First Monday Book Reviews: March 2009
The first Monday of each month I review one to five books I read. Here’s two for your reading pleasure.
Title:Convergence Marketing: Combining Brand and Direct Marketing for Unprecedented Profits
Author: Richard Rosen
ISBN#: 978-0470164938, Wiley
This is really a book about creative testing. More specifically, it’s about how to test ads by adding more and more direct response elements to find the perfect balance between beauty and results, optimizing ROI. The book is a fast-paced read and much of it is based off of Mr. Rosen’s lectures and presentations.
The one aspect lacking is results, more specifically hard numbers and more case studies as to how effective the approach is when put to the real world test. While some examples are given, they do not solidify the process as to how it improved ROI, at least not as convincingly as it would seem.
Nonetheless, any book that deals with testing is a step in the right direction. This book will get you to think about the balance between great design and super results and will make you think about your current creative efforts and how they can be improved — from a results vantage point. Any book that makes you think about results and how they can improve, especially with this economy, is well worth the read.
BOOK #2
Title: The Little Black Book of Online Business
Author: Paul Galloway
ISBN#: 978-0470407769, Wiley
I have to admit, I love this book. It’s more a resource guide than a book. A resource of where to find and how to improve things online. Looking for Firefox extensions? How about copywriters, web designers or Mind Mapping Software? This book will give you information on experts/sites to begin your research. It includes more than 1,000 resources, easily laid out and very useful.
Anyone who does online marketing, or is considering it, should buy and keep a copy of this tome handy for future reference.
