Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 222
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-4422-5704-7 • Hardback • November 2016 • $56.00 • (£43.00)
978-1-5381-1466-7 • Paperback • January 2018 • $32.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-4422-5705-4 • eBook • November 2016 • $30.00 • (£25.00)
WILLIAM ROSEN is chief executive officer of VSA Partners, one of the world’s preeminent branding and marketing firms, and former president and chief creative officer of North America at Arc Worldwide, the global marketing company of Leo Burnett Worldwide. Widely recognized as a leader in cross-channel marketing and branding, he has been honored with hundreds of awards around the world and served as president of the jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
LAURENCE MINSKY is associate professor of advertising, Columbia College Chicago, and author or coauthor of numerous books, including Audio Branding: Using Sounds to Build Your Brand and How to Succeed in Advertising When All You Have Is Talent. He is also an award-winning creative director, copywriter, marketing strategist, and consultant focused on creating innovative and effective cross-discipline marketing solutions for such client as Amazon, United Airlines, AARP, and others.
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Rory Sutherland, Vice- Vice-Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Group UK
Preface
Chapter 1: AIM for Greater ROI: The Activation Imperative Method
Chapter 2: Ready, Set, AIM
Chapter 3: Broadcast, Billboards, Branding, and More
Chapter 4: Start with the Shopper (Marketing)
Chapter 5: Connecting with Digital, Social, and Mobile
Chapter 6: Come and Get It: Content & In-Bound Marketing
Chapter 7: The Importance of Being Direct (Database & CRM, Too)
Chapter 8: Join Us: The World of Participation & Promotion Marketing
Chapter 9: Are You Experiential?
Chapter 10: Now a Word from Your Sponsor(ships)
Chapter 11: Build Your Relationship(s) with PR & Brand Journalism
Chapter 12: AIM for Optimal Activation
About the Authors
Index
Branding is a two-step process: definingthe brand and activating the brand. The Activation Imperativeis the best that I have seen on activating the brand.
— Philip Kotler, SC Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
For those striving to break down traditional marketing silos and design truly human-centered solutions that drive business results, this book provides the road map and beacon you have been looking for.
— Lisa Hurwitz, vice president of global brand design, Kimberly-Clark
The Activation Imperative offers readers a practical approach to the transformation needed to respond to today’s accelerating pace of technological change. It is as valuable to today’s marketing practitioners as it is to academics. A must read for anyone interested in increasing the effectiveness of modern marketing.
— Yoram Wind, Lauder Professor Emeritus of Marketing, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
The Activation Imperative is an essential read for any marketer hoping to stay relevant in a rapidly changing marketplace. Rosen and Minsky build a compelling argument for moving beyond carpet-bombing prospective customers with brand promotion to engaging them at key trigger points in the customer journey. With its keen insights on building both brand and bottom-line results, this is one book you don’t want to miss!
— Rick Mathieson, author of Branding Unbound and The On-Demand Brand
Rosen and Minsky have written a must-read primer for marketing professionals. Anyone who aspires to master versatile and creative tactical marketing strategies and the strategic framework of thinking in a customer-centric and ever-changing marketplace should read this book.
— Jenna Massey, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University
In our recent groundbreaking study, the Association of National Advertisers found that spending on brand activation will top $740 billion by 2020, more than twice as much as advertising. I’m glad to finally see a book like The Activation Imperative that is not only focused on brand activation but also provides a methodology for better aligning marketing disciplines to achieve it.
— Michael P. Kaufman, senior vice president of brand activation, Association of National Advertisers
The Activation Imperative belongs in the hands of marketing students and educators alike. The information on digital marketing and social media is timely and provides a thorough perspective on marketing and brand management.
— David Aron, Brennan School of Business, Dominican University
The Activation Imperative takes marketing strategy to a new level, demanding more from marketing and marketers. Rosen and Minsky bring cohesion, structure, and direction to an increasingly fragmented marketing environment. They show how to weave digital and traditional channels together to build powerful and cost-effective marketing campaigns. A thoughtful book, and a must read.
— Kevin Tynan, senior vice president of marketing, Liberty Bank for Savings; author of Exposure: How to Market So Your Message is Unavoidable
The Activation Imperative is the antidote to marketing fragmentation. Rosen and Minsky provide a strategic blueprint for consumer-centric marketing by starting at the end of the purchase cycle. They not only present a sound system but also back it up with real-life case studies and examples from new and traditional media. This book addresses the real problem of bringing new marketing specialists together with a renewed call for strategic unity.
— Keith A. Quesenberry, Messiah College; author of Social Media Strategy: Marketing and Advertising in the Consumer Revolution
Shows readers how to move consumers toward transactions, so they can build their brands, business, and profits more efficiently and effectively.Offers an actionable process to more effectively activate brands and consumer behavior through an innovative methodology that starts with the transaction and then works back through the multiple, non-linear potential paths to purchase.Recognizes that there is no single formula for success and offers a methodology that helps marketers maintain the discipline needed to achieve best results in their specific situation.Explains how to effectively manage the growing list of marketing specialists – a list that has grown from three or four agencies to more than twelve in just a few short years.Helps improve the practices of management, enabling CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and their staffs to make more effective and profitable marketing decisions.Combines real-world experience and insights with cutting-edge academic research to help managers succeed in the today’s data-driven, results-focused marketing communications environment.Draws from the authorship team’s more than fifty years of combined professional experience, helping some of the world’s most sophisticated brand marketers (and many innovative start-ups); these include: McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Visa, Amazon, Whirlpool, Nestle, Target, Nike, General Motors, United Airlines, Unilever, Walmart, Walgreens, MillerCoors, and others.Incorporates case studies, insider stories, and examples from some of the world’s most – and least – successful marketing campaigns to bring the concepts to life.Foreword by Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather UKReaders can share their experiences and results applying the authors’ methodology at activationimperative.com