Synopses & Reviews
This full-color andldquo;adult ABC bookandrdquo; feels just like the picture books you grew up with. But itandrsquo;s not for kids, itandrsquo;s for you and anyone who works as hard as you do. It makes a perfect companion to
The Icarus Deception, highlighting a key riff in that book and featuring illustrations by the webandrsquo;s favorite cartoonist, Hugh MacLeod. It captures 26 of Seth Godinandrsquo;s principles about treating your work as a form of art.and#160;For instance....and#160;
A is for Anxiety, which is experiencing failure in advance. Tell yourself enough vivid stories about the worstand#160;possible outcome of your work and youandrsquo;ll soon come to believe them. Worry is not preparation, and anxiety doesnandrsquo;t make you better.and#160;
C is for Commitment, which takes you from andldquo;Thatandrsquo;s a fine ideaandrdquo; to andldquo;Itandrsquo;s done.andrdquo; Commitment is risky, because if you fail, itandrsquo;s on you. On the other hand, without commitment, you will fail, because art unshipped isnandrsquo;t art.and#160;
F is for Feedback, which can be either a crutch or a weapon. Use feedback to make your work smaller, safer and more likely to please everyone (and fail in the long run). Or use it as a lever, to further push you to embrace what you fear (and what youandrsquo;re capable of).and#160;
V is for Vulnerable, the only way we can feel when we truly share the art weandrsquo;ve made. When we connect, we shift all the power and make ourselves naked in front of the person weandrsquo;ve given the gift of our art to. We have no excuses, no manual to point to, no standard operating procedures to protect us.and#160;This is unlike any previous Godin book and makes a great gift, both for loyal fans and those whoandrsquo;ve never read him before. It will take you just a few minutes to read, but it will get under your skin. And you might find yourself handing copies to colleagues and friends.
Review
andquot;A fast and provocative read that will appeal to a wide, general audience, especially those interested in the psychology of marketing.andquot; -
-Library Journal andquot;Informative...The bookandrsquo;s strength lies in the specificity of its examples: the restaurant chain Chiliandrsquo;s triggered Americansandrsquo; hunger by amping up the sizzle of fajitas; Disney creates andldquo;fake quietandrdquo;andmdash;a soundscape of birds and forest soundsandmdash;to help people feel they are somewhere magical...This book is directly aimed at corporations, fund-raisers, and party planners, but shoppers, donors, and partygoers should also read it to learn about how their decisions are being affected by the soundscapes in which they are immersed.andquot; --and#160;Publishers Weekly
andquot;The author makes a strong case that we are unaware of the degree to which and#39;the hidden world of soundand#39; influences our moods and the choices we make. Although we are more aware of the information we obtain through sight, Beckerman bolsters his conclusion that it is sound rather than sight that is our most important sense, citing how The Star Spangled Banner and Beethovenand#39;s Fifth Symphony evoke powerful emotions by the use of a few repeated notes. We instantly recognize these musical phrases, or and#39;sound logos,and#39; which and#39;efficiently let listeners recall and understand rich stories.and#39;...Interesting insight on the use of sound bites to merchandise products.andquot; --Kirkus
andldquo;Iand#39;ve spent my life curating, creating, and collecting sounds. But Beckerman and Gray have shown here that there are still plenty of sounds that weand#39;ve all missed. The Sonic Boom reveals the music and structured cacophony of everyday life.andrdquo;
andmdash;Moby
and#160;
andquot;The only force more powerful than taste or smell when trying to create an emotional response? Music. The right sound at the right time can slam you right back to childhood, create dread, inspire empathy, turn you on a dime to an emotional jellyfish. The right song at the right time can changeandmdash;and has changedandmdash;the world, leading directly to social change and even revolutions. Music defines us.and#160;Joel Beckerman knows. Let him tell you all about it.andquot;
andmdash;Anthony Bourdain, chef, bestselling author of Medium Raw, No Reservations, and Kitchen Confidential
and#160;
andldquo;Pick this book up. Put it close to your ear. Riff through the pages. Hear that? Those are ideasandmdash;Beckermanandrsquo;s ideasandmdash;flying by a mile a minute. Reading Sonic Boom is like seeing colors for the first time!andrdquo;
andmdash;Fred Graver, writer/producer, TV creative lead at Twitter
and#160;
andldquo;Beckerman and Gray show how the right sound at the right moment forges bonds between brands and peopleandmdash;and how bad sound breaks them. The Sonic Boom illuminates the surprising opportunities that are revealed when we utilize sound thoughtfully and strategically, not just tactically.andrdquo;
andmdash;Andrea Sullivan, chief marketing officer, North America, Interbrand
and#160;
andldquo;Beckerman offers an intriguing examination of the manipulative and inspirational power of sound in our everyday lives. It made me listen to my ears!andrdquo;
andmdash;George S. Clinton, film composer and Chair of Film Scoring at the Berklee College of Music
and#160;
andldquo;We are all susceptible to the power and manipulation of sound and Beckerman has beautifully described this mysterious process. As a producer, this book not only makes my choices and use of sound more informed but hopefully more effective.andrdquo;
andmdash;Gordon Elliott, executive producer of ABCandrsquo;s andldquo;The Chewandrdquo;
and#160;
andldquo;This remarkable book describes and clarifies the exciting and complex world of sound.andrdquo;
andmdash;Ellis Douek, emeritus consultant ENT surgeon, Guyandrsquo;s and St Thomasandrsquo; Hospital, London; author of Overcoming Deafness
and#160;
andldquo;Beckerman offers insights into a potent marketing opportunity. His work helps brands realize the powerful potential of sound.andrdquo;
andmdash;Ruth Gaviria, executive vice president of corporate marketing, Univision Communications Inc.
