The books on our 2008 shortlist for the Advertising & Marketing Category are:

The Brand Bubble: The Looming Crisis in Brand Value and How to Avoid It
by John Gerzema and Ed Lebar (Jossey-Bass, October 2008)

Companies put a lot of effort and money into their brands, which can sometimes be higher than the value they place on their customers. As this occurs, the number of quality performing brands decreases. According to Gerzema and Lebar, this is the brand bubble, and the result could have a serious blow to the economy. This powerful book addresses marketing’s impact on the economy, the potential pitfalls of that impact, and then outlines a detailed 5-stage process for companies to follow to create a great return for its shareholders.

Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers
by Gerald Zaltman & Lindsay H. Zaltman (Harvard Business Press, May 2008)

Psychology plays a big role in marketing, and understanding the complexity of its role can help marketers launch products, enhance experiences, and communicate effectively with their audience. Through many examples and psychological explanations (PhD not required), the authors show that by utilizing “deep metaphors” within a marketing strategy, we can create a situation where consumers are more comfortable and feel connected to a product and company.

OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion
by Lucas Conley (PublicAffairs, June 2008)

As the marketplace
continues to become flooded with new products, marketers and advertisers are finding even more ways to position them and grab the attention of consumers. This overload is what Conley refers to as “OBD,” and as we continue to buy, it’s also affecting us in ways we might not expect. From the psychological audio of the Xbox, to the “church” of Target, Conley examines and reveals the corporate illusions that compete for the space of our lives.

The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-
Made World
by Kelly Mooney & Nita Rollins (New Riders Publishing, March 2008)

With the Internet, individuals have the ability to shape how we perceive brands more than ever before. Technology has created a liberated and empowered world. Some companies recognize and encourage this empowerment, and others do not. Guess who wins? The Open Brand is a well designed, thought provoking book about how companies can utilize their fans to help build their brands in ways much more powerful than ad land could ever offer.

Spanning Silos: The New CMO Imperative
by David A. Aaker (Harvard Business Press, October 2008)

In large organizations, Chief Marketing Officers are responsible for creating and managing an effective marketing strategy through culture, process, and people. These same organizations may have multiple CMOs, at different branches, in different parts of the world, with different market needs and demands. Aaker’s Spanning Silos deals with how to properly manage that process so that all marketing teams, or “silos” are aligned.