andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

The Unpublished David Ogilvy

the-unpublished-david-ogilvy-2


The Unpublished David Ogilvy: His secrets of management, creativity, and success—from private papers and public fulminations

This collection of David Ogilvy’s memos, letters, speech excerpts, and other documents was compiled by an Ogilvy & Mather executive to commemorate the founder’s 75th birthday. The writings span a 50-year period from 1935-1986. The cool thing about this book is that most of the contents were not written with the intent to be published, so it feels like a behind-the-scenes look at his management style as well as his thoughts on various subjects.

Continue reading “The Unpublished David Ogilvy” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Nonprofit

How to Write Knockout Proposals

how-to-write-knockout-proposals


How to Write Knockout Proposals: What you must know (and say) to win funding every time.
by Joseph Barbato

The theme of this book boils down to one line on page 117: “Make it as easy as possible for them to give you money.”

Barbato emphasizes the importance of clear writing and attention to detail. He suggests a less-is-more approach: “Instead of offering four prosaic examples of how your project matters, tell one powerful story that drives home the potential of your work.”  A template is included in chapter 24, guiding the reader on how to structure a grant proposal.

The book is concise and well organized in 53 two-page chapters. I like this format, but I think more could have been written about cover letters.

Barbato, Joseph. How to Write Knockout Proposals: What You Must Know (and Say) to Win Funding Every Time. Medfield, Massachusetts: Emerson & Church, 2004. Buy from Amazon.com

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

andreweverett360 Book Review, Psychology & Neuroscience

Primal Leadership

primal-leadership


Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee

Building on the lead author’s prior book, Emotional Intelligence, this book is about “leadership resonance.” The authors also warn about the opposite effect, dissonance, which destroys motivation and productivity.  “Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.” The authors cite a University of Maryland study showing that good morale has a positive effect on revenue and customer satisfaction.

Continue reading “Primal Leadership” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Email Marketing by the Numbers

email-marketing-by-the-numbers


Email Marketing by the Numbers
by Chris Baggott

With a title like Email Marketing by the Numbers, one would expect the book to cover testing and analytics. “The organizations that embrace testing as an integral part of their programs simply outperform those that don’t… Rarely can the people within a company judge what is going to be successful outside of it.”

Continue reading “Email Marketing by the Numbers” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

The Lost Art of General Management

the-lost-art-of-general-mgmt

The Lost Art of General Management

by Rob Waite

In The Lost Art of General Management, Rob Waite shares practical insights from his career as a hands-on general manager for various building materials manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Europe.  Like a good executive communicator, he gets straight to the point.

Waite contends today’s managers have become functionally myopic. A general manager needs to take a broader view, while understanding how the company makes its money and how its customers make money.

Continue reading “The Lost Art of General Management” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life)

how


How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life)
by Dov Seidman

The book is about ethics and reputation, value-based cultures vs. rule-based cultures, and as the author likes to say, “getting your hows right.” There are some valuable messages in the book.

Continue reading “How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life)” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing, Writing

How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief

how-to-write-an-inspired-creative-brief


How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief
by Howard Ibach

In an advertising agency, a creative brief is a set of instructions for the creative team, providing a clear understanding of the communication objectives and expected deliverables.  “If you get the brief wrong, the creative work you see at the end of the process, when your team presents it, will also be wrong.” Garbage in, garbage out.

Continue reading “How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief” →