Synopsis
In Seth Godinandrsquo;s most inspiring book, he challenges readers to find the courage to treat their work as a form of artand#160;Everyone knows that Icarusandrsquo;s father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldnandrsquo;t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?and#160;But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe.and#160;The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isnandrsquo;t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. Itandrsquo;s an attitude we can all adopt. Itandrsquo;s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things youandrsquo;re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.and#160;Godin shows us how itandrsquo;s possible and convinces us why itandrsquo;s essential.
Synopsis
This browsable hardcover collects the very best of the past six years of Seth Godin’s acclaimed blog. It’s a follow-up to his previous collection,
Small is the New Big (Portfolio, 2006) and is designed for dipping into again and again. Godin has blogged more than two million words since the late 1990s, sharing his unique take on the ever-changing landscape of marketing, leadership, careers, innovation, creativity, and much more. His posts range from a few words to a few pages; many are inspirational, some are incendiary. For instance, here’s the title post, “Whatcha gonna do with that duck?” --
We’re surrounded by people who are busy getting their ducks in a row, waiting for just the right moment... Getting your ducks in a row is a fine thing to do. But deciding what you are going to do with that duck is a far more important issue.Synopsis
Were surrounded by people who are busy getting their ducks in a row, waiting for just the right moment. . . . Getting your ducks in a row is a fine thing to do. But deciding what you are going to do with that duck is a far more important issue.” From the blog post "Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck?" Seth Godin is famous for bestselling books such as
Purple Cow and cool entrepreneurial ventures such as Squidoo and the Domino Project. But to millions of loyal readers, hes best known for the daily burst of insight he provides every morning, rain or shine, via Seths Blog. Since he started blogging in the early 1990s, he has written more than two million words and shaped the way we think about marketing, leadership, careers, innovation, creativity, and more. Much of his writing is inspirational and some is incendiary. Collected here are six years of his best, most entertaining, and most poignant blog posts, plus a few bonus ebooks. From thoughts on how to treat your customers to telling stories and spreading ideas, Godin pushes us to think smarter, dream bigger, write better, and speak more honestly. Highlights include:
- A marketing lesson from the Apocalypse
- No, everything is not going to be okay
- Organized bravery
- Choose your customers, choose your future
- Paying attention to the attention economy
- Bandits and philanthropists
Godin writes to get under our skin. He wants us to stand up and do something remarkable, outside the standards of the industrial system that raised us. Made for dipping into again and again,
Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck? is a classic for fans both old and new.
Synopsis
What are you afraid of?and#160;The old rules: Play it safe. Stay in your comfort zone. Find an institution, a job, a set of rules to stick to. Keep your head down. Donandrsquo;t fly too close to the sun.and#160;The new truth: Itandrsquo;s better to be sorry than safe. You need to fly higher than ever.and#160;In his bravest and most challenging book yet, Seth Godin shows how we can thrive in an econandshy;omy that rewards art, not compliance. He explains why true innovators focus on trust, remarkabilandshy;ity, leadership, and stories that spread. And he makes a passionate argument for why you should be treating your work as art.and#160;Art is not a gene or a specific talent. Itandrsquo;s an attiandshy;tude, available to anyone who has a vision that others donandrsquo;t, and the guts to do something about it. Steve Jobs was an artist. So were Henry Ford and Martin Luther King Jr.and#160;To work like an artist means investing in the things that scale: creativity, emotional labor, and grit. The path of the artist isnandrsquo;t for the faint of heartandmdash;but Godin shows why itandrsquo;s your only chance to stand up, stand out, and make a difference.and#160;The time to seize new ground and work without a map is now. So what are you going to do?
