Kindle Edition Amazon The Book Depository Amazon Category:  Marketing Publisher: The Marketing Directors Ltd ISBN-10:  0955886007 Pages: 416 Copyright: Sep 15 2008 ISBN-13: 9780955886003 Price: $74.98 (eBook) The Marketing Director's Handbook is the only practical guide to leading a successful marketing function. It has been acclaimed as a book that all directors should read and that all marketing directors (CMOs)should keep close to hand The book is truly unique:   A single reference source, it contains practical advice, ideas, arguments and strategies to enhance the profitable growth and value of an organisation Structured to help the reader lead a marketing department, undertake key marketing activities and solve marketing problems Contains a comprehensive range of simple tools and models reflecting best market-place practices to help structure and enhance the reader’s thinking Concise, jargon free and easy-to-read, use and digest. Anecdotes and visuals breathe life into learning points. And chapters are usefully labelled by the type of job/activity they’ll help readers to undertake Jam-packed with best practice insights and ideas. Unconventionally it focuses on practical learning points and not a compendium of case studies Based on sixty years of genuine experience and in-depth research with a hand-picked group of prominent marketing directors Available in hardback and ebook formats.       Excerpt Contents 30 chapters organised in four sections: Part 1 Marketing Essentials - provides insights and ideas to help you get to grips with your role and make a positive first impression 1 - Starting Out 2 - The Role of Marketing in the Business Part 2 The Marketing Year - covers all of the key strategy and planning activities that you are likely to undertake in a financial year 3 - Strategy Development 4 - Competitive Analysis 5 - Setting Objectives and Measuring Marketing Performance 6 - Customer Strategy 7 - Product Strategy 8 - From Strategy to Delivery 9 - Financial Management and Pricing 10 - Structuring the Function Part 3 Operational Leadership - covers how to manage your department, colleagues and all of the key tasks you are likely to undertake on a day-to-day basis 11 - Day to Day Management 12 - Team Management and Development 13 - Managing The Board and Business as a Whole 14 - Managing Market or Customer Research 15 - Managing Agencies 16 - Brand Management and Positioning 17 - Managing Customer Communications 18 - Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Database Marketing 19 - Customer Channel Management Part 4 Major Project Planner - provides insight and advice to deal with a wide range of possible problems or challenges 20 - Leading Projects 21 - Creativity and Problem Solving 22 - Restoring Growth 23 - New Product and Service Development 24 - Marketing and Digital Technology 25 - Mergers and Acquisitions 26 – Rationalisation or Downsizing 27 - Culture Change 28 - Crisis Planning and Management 29 - Communicating with Other Audiences 30 - Marketing and the Law New Chapter 31 - Managing Digital Marketing is available as a free digital extra for those ordering from The Marketing Directors or Chartered Institute of Marketing websites.

Review by Sharon Wolf, Managing Director, QualiData Research Inc., USA
This book delivers on its subtitle’s promise: “The definitive guide to superior marketing for business and boardroom success.” Comprehensive, yet written in a lively, reader-friendly style, it offers practical advice on topics ranging from setting objectives, planning the year ahead, measuring marketing performance, managing teams to building brands to succeeding at new product and service development.

The book defines the Marketing Director’s role, offers concrete advice on what to do first, whom you should be getting to know and how to build and motivate the team to get the job done. The chapters on branding and product and service development are detailed and useful to all. As well as offering help on corporate branding or repositioning, they cover practical strategies and tactics to achieve top management buy-in. Although it is left unsaid, even the most talented executive will be hitting his or her head against a brick wall without this buy-in.

The discussion of marketing research focuses, as it should, on issues such as selecting and managing marketing research agencies and how to prepare proper briefs so that everyone involved in the project understands the study’s objectives and research questions.

I was happy to see useful charts that summarise the full range of qualitative and quantitative methods. These are explained in easy-to-read tables, together with a synopsis of the pros and cons of using various techniques.

For better or worse, “Rationalisation or Downsizing” will help those charged with the unpleasant task of laying-off employees. This chapter discusses downsizing strategies in depth as well as morale-building approaches for employees who survive staff cutbacks.

The book is reader-friendly. Chapters are illustrated with charts and tables that highlight key points or explain ideas visually. These relieve the busy reader of having to wade through lengthy text.

For those who care about best practices and want to learn how to succeed as managers and change-makers in their organisations, this book is a “must have”. The guidance offered in any one chapter justifies the purchase of The Marketing Director’s Handbook.