There are many books on marketing in bookstores which guide you about a career in marketing. If you are into marketing and you want to read a set of offbeat books which relate to the subject but also teach you in a more interesting way, here’s a list curated just for you. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, these books give insights into the real-world aspects of a career in marketing. Moreover, some books narrate interesting challenges which marketers have had to face in the past, their response to these situations and learnings.
Inside Coca-Cola
Neville Isdell, a key player at Coca-Cola for over 25 years writes about his experiences in different parts of the world while he was chasing deals for the bottling company. For all marketers interested in top-level positions, “Inside Coca Cola” offers the wildest reading experience of your dreams. Portraying real instances where Neville interacted with top-level bureaucrats, ministers, world leaders, and even some dictators, the book offers great insights into top-level management work. There are several destinations in the book where Neville travels to crack deals and he has interesting experiences and memorable stories at all these destinations. The book portrays the job of a marketer as the face of the company, as adventurous, thrilling and nothing short of challenging your wildest imaginations about the industry.
Bandit Saints of Java
This “difficult to find” book is a great read for everyone interested in the niche of travel marketing. Highlighting the variety of mythological tales associated with different regions in Java, the book is both an account of mythological stories as well as personal experiences of the author on the Javan island. Evoking interest among readers to visit the island to be a part of something larger, the book should be read by all travel marketers. The book has interesting teachings for marketers who are looking for an interdisciplinary approach to learning and can learn how the book has created a destination into something much larger than life. Carving a new perspective about the destination, the book, though not intended to attract tourists to the destination, does well at the job.
Dum Dum Bullet
This is a must-read for everyone interested in marketing. The book is written by Sandeep Goyal, one of the biggest names in marketing and advertising in India. Several realities about the marketing industry are highlighted in the book: the endless work hours, offbeat schedules, late-night client calls, the necessity to focus on tiny details in advertisements and silly mistakes leading to blowout with clients. Dum Dum Bullet gives real-life lessons about client interaction and narrates interesting, quirky experiences that Sandeep has had in the marketing industry. Though an autobiography, the book is easily relatable to anyone who is working in a marketing position and an eyeopener to everyone interested in marketing. Moreover, the book breaks the shiny image which outsiders have towards the ease of pursuing a career in marketing.
TIME 85 Years of Great Writing
A marketing professional must have knowledge about several different topics so that they can engage their clients and peers in interesting conversations. Moreover, interdisciplinary knowledge can also be used in marketing campaigns to reach out to a wider audience. TIME 85 years of Great Writing is a compilation of several important articles that have been published in TIME magazine in the last 85 years. Several important events such as Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon, Murder of John of Kennedy, Nuclear Bomb in Hiroshima, Introduction of Viagra for sexual purposes and many others are presented in the book in real-time. The article about Bill Gates’ childhood and growth published as an interview with his mother is a really interesting read which gives a new perspective.
21 lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari gives an interesting perspective about transformations that are taking place in the world today in terms of politics, technology, and prominent issues in the global world. The book highlights life in the future in the presence of AI where people will need to upgrade their skills constantly because artificial intelligence will take over most jobs and result in them being redundant. Highlighting the importance of being able to connect with other people in the 21st century at a human level, the book validates the choice of career for everyone working in the marketing sector. For all marketing enthusiasts who are confused about pursuing their career in marketing in a changing world, the book offers interesting insights as to why marketing will be a relevant profession in the 21st Century.
As a marketer, it is essential to take an interdisciplinary approach to relate to wider audiences. These books will take it way beyond just marketing and will you help to build more ingenuity in your people-centric approach.
