Co-Marketing Solution, The (American Marketing Association)

Rating:
Summary: Brand marketing is Changing
Review: I did enjoy this book. I have a good background in trade marketing and felt the author did a good job in showing the whole picture as well as having a vast knowledge of how sales works and the retail environment works. The eight step model used was practical and this book could be an eye opener to young marketers that are too consumer focused and lack and understanding of sales and the world of trade marketing

Rating:
Summary: Read at your own risk
Review: I just received this book today. I noticed there a few pages dedicated to Intel and the "Intel Inside" marketing program. As a former employee of Intel (1991-2000), I worked in the corporate marketing organization and had first hand knowledge of the company's business history and the evolution of its marketing programs. Naturally, I first flipped to those pages related to Intel.

Some of the information was grossly inaccurate. It left me wondering whether the author made it up to make a more compelling case, or was misinformed. The inaccuracies are both large and small. For example, he says Intel's486 chip had a major flaw, which among other issues, was a jolt to the company's image. And he says the comany resolved it (in part) by bringing out the Pentium processor. Anyone who read newspapers or watched the news during 1994 would know what really happened is something completely different.

Therefore, I will read the book's case study examples and details with a more discriminating eye.

That said, I believe the "spirit" of what is being conveyed holds true. Conceived and implemented by VP Dennis Carter, Intel's ingredient branding program (in addition to other mktg efforts), has undeniably made Intel one of the most valuable brands in the world and lead to enormous company profitability.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on trade marketing I've ever read
Review: I thought from the title that it would be another book on Trade Marketing. But I'm glad that I was wrong.

It is the most lucidly written book on how to build your business and brand via trade partners (whether they be key accounts, 2nd tier distribution, etc) - that I've ever read. It shows a clarity of thinking that can only come from years of experience and an inquisitive mind.

This is a book written by a marketing practitioner one who has been in the trenches.