Bookshelf

The following are books which recently took a cozy spot in my bookshelf. I allowed my humble self, with all due respect for the authors, to review some of them. Click on any of the categories to go on.

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The Tipping Point - How Little Things can Make a Big Difference

by Malcom Gladwell (2000)
 

Ladislas' review (2011): The serial author Malcom Gladwell has a talent for making books out of topics which could be covered in an essay, yet managing to get the reader interested all along.

In this particular work, he investigates what makes trends tip into an uncontrollable frenzy. In essence, what are the tipping points which will make an idea, or product, highly successful. Based on his own research and professors' academic research he cites three points which are key in instrumentalizing such successes:

-          The Law of the few. A small number of individuals in society have the power and social skills to spread, and start ideas and trends.

-          The Stickiness Factor. A product or Idea needs to be “Sticky” to be caught on; it must be memorable and packaged correctly. Small tinkering can be the tipping point between a flop and success. Significant effort needs to be put into finding these details.

-          The Law of Context: Context is key to reach the tipping point. One must alter of choose and appropriate context to make one’s message successful. Small details in the context can make all the difference.

Malcom Gladwell expands on all of the three points in detail by using examples and research. He definitely reaches the goal of making the reading “sticky” as one quickly gulps page after page. Certain examples may sometimes seem like too much as some of his points do not need that much elaboration. The goal of this book is not only the message he wants to get across (the three points), but is also meant to be entertaining. The whole work could have easily been summed up in an academic article with the relevant research. He chose the path of making “entertainment” out of it. Fair enough.

The result is a fun book to read, which in the end will have made one quite acutely aware of the end message which is very much applicable for all involved in Marketing.

Inside the Mind of the Shopper

by Dr. Herb Sorensen (2009)

Ladislas' review (2010): This book was recommended at work and hence soon found a spot next to my bed for some evening reading. The author is highly experienced in shopper research and does not fail to remind the reader of this whenever possible. Ignoring the fact that this book is really about promoting himself and his company, some key learnings can be absorbed.

Shoppers can be segmented in terms of their “trips”; Quick trips, fill-ups, and stock-ups.  The behaviour of the shopper will change depending on the type of trip he/she is on. Retailers and manufacturers must adapt their strategies accordingly, which is currently not always the case. Interestingly, retailers do not make the bulk of their profits on margins in stores. Ahead are trade spend by manufacturers, float on cash, and appreciation of real estate. Another interesting point is the currency of the shopper. Shoppers do not only exchange time and money in the store, but “anxiety” as well. Shopper anxiety is often heavily underrated by retailers and manufacturers alike. Most importantly, the push towards “category reinvention” was emphasized which includes elements such as “themes, fixtures, signage, size, layout, location, paths, adjacencies, flow, assortment, and planograms”.

Those are just some of the points that the book raises. It could be said that it is a fairly good “retailing and category management 101” crash course if one manages to read through all the self-promotion. It must also be mentioned that it is fairly US-centric and some of the points may, or may not, apply to other countries. I would recommend this book to anyone who has just joined the industry. Anyone not linked to it should stay clear unless if a medium to doze off is the objective.

Winning

by Kack Welch & Suzy Welch (2005)
 

Ladislas' review (2011): The famous Jack Welch wrote his second book as the idea was a "retirement present" from the "tens of thousands of terrific people [he] met since [he left] GE". He starts off with some good self promotion.
The overall theme of the book is to offer recommendations for key business dilemnas one faces in the corporate world. They range from how one should get promoted, to hiring, mergers, work-life balance, budgeting, etc. In a nutshell; "career in corporate 101". The ideas are good, and definitely endured a lot of personal experience on his end. The style is non academic, rather like a straight-to-the-point management report which makes it very legible. It can get excessively mundane at times as some of the advice is a no-brainer from the start.  
Overall, the book reaches its purpose and teaches people about a certain skill set, especially taking into account the very credible author. If you are striving to get intellectually challenged, grab something else.