Synopsis
A full-color ABC book for grown-ups, with a powerful message about doing great workand#160;V is for Vulnerable looks and feels like a classic picture book. But itandrsquo;s not for kids, itandrsquo;s for hardworking adults. It highlights twenty-six of Seth Godinandrsquo;s principles about treating your work as a form of art, with illustrations by acclaimed cartoonist Hugh MacLeod. A sample:and#160;
A is for Anxiety, which is experiencing failure in advance. Tell yourself enough vivid stories about the worst possible outcome and youandrsquo;ll soon come to believe them. Worry is not preparation, and anxiety doesnandrsquo;t make you better.and#160;
F is for Feedback, which can be either a crutch or a weapon. Use it to make your work smaller, safer, and more likely to please everyone (and fail in the long run). Or use it as a lever to further push you to embrace what you fear and what youandrsquo;re capable of.and#160;This is unlike any previous Godin book and makes a great gift, both for loyal fans and those whoandrsquo;ve never read him before.
Synopsis
In Seth Godinandrsquo;s most inspiring book, he challenges readers to find the courage to treat their work as a form of artand#160;Everyone knows that Icarusandrsquo;s father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldnandrsquo;t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?and#160;But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe.and#160;The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isnandrsquo;t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. Itandrsquo;s an attitude we can all adopt. Itandrsquo;s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things youandrsquo;re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.and#160;Godin shows us how itandrsquo;s possible and convinces us why itandrsquo;s essential.
Synopsis
In May 2003, Seth Godin asked a simple question that turned the business world upside down: What do Starbucks, JetBlue, Apple, Dutch Boy, and Hard Candy have that other companies don’t? How did they confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind formerly tried-and-true brands? Answer: They were purple cows. Godin defines a Purple Cow as anything phenomenal, counterintuitive, exciting…remarkable. Every day, consumers ignore a lot of brown cows, but you can bet they won’t ignore a purple cow. You can’t paint your product or service purple after the fact. You have to be inherently purple or no one will talk about you. Godin urges you to emulate companies that are consistently remarkable in everything they do, which drives explosive word of mouth. Purple Cow launched a movement to create products and services that are worth marketing in the first place.
Synopsis
Seth Godins three essential questions for every marketer: Whats your story?”
Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?”
Is it true?”
All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche is vastly superior to a $36,000 Volkswagen thats virtually the same car. We believe that $125 sneakers make our feet feel betterand look coolerthan a $25 brand. And believing it makes it true.
As Seth Godin showed in this controversial book, great marketers dont talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a storya story we want to believe, whether its factual or not. In a world where most people have an infinite number of choices and no time to make them, every organization is a marketer, and all marketing is about telling stories.
Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, or Fiji water, or the iPod.
But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. Thats a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers, cigarette companies, and sleazy politicians.
But for the rest of us, its time to embrace the power of the story. As Godin writes, Stories make it easier to understand the world. Stories are the only way we know to spread an idea. Marketers didnt invent storytelling. They just perfected it.”
Synopsis
Seth Godinand#8217;s three essential questions for every marketer: and#147;Whatand#8217;s your story?and#8221;
and#147;Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?and#8221;
and#147;Is it true?and#8221;
and#160; All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche is vastly superior to a $36,000 Volkswagen thatand#8217;s virtually the same car. We believe that $125 sneakers make our feet feel betterand#151;and look coolerand#151;than a $25 brand. And believing it makes it true.
and#160;
As Seth Godin showed in this controversial book, great marketers donand#8217;t talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a storyand#151;a story we want to believe, whether itand#8217;s factual or not. In a world where most people have an infinite number of choices and no time to make them, every organization is a marketer, and all marketing is about telling stories.
and#160;
Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, or Fiji water, or the iPod.
and#160;
But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. Thatand#8217;s a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers, cigarette companies, and sleazy politicians.
