Steal These Ideas!: Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star

by Steve Cone

Book Overview

Working for nearly thirty years with and for leading companies including Citigroup, American Express, Epsilon, Apple, and Fidelity--with notable political and not-for-profit campaigns along the way--Steve Cone has the kind of hard-earned, high-level experience that translates into valuable, tested ideas on what really works--and doesn't--in marketing. In Steal These Ideas Cone delivers hundreds of pearls in a sharp, no-nonsense, and witty style on...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576601919
• ISBN13: 9781576601914
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Bloomberg Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

An excellent quick read!

I once read that you have to do something twenty one times for it to become a habit. After reading STEAL THESE IDEAS! by Steve Cone, I am absolutely certain that I will never, ever, ever use white reverse type for any ad copy. Cone is a champion at getting his point across, over and over and over. That's not to say this book is dull and repetitive. Far from it. Cone presents critical techniques for creating a unique selling proposition. He is quite unwavering on such topics as font type, photo captions, and the aforementioned reverse type usage. I would have liked to have read more actual copy writing techniques. There is an all too brief chapter on brochures, and dozens of wonderful writing tips, but the book is clearly geared more for the ad campaign spokesperson. Speaking of campaigns, there is also some great information here regarding political campaigns. A fascinating book and a quick read at fewer than two hundred pages. The pages are broken into 23 chapters, each one a gem. Cone is an extraordinary writer and a wealth of information. This one is highly recommended.

I loved this book; even as a seasoned professional

I have been in the marketing industry for over 10 years now and I found this book to be a great resource. Yes, it is well-written and to the point and I like that. Yes, many of the ideas are derived from marketing basics. I agree with the review that said it was thought provoking. That it is. When i first read the book, I was marketing for a technology development firm. I recently accepted a job with a medical spa and i am re-reading many of the chapters. Applying this information to my specific task often leads me to many other great ideas. Yes, young marketing candidates should definately read the book, but i also think it is a great book for the seasoned professional too. It brings you back to the basic and provides a platform to spark new ideas.

Solid Marketing Book With Spokesperson Focus

"Steal These Ideas: Marketing Secrets That Will Make You A Star" by Steve Cone is a solid and readable book about advertising, branding, promotion and PR. While the book has lessons for small business owners seeking to improve their marketing, the