Happy #Readabookday one and all! To celebrate such a joyous occasion, we’ve rounded up our Best Books in Marketing and Technology in 2020 from our famous #MarketingBookClub.
If you’re on the hunt for your next page turner and fancy a little try before you buy, then look no further. We’ll break it down MC Hammer style while you sit back, relax and take your pick from our juicy line-up.
In no apparent order, we introduce you to our top 5 MarTech Alliance must reads for #Readabookday 2020… *drum roll please*
Alchemy the Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland
“Why is Red Bull so popular – even though everyone hates the taste? Why do countdown boards on platforms take away the pain of train delays? And why do we prefer stripy toothpaste?”
These are just some of life’s great questions that Ogilvy advertising legend, Rory Sutherland poses as he investigates the level of logic in human behaviour. Sutherland gets down to the nitty gritty of what really motivates and makes us tick. Are we all rational beings that conclude our evaluations based on the cold hard facts consumed around us? Probably not.
Placebos are powerful, we’re driven by emotion and drawn to the beautiful, extravagant and absurd. So, when it comes to influencing people’s choices, be prepared to bypass reason.
Get ready to have your mind blown.
Data Story: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story by Nancy Duarte
“Scientists have proven that stories make the brain light up in ways no other form of communication does. Using story frameworks as a communication device for data will help make your recommendations stick and be acted on.”
Despite individual roles and organisations relying on data to solve problems and identify opportunities, communicating the results well is the top skill gap in data-driven roles today.
Transform numbers into narratives; Nancy reveals the importance of marrying both our analytical and storytelling skills together in order to thrive in our data-driven industries. She highlights the value in understanding your audience, writing your data story and becoming the storyteller.
Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change by Marc Benioff
Founder and co-CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff takes the reader on an inspiring behind-the-scenes journey into one of the world’s most admired tech companies. From a small apartment in Telegraph Hill in San Francisco to the world’s #1 CRM and cutting-edge cloud-based platform.
Through the thick and thin, Benioff reveals how standing true to the company’s core values: trust, customer success, innovation and equality, alongside their commitment to giving back became the company’s greatest advantage and most powerful force for success.
Benioff believes that there should no longer be a place for businesses built on corporate greed with no regard for the greater good of society. He believes that the only way to true success is by making decisions that are not only good for business, but that take an active role in making society a better place.
That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph
Once upon a Blockbuster, before the times of video streaming, Marc Randolph had an idea. That idea would put an almighty end to late fees and fast forward the death of the DVD.
The idea was simple – Utilise the internet for home movie rentals. 150 million subscribers later, Netflix continues to triumph the on-demand streaming empire.
But ripping up the rule book doesn’t always come easy. Randolph takes us on his start-up journey filled with twists and turns, from pitching to his own mother to become an early investor, to server crashes on launch day and the infamous pitch to Blockbuster.
A binge-worthy book fuelled by determination, grit and ground-breaking ideas.
Stories That Stick: how Story Telling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business by Kindra Hall
“The moment you take control of your stories, you take control of your business and your life.”
Hall talks us through how storytelling can sperate the good from the great in business today. From helping leaders to inspire, motivating sales teams and winning customers from competitors, storytelling is an important trick that should be in every businessperson’s tool kit.
Professional storyteller and nationally known speaker, Hall states the four stories you should use to differentiate, captivate and elevate:
- the Value Story, to convince customers they need what you provide;
- the Founder Story, to persuade investors and customers your organization is worth the investment;
- the Purpose Story, to align and inspire your employees and internal customers; and
- the Customer Story, to allow those who use your product or service to share their authentic experiences with others.
If you struggle to get the pages turning, make sure you catch the latest and greatest #MarketingBookClub podcast interviews with the lovely authors themselves. Get to grips with all the juicy insights without having to read a word.
But be warned – not many can walk away resisting the temptation to pick up a copy and delve in deeper. You may end up hooked on books before you know it…