“I have a confession to make, I lead a double life.”

Bob Gilbreath in the Marketing with Meaning introduction

If you are looking for a fresh voice from a new generation of marketers…then I highly recommend you pick up Bob Gilbreath’s new book:  Marketing with Meaning.

Yep, there are reasons why marketing heavyweights like Sir Martin Sorrell and Seth Godin rave about Bob Gilbreath’s new book.  It simply delivers.

Too often marketing books are long on hot air (how to use “shiny new objects” that are often just tactics) and short on strategic frameworks, methodologies/cases.  Bob’s book balances strategic frameworks & cases and ties them together under the mantra of marketing with meaning.

Many people have written very eloquent reviews on the book.  Here is a link to a good one by Pete Blackshaw

While cracking open the book cover on my living room couch, I grinned when Bob confessed that he’s a walking contradiction (see intro quote).  Like many of the 17 Million marketing professionals in the US, Bob is a marketer by day…and an avid marketing “avoider” by night (via Tivo, mentally blocking billboards, etc.)

After reading this great intro, I was almost hoping Bob would focus the book’s content around the Epilouge entitled, Adding Meaning to your Life (which you might want to read first) and lead us through an in-depth discussion on the perilous state of the marketing/advertising profession (is it a profession?) Side Note:  Bob also provides a fantastic cause marketing example from Luxottica in the Epilouge.

Though he touched on it briefly, I would love to read Bob’s take on the darker side of creating closer, deeper brand connections with consumers…and his thoughts on the potential negative impacts of marketers funneling cultural, political and community activities through brands (as Rob Walker puts it).  What will a world look like when we are all word of mouth agents touting products to friends, pitching in to spread the gospel virally? But, I’m digressing into shoegazing now…

Go out & buy this book if you want to understand where the future of marketing is going!  Great work Bob.

Full disclosure: Bob & I have traded thoughts/ideas, etc. over the past couple of years in the blogosphere and he was kind enough to send over a signed copy over to Geneva recently.  And, I’m probably biased because Bob has spent several years living life in the brand trenches as a Brand Manager at P&G (like me).

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