Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The controversial marketing guru discusses the revolution in advertising strategy
"What can I say about Sergio Zyman? He's a genius; that's all."-Warren Bennis, University Professor and DistinguishedProfessor of BusinessAdministration, USC Marshall School of Business
In this follow-up to his bestselling book The End of Marketing As We Know It, Sergio Zyman, Coca-Cola's renowned former chief marketing officer, argues that the business of advertising as we know it is dead. He uses real-world examples to illustrate how modern advertising overemphasizes art and entertainment and neglects the most important rule of advertising-sell the product. With a keen eye and a no-holds-barred approach, Zyman discusses how advertising died, what killed it, and how to revive it. He addresses the most critical issues affecting any organization's sales and marketing departments, using his time-tested, unorthodox, and sometimes even counterintuitive principles in order to translate key strategies into positive business results. For marketing managers, advertisers, and CEOs, this book offers groundbreaking advice from one of the legends of modern marketing, as well as the knowledge, insights, tools, and direction to transform advertising strategies from hoping to planning, from art to science, from guessing to knowing, and from random success to planned success.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• Chapter 1 The First Casualty: How We Killed Traditional Advertising (p. 9)
• Chapter 2 Success Can Be Deadly--Don't Take Your Brand Awareness for Granted (p. 33)
• Chapter 3 Fish Where the Fish Are (p. 75)
• Chapter 4 Celebrity Endorsers, Spokespeople, and Icons: When to Use 'Em, When Not To (p. 101)
• Chapter 5 Packaging Matters: It's Your Last, Best Shot, So Make It a Good One (p. 125)
• Chapter 6 To Sponsor or Not to Sponsor: That Is the Question (p. 145)
• Chapter 7 Free Media--Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy (p. 173)
• Chapter 8 Making Your Employees Part of Your Message and Your Product (p. 187)
• Chapter 9 The Proof Is in the Pudding (p. 219)
• Chapter 10 Never Miss Another Opportunity (p. 229)
• Index (p. 235)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

As chief marketing officer at the Coca-Cola Company, Zyman (The End of Marketing As We Know It) speaks from practical experience, but he also holds an MBA from Harvard. At Coca-Cola, Zyman both increased sales dramatically and oversaw the introduction of New Coke one of the most visible missteps in the annals of marketing. Advertising now is not effective, claims Zyman, because it is dominated by overly creative television ads that entertain and win awards but don't generate sales. Expanding the definition of advertising to include everything from packaging to employee behavior, he argues that advertising must show a clear measurable return. One of his best arguments is that sponsorships should be reconsidered to make sure that every dollar spent drives increased sales. Zyman does not introduce many new ideas, but he does advocate that CEOs and marketing managers take a more active role to reinforce the brand and value proposition. While walking readers through a series of real-world examples of what worked and what didn't, he downplays his own mistakes and shows little sympathy for the mistakes of others. Ultimately, though, the book reaffirms the classic notion that a company must think through its strategies up front while also welcoming change. The writing style is refreshingly simple and easy to understand. Appropriate for any library that has a business section. Stephen Turner, Turner & Assoc., Inc., San Francisco (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Zyman began his career in an advertising agency, worked his way up to become the chief marketing officer of Coca-Cola and now runs his own marketing consulting firm. Readers might expect him to be a friend of the advertising industry, having played on both sides. But he doesn't hold his punches, particularly when it comes to the industry's recent emphasis on shock value, a trend that is also mocked by another new book, The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR, reviewed below. The nearly simultaneous publication of both books should concern ad execs who've based their campaigns on irony and nonsense. Their work might win ad industry awards, but it does little to sell products, both of these books argue. Zyman also advises marketing managers on such esoteric decisions as whether to tap a dead celebrity for a TV spot or to trust in fads like "viral marketing." Frequent references to last year's terrorist attacks make the book feel up to date, but sometimes result in jarring passages, such as, "Right after the September 11 attacks, Pepsi started having a little trouble keeping consumers interested in the message." No kidding. Zyman addresses chief executives and marketing managers directly, counseling them to get tough on their ad agencies and base their evaluation of the agency's work on whether it sells products or services, not on whether it generates buzz. Seems like obvious advice, but judging by recent commercials, Zyman's thorough, thoughtful words might be the kick-in-the-pants the industry needs. Illus. (Sept. 27) Forecast: The cover photo of Zyman staring sage-like out at the reader might work, as he is well known in his field, although he's not exactly a familiar face to the public at large. While the book is aimed primarily at CEOs and marketing managers inside companies, advertising and PR execs will want to read it, too. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Picking up where his earlier The End of Marketing As We Know It (CH, Apr'00) leaves off, Zyman focuses on making advertising relevant. Rather than just creating "30-second movies" that look good, Zyman says that advertisers need to concentrate on doing what it takes to sell products. This means identifying what customers want and designing advertising messages that emphasize the product's benefits and urge customers to take action (i.e., to buy the product). It also means expanding the concept of what advertising is to include the "look" of the product and its package (the image it conveys) and the actions of company employees (what they communicate to customers). In Zyman's words, "advertising is everything" a company does, not just its paid media. Zyman, once the chief marketing officer for Coca-Cola and now the chairman of his own consulting company, puts his experience to good use in this very readable and informative book, which is filled with marketing examples and company anecdotes. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate marketing students, faculty, and professionals. P. G. Kishel Cypress College

Booklist Review

Zyman was nicknamed the "Aya Cola" for his brutally honest approach as chief marketing officer of Coca-Cola, where he spearheaded the launches of Diet Coke, New Coke, Classic Coke, Fruitopia, and Sprite. He refused to rerun the much-loved "I'd like to teach the world to sing" Coke commercial because he believed that "feel good" marketing is pointless unless it leads to higher sales. His book The End of Marketing as We Know It was a slap in the face of TV commercial producers who think they're creating high art but have forgotten the purpose of ads: to sell the product. Here he gets down to the nitty-gritty about why advertising is failing and gives firsthand advice on how to make it work again. The 30-second TV commercial is not the end-all medium for reaching your audience, he says, because advertising includes so many overlooked aspects of your product such as branding, packaging, and how to treat employees. His straightforward approach will hit home with advertising directors willing to drop the nonsense and get back to basics. --David Siegfried