A Genie's Wisdom: A Fable of How a CEO Learned to Be a Marketing Genius
Author: Jack Trout
List Price: $19.95
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ISBN: 047123608X
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (01 November, 2002)
Sales Rank: 69,451
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Marketing Explained in about 2 hrs.
This is what most business books should be. Brief, to the point, no wild theories, just good old common sense.
This book is broken up into the ten questions a new CEO, from finance, gets to ask the marketing genie. It explains the basics from segmentation, product strategy, advertising, distribution, price etc. Most of the information is pretty basic, but as explained in the book it is just what most people don't do.P.S. If you have read some of Jack Trout's previous books, you will notice some overlap in the concepts explained here. However, it is still worth the short time it will take to read this book.
Rating: 3 out of 5
A Solid Effort!
Are you mystified by marketing? If you are, fear not. Author and marketing authority Jack Trout - the man who "positioned" positioning in the minds of marketers - has planted a genie in a mysterious computer (the new age version of a bottle on the beach) and given him the task of answering core marketing questions. In this fictional tale - which attempts to emulate the success of fables such as Who Moved My Cheese and Fish, but falls short - Trout takes readers through the very basics, from defining the product's concept to what elements should be in a logo. Trout warns of seven marketing pitfalls to avoid. Using everyday language and the persistent but wealthy genie who explains it all, he breaks down the subject into small nuggets easily digested by even the least marketing-minded manager. While he does oversimplify, Trout contends that marketing is often made more complicated by the very people who profit from its complexity. Overall, we from getAbstract suggest this how-to book to business people who are unfamiliar with the marketing process.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Enjoyable read, enlightening, thought-provoking
Let's begin by introducing the author. Jack Trout is recognized as a guru in the field of marketing. He popularized the concept of "positioning" in the customer's mind and has written numerous books on various aspects of marketing. Without question, this is an expert you'd love to have on-call whenever you have a question about marketing.Company owners and top executives outside the marketing field understand the vital need for effective marketing. However, when marketing mavens start babbling, it's difficult to gain enough comprehension to make educated decisions. The topic can be very confusing, especially when people start spewing jargon that muddies the clarity needed to know what resources to allocate and what results to expect.
When the marketing stuff gets overwhelming, CEOs wish they had a genie who would pop out of an ancient lantern to answer all the questions and build an easier understanding of the field. In this deceivingly small volume, Jack Trout provides the genie to aid the CEO-and the reader. But, these are modern times, so the genie's residence of choice is a laptop computer. Our Aladdin discovers a mysterious computer on his desk one morning and can't resist turning it on. Poof! The genie appears and offers to answer ten questions about marketing for the CEO.
The remaining chapters each present a scenario a non-enlightened CEO (someone without marketing expertise) might face in the course of business. Seeking guidance, our CEO flips on the computer to gain knowledge from the genie. As we move through the book, insightful responses to the CEO's questions help clarify what marketing is all about. This is not an in-depth treatise; note that the entire book is only 120 pages long.
The treatment is solid, yet light enough to be easy, enjoyable reading. The genie gives examples by talking about other CEOs as if he'd advised them in the past. In a delightful tongue-in-cheek, the genie even quotes Jack Trout on one occasion! Even with all my knowledge about marketing, I learned a lot...and got some stimulation to think more deeply about a few issues I'm working with in my own company.
A Genie's Wisdom is easy to read on the plane (lightweight book) or in bed in the evening as you're winding down. After you refer back to it a couple of times, you'll probably pass it to a colleague or friend. It's just that kind of book.
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