Introduction

Last week, we covered the first half of my odd marketing book list. Today, we finish it.

I think some people will learn a lot, and others will wonder what I am talking about.

Recap

We were talking about the future of marketing, the service drive, loyal customers, retention, and the psychology of marketing.

A few managers asked what books I would recommend.

I thought about it and realized there are a lot of must-read marketing books. I spent time in the office pulling them together. Marketing shows up in many places because it shapes your reputation, your customer experience, and the science of advertising.

Summary

This episode covers a wide list of classic marketing books and marketing book recommendations. It moves from ad and direct-response work to art, color, design, symbols, myths, and documentaries.

The closing Q&A also looks at a young new manager. The main lesson is simple: focus on profit, build steady systems, improve the customer experience, stay fair, and keep the team moving.

Recommended Marketing Books

1. Anything by David Ogilvy

The first real entry on the list is David Ogilvy. He is one of the pioneers of advertising agencies.

One of the books in my collection is an unpublished selection of his writings from the files of his partners. It was handed out at an event, so it is hard to find.

If you want the main books that are easy to get, start with:

• Ogilvy on Advertising
• Confessions of an Advertising Man

2. My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

These two books are often sold together on Amazon.

The cover has a quote from Ogilvy saying nobody should work in advertising until they have read Scientific Advertising several times. He said it changed his life.

Order both books if you can. It may take a while to get through them, and I do not think they are on Audible.

3. Propaganda by Edward Bernays

I like propaganda posters because they grab attention and make a strong statement.

This book is all about propaganda. I even own two copies, but I still could not find one when I looked for it.

4. Stealth Marketing by Jay Abraham

This one sells for a very high price when it is new.

It is hard to find as a physical copy, but you can sometimes find it online as a PDF.

5. The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert

I have talked about this one before.

Dan Kennedy worked for Halbert, and Halbert helped shape a lot of direct marketing thinking. Many marketers passed through his office, and many people went to his events.

The book is a set of letters he wrote to his son from prison. You can learn a lot from it, even though it comes from a very unusual place.

If you look online, you can still find some of his old newsletters and reference material. They are great when you need subject lines or copy ideas for email.

6. I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere with Everyone, One-to-One, Always, Forever, Now by Damien Hirst

Last time we discussed Damien Hirst and his Warhol book.

This one has lots of pictures, but it makes you work. Some parts are backwards or upside down, and there are little things you have to pull or open.

You do not become one of the top-selling artists of our time by accident. Hirst understands human behavior, and that is marketing.

One of my favorite ideas from him is that you have to get attention before you can get people to care.

7. Theories, Models, Methods, Approaches, Assumptions, Results, and Findings by Damien Hirst

I like this one too.

It shows how much research he puts into his work. A lot of it deals with death, so it is not a cheerful book.

8. On Being an Artist by Michael Craig-Martin

This is not really a marketing book, but I love the art.

Michael Craig-Martin taught Damien Hirst in college, so you also get that connection.

I own a few of his pieces. I even bought another one at auction. Many people are selling art right now.

9. Introduction to Color by Josef Albers

This one is part of the long chain of my marketing books because Michael Craig-Martin studied under Josef Albers at Yale.

Albers was part of the Bauhaus movement in Germany and later taught color at Yale. He made these books as gifts for Yale, and they were later screen printed and sold.

The big lesson is simple: color is not fixed. It changes based on light, texture, and how it sits next to other colors.

He showed how the same color can look different depending on:

• How it is placed
• How the light hits it
• The surface it is on

I often used this book when I painted bulldogs. Yale even made an iPad app that walks through the same ideas.

He also showed how people can look at a red Coca-Cola can and then fail to identify the same red once the can is gone. That is because color lives in the mind too.

Understanding marketing and advertising means understanding how the mind works and how context changes perception.

10. Newspaper Design: News Design From the World’s Best Newsrooms

I love books like this.

They teach you how copy works, how the eye moves, when to bold something, and how to shape the page. That is very important.

11. Visual Journalism: Infographics from the World’s Best Newsrooms and Designers by Gestalten

This one is great too.

Christian and I looked at it when we were trying to explain financial statements in a simpler way.

It helps to see the different ways people present information. There is an art to it.

12. What’s the main concept by George Lois

People have said Mad Men may have been inspired by George Lois because he was almost the original marketer.

I own a lot of his books, and this is probably my favorite. He did the Midas logo and many Esquire covers, including the famous one with Muhammad Ali and arrows going into him.

His agency made a lot of wild ads that worked very well. This book shows the thinking behind many of those ideas.

You may not know his name, but you have probably seen his work.

I also liked hearing that he used to go to the Met every Sunday. That made me want to go to LACMA more often and just look, absorb, and think.

13. The Art of Advertising: George Lois on Mass Communication

Same idea, but packed with his ads.

There are magazine covers, business ads, logos, and more.

It helps you see that logos and layouts are never random. They have a job to do.

