All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin
Creating a product is only half of the battle – to succeed, you have to capture people’s attention in a way that makes them want to buy from you. In All Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin explains the fundamentals of modern marketing: if you want your target market to discover and purchase your product, you must tell a consistent, authentic, believable story that fits the way they view the world.
As it turns out, good marketers aren’t liars… they’re excellent storytellers. People constantly tell themselves stories about what they need and why they buy. If you’re able to understand your target market’s worldview, tell your story in a distinctive and memorable way that fits that worldview, and fulfill their needs, you win.
Once you go beyond functional characteristics, you’ll be amazed how much perception influences reality when it comes to products and services – there’s value in the story that isn’t present in the actual product. Is popping the cork on a 1957 bottle of Dom Perignon a delightful experience or a disgusting waste of money? Are SUVs safer than compact cars, or gas-guzzling environmental nightmares? Will a bespoke suit that’s hand-cut by a tailor who serves British royalty make you look more handsome? Is a moissanite gemstone better than a diamond? Depending on the prospect’s worldview, either viewpoint is valid.
In addition to foundational marketing concepts, you’ll pick up useful ideas like adoption curves, framing, cognitive dissonance, the attention economy, and the all-pervading power of expectations. All Marketers Are Liars will permanently change the way you think about marketing.
(The PMBA also recommends two other books by Seth Godin: Permission Marketing and Tribes.)
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