The Marketing Playbook: Five Battle-Tested Plays for Capturing and Keeping the Lead in Any Market

Insightful!

While the metaphorical sports set-up is appealing, this 'playbook' about marketing relies very little on the substance of sports and even less on the more powerful forces behind marketing. Instead, John Zagula and Richard Tong have written a clever grouping of five different marketing strategies, explained with sports metaphors. Real-life strategic examples and assessments of related risks and rewards accompany each play. Using some repetition to emphasize their lessons, the authors explain which market conditions call for using each of the five strategies. They demonstrate how forces in the market make some plays more feasible, although some of the illustrative stories seem a bit forced into fitting the marketing move under discussion and some examples lack sufficient detail to let the reader align the plays with precise goals and market conditions. However, the stories and strategies all have that insider flavor, right from the coach. We believe marketers who are still learning the ropes will want this strategic playbook.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Avoid It

This books wastes your time. Out-of-date tales told in breathless tones, told by people who who worked for a monopoly. Uggh. It looks like the work of people wanting to say, 'I wrote a book!'

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

If you buy only 1 Marketing Strategy book buy this one

This is a terrific book about strategy from a couple of guys who have walked the walk. Much of the criticism I've seen has more to do with folks that don't like Microsoft and take every opportunity to potshot at anything former or present Microsoft employees have done, and less to do with a knowledgable critique of the strategies and observations outlined in the book. If you're gonna have one Marketing Strategy book on your shelf, this is the one to have. A quick read full of useful and actionable information for executional Marketers and CEOs alike.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Awful

The title is so promising, but the content is a cure for insomnia. Muddled, boring and in some cases inaccurate. There should have been a play to address 'Buyer's Remorse' because that's what I had after reading it for 10 minutes.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Waste of time, money

A smorgasborg of shallow vignettes that are proof why these former 'marketing executives' aren't allowed to do marketing any more.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Objective Review

The book has a noble goal, but it is neither an easy read or very enlightening. The prose reads like a bloated email and the metaphors range from dull to mixed. It doesn't flow well and probably needed more editing time. As to the content, a few concepts and comments are worth reading. Beyond that it is very limited. If someone is seeking a comprehensive guide for to-market strategies, this is not it. Way too much Microsoft detail- detail that is rarely useful outside Microsoft. The few non-Microsoft examples are old and better reported elsewhere.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Brilliant text combines theory and practice

I've known these guys for years and I can tell you that they understand the real nuts and bolts about marketing. This isn't theory nor is it just a bunch of war stories. These folks marketed some of the most successful products ever at Microsoft. It's great to learn some of their tips and tricks

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Advice from people who have been there

Too many business books are written by consultants who have never 'practiced what they preach', so I was worried about picking up this book. But I am glad I did. It's great, useful, and usable advice from guys who know what they're doing. They developed this Playbook from their own experiences as former Microsoft execs, and now as VCs helping small companies make it big. I don't recommend or read a lot of these books (mostly because they're just not useful) but this one is a keeper.

Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

No text was provided for this review.