14. Taschen

My next little batch from the coaching meeting is simple: it is not about the product alone, you have to tell better stories.

Stories pull customers in, and this publisher does a good job of helping with that.

Alchemy and Mysticism

This book helps explain how people buy into fables and visual ideas from different eras.

The Book of Symbols

This one moves through symbols and what they mean.

It asks questions like what an egg means to the subconscious. It also breaks things into sections like creation and cosmos, and light and darkness.

A lot of these images suggest rebirth, and that is why they matter.

Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung

Same basic idea. I am sure you have heard Jung mentioned often.

15. Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha is an artist who uses words in a way that changes how you think about art and language.

He is from California, and one of the books I own is signed with a simple message to Chris. I bought it already signed, and I love that coincidence.

16. Aesop’s Fables

This is a classic.

I like using books like this when I write emails, copy, a book, or any story that needs a strong point.

These stories last because they carry a deeper meaning.

Example: Jack and the Beanstalk

Think about Jack and the Beanstalk.

At the end, the giant chases Jack, falls down the beanstalk, and goes back to where he belongs.

That story can be read as a higher self and a lower self. The higher self is the good, confident part of you. The lower self is the mean, angry giant.

So fear and gloom can mix with your better self, and you can start to fear failure. But that fear is an illusion.

When Jack cuts the beanstalk, the giant falls back into the lower self.

Final Thoughts on the Book List

That is my marketing book list.

I hope it gave you some ideas. This is only the surface, but you can see how eccentric I am.

Recommended Documentaries and Videos

I also promised a few documentaries.

The War Room

For marketing, I would watch The War Room on YouTube.

It is about George S. and Carville helping Clinton win.

The point is that one clear message can beat a stronger-looking opponent.

Our Brand Is In Crisis

There is also Our Brand Is In Crisis.

It can be hard to find, but it is worth it.

Watch what they do in Bolivia. They take a candidate who is polling at about 10 percent and turn the race around in less than 60 days.

Darren Brown Advertising Video

There is also a seven-minute video by the illusionist Darren Brown.

You can usually find it by searching his name and advertising.

He has two men from an ad agency in London build a campaign for a fake business, and then he shows how he guided their thinking.

The lesson is that our conscious mind sees very little, while the subconscious notices much more.

That matters in the service drive too. If the place is a mess, customers think the business is a mess. They think you are shaky and disorganized.

Listener Q&A

Now it is time for our question of the day.

If you want to ask one, call:

(833) 3-ASK-SDR

If your question gets played on the show, we will send swag:

• A trucker hat
• A T-shirt

And the question does not have to be about the service drive. It can be about the economy, relationships, school, or anything else.

But there are way too many questions about repair approval.

Cameron’s Question

Cameron is 23, has dealership experience, service advisor experience, and just took a job as a Midas store manager. He is nervous because he has never managed before. He wants advice on running a franchise shop and moving toward a service manager role.

Answer to Cameron

Great question.

The first thing to focus on is the financials. If you can raise profit and sales, you gain a lot of freedom.

Profit is driven by the customer experience.

Build Scalable and Consistent Systems

Work on systems that are steady and repeatable.

Spend time on:

• Doing things the same way every time
• Fixing the results of your systems
• Making the customer experience better

Make the Customer Experience Feel Easy

Customers should feel that doing business with you is easy.

Make it easy to:

• Get in
• Reach someone by phone
• Get the car repaired
• Leave
• Pay the bill
• Find the car

Little mistakes matter. If the car is missing or the keys are lost, the whole experience suffers.

Lead Well Even if You Are Young

When I was younger, older managers would comment on my age. I handled that by keeping the focus on systems and the goal.

I became a general manager at 29, with more than 400 employees at a large BMW and Mini dealership.

What helped was being fair, working hard, showing up, staying serious, learning, listening, and caring about results more than being right.

Get Everyone Pulling the Same Way

If you are young, get everyone around you involved in the same goal.

Some people may need to go. You cannot change everyone.

If someone does not care about customers or about getting better, move on quickly.

Move Fast When People Will Not Change

I learned that lesson fast.

I had a few sacred cows, and I had to move them aside. At one point I gave them offices and titles while I worked around them.

I also gave new people a speech: the store was a country club because we had more cars than customers, and that had to change. We needed systems, accountability, and real salesmanship. If someone sat around and did nothing, they were gone.

Do Not Let Other People’s Stories Win

People may tell you what your store cannot do. Do not let that story win.

I was told a lot of reasons why a market could not work, but we made it work anyway.

Sometimes you have to get creative. Sometimes it is better to pay someone to stay out of the way than to let them block progress.

Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People

Do not sit around feeling sorry for yourself.

Find people who are fair, who listen, and who want to improve every day.

Give people a chance, but if they do not want to change, move on.

Closing Answer

Great question, Cameron. Enjoy the swag.

Closing

Thanks for listening.

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Have a great week, and I will see you next time on Service Drive Revolution.

Q&A