and#160;
But for the rest of us, itand#8217;s time to embrace the power of the story. As Godin writes, and#147;Stories make it easier to understand the world. Stories are the only way we know to spread an idea. Marketers didnand#8217;t invent storytelling. They just perfected it.and#8221;
Synopsis
Were surrounded by people who are busy getting their ducks in a row, waiting for just the right moment. . . . Getting your ducks in a row is a fine thing to do. But deciding what you are going to do with that duck is a far more important issue.” From the blog post "Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck?" Seth Godin is famous for bestselling books such as
Purple Cow and cool entrepreneurial ventures such as Squidoo and the Domino Project. But to millions of loyal readers, hes best known for the daily burst of insight he provides every morning, rain or shine, via Seths Blog. Since he started blogging in the early 1990s, he has written more than two million words and shaped the way we think about marketing, leadership, careers, innovation, creativity, and more. Much of his writing is inspirational and some is incendiary. Collected here are six years of his best, most entertaining, and most poignant blog posts, plus a few bonus ebooks. From thoughts on how to treat your customers to telling stories and spreading ideas, Godin pushes us to think smarter, dream bigger, write better, and speak more honestly. Highlights include:
- A marketing lesson from the Apocalypse
- No, everything is not going to be okay
- Organized bravery
- Choose your customers, choose your future
- Paying attention to the attention economy
- Bandits and philanthropists
Godin writes to get under our skin. He wants us to stand up and do something remarkable, outside the standards of the industrial system that raised us. Made for dipping into again and again,
Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck? is a classic for fans both old and new.
Synopsis
A full-color ABC book for grown-ups, with a powerful message about doing great workand#160;V is for Vulnerable looks and feels like a classic picture book. But itandrsquo;s not for kids, itandrsquo;s for hardworking adults. It highlights twenty-six of Seth Godinandrsquo;s principles about treating your work as a form of art, with illustrations by acclaimed cartoonist Hugh MacLeod. A sample:and#160;
A is for Anxiety, which is experiencing failure in advance. Tell yourself enough vivid stories about the worst possible outcome and youandrsquo;ll soon come to believe them. Worry is not preparation, and anxiety doesnandrsquo;t make you better.and#160;
F is for Feedback, which can be either a crutch or a weapon. Use it to make your work smaller, safer, and more likely to please everyone (and fail in the long run). Or use it as a lever to further push you to embrace what you fear and what youandrsquo;re capable of.and#160;This is unlike any previous Godin book and makes a great gift, both for loyal fans and those whoandrsquo;ve never read him before.
Synopsis
A guide to the effective use of sound in marketing, revealing the surprising ways sound can influence our emotions, opinions, and preferences
Synopsis
A surprising look at the hidden power of sound, revealing how people and brands can use it to inspire and persuade and#8212; or annoy From horror movie scores to national anthems to the crunchy sound of potato chips, sound and music greatly impact how we feel about our lives and the messages and products we encounter every day. With the right tools and understanding, anyone can cut through the meaningless noise competing for our attention and learn to use sound as a rich storytelling strategy.
You donand#8217;t need to be a musician or a composer to harness the power of sound. Joel Beckerman explains how companies, brands, and individuals can strategically use sound to get to the core of their mission, influence how theyand#8217;re perceived by their audiences, and gain a competitive advantage. The key to these sonic strategies involves creating and#8220;boom momentsand#8221; and#8212; transcendent instants when sound connects with a listenerand#8217;s emotional core.
The Sonic Boom draws surprising insights from real world examples: the way Disney parks score every second of their guestsand#8217; experience; how Chiliand#8217;s restaurants uses lessons from evolutionary psychology to sell tons of sizzling fajitas, how the sound of a special edition Mustangand#8217;s engine is designed to make drivers feel like action-movie heroes. Sure to appeal to fans of Made to Stick and This Is Your Brain on Music, The Sonic Boom offers readers a powerful new vocabulary for sharing impactful messages with sound.
About the Author
Hailed as and#8220;equal parts Philip Glass and Don Draperand#8221; by Details Magazine, Joel Beckerman is an award-winning composer and producer for television. He is the founder of Man Made Music, a company specializing in sonic branding. Fast Company named him one of their and#8220;Most Creative People in Businessand#8221; and Man Made Music one of their and#8220;Most Innovative Companiesand#8221; in music. He created original scores for more than 50 television programs, won ASCAPand#8217;s and#8220;Most Performedand#8221; theme award for the past eight years, and has developed signature sonic branding programs for global giants such as Disney, ATandT, and Southwest Airlines. Beckerman has worked with John Legend, will.i.am, Moby, OK Go, Morgan Freeman, and the composer John Williams. He lives in New Providence, New Jersey.
Tyler Gray is editorial director for Edelman in the New York City office. He was recently editorial director for Fast Company and is the author of The Hit Charade.