Elisabeth Leonard on Libraries

São Paulo: The City That Said No To Advertising

In São Paulo, Brazil, all outdoor advertising has been banned, eliminating what politicians called a blight.  My reaction?  We should be so lucky!  It is the rare billboard that attracts my attention, instead I find my eyes veering away from them, resentful that they are there.  In an age when every surface seems like fair game for ads (sides of buses, taxis, park benches, the huge screens in Times Square, the guys who flip signs on street corners), I am all for calling the advertisers out on what I feel has become excess.  I do wonder how long the Brazilian ban will last, but in the meantime, let it be a cautionary note to all advertisers: we are getting tired of it all! 

Link: São Paulo: The City That Said No To Advertising.

Glorious Kotler

There is no author that captures my own views on marketing as well as Philip Kotler does.
I admit, that when I first took a marketing class in my MBA program, I was a bit leary of what I would learn.  My textbook was written by Kotler (the newest edition is the 12th! Marketing Management, ISBN: 0131457578).  I have read almost everything he has written -- and I confess I learn more each time I re-read his books.  Why?  Because marketing is much more than advertising and GOOD marketing creates and promotes GREAT services and products.
My favorite Kotler books:

B2B Brand Management by Philip Kotler, Waldemar Pfoertsch,  and I. Michi.

BRAND sense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound by Martin Lindstrom and Philip Kotler

Kotler on Marketing, Philip Kotler.

Marketing Professional Services by Philip Kotler, Thomas Hayes,  and Paul N. Bloom

Book recommendation

Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master by Paul W. Farris.

This is a great guide to different metrics used to determine the effectiveness of your marketing.  Useful if you want a desk reference and perhaps even more useful if you have never known how to measure advertising effectiveness.