Meatball Sundae

September 24, 2007
Godin's latest business handbook (after Small Is the New Big
and The Dip
) revisits some of his most popular marketing advice, while emphasizing that it can't just be applied willy-nilly. In past decades, he says, companies were able to get rich by making “average products for average people,” but those markets have long since been sewn up; “mass is no longer achievable desirable.” Rather than simply rely on mass media to raise product visibility, “New Marketing” treats every aspect of interacting with customers—including customer service and the product itself—as an opportunity to “grow the organization.” In order to be successful with such marketing techniques, a company must change its practices across the board. Otherwise, you're just putting whipped cream on a meatball. Godin has a perspective on everything from blogs (don't bother unless you really have something to say) to the long tail (if it's as valuable to your company as the top sellers are, why aren't you paying more attention?). His arresting conversational style is sure to once again set the business world talking.

October 15, 2007
This perennially best-selling author, most recently of The Dip (2007), habitually takes an unconventional approach to business theory and practice, and his new book on marketing certainly follows suit. First of all, Godin defines new marketing, which is the au courant strategy for purveying goods and services. The idea ofnew marketing is an important aspect of his book, sincein his view, it is the way of the future and has changed marketing permanently. His definition in its broadest terms is a combination of more than a dozen trends, and those trends center on todays various and changing media tools and outlets (such as e-mail andMySpace and other Web sites). Godins major pointis that new marketing can be vastly successful but only for the right company;to bethe right company, an organizationcannot rely on tailoring new marketing tactics to fitits organization but may have to restructureitself tofit contemporary high-impact, innovative marketing.Using concise, well-ordered prose, Godinnever patronizes and is at all times informative and encouraging.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)