must admit, when I was first linked to and offered a copy of “The new rules of Marketing and PR” for review, I was more impressed with David Meerman Scott’s clever strategy to create buzz than anything else. I guess it is fair to say that he is “walking the walk” of “the new rules”.
Having said that, “The new rules of Marketing and PR” proved to be a surprising read, as it offers both a compelling argument why the rules have changed, and then offers a comprehensive guide how to go to work with these rules.
The point about the “new rules”
The central argument is that now that you have the opportunity to market directly to people online (without having to buy media or influence journalists, under the “old” rules) you can tell your own story and you should.
The style is blog-like, without being light on, and the real-world examples of how various business have applied the rules are interesting and credible.
No shortcuts
When you read David’s book you are reminded of the fact that are no shortcuts in good communication; if anything, he advises to invest more time and more effort in what you write, and who you write it for.
For example, David highlights that collectively, as marketers, we still too often fill pages with meaningless or internally focused, egocentric content. Sometimes because it is quicker, sometimes because that is what we believe the CEO wants to read. Instead, he advises, spend some time and find out from the people that matter; your audience of prospects/customers/members etc.
“When I see words like “flexible”, “scalable”, “ground-breaking” or cutting-edge” my eyes glaze over.” he writes. I think we all know that feeling.
The challenges I can see
The biggest challenge is that with this explosion of self-generated media will do to the people we aim to reach. Will they suffer from overload and simply go back to reading a few, leading publications? Like a newspaper? I fear that unless we figure out a way to filter online information, people may simply turn off.
The rules at work
Finally, I think it is fair to say that the fact that I am writing a book review is illustrates that the “new rules” are here. A marketer in Australia, writing a blog with readers around the globe, about an American book I can only buy online.
Hard to argue his point, isn’t it? Would I recommend this book to my friends? Yes. So that includes you, and if you have read the book, tell me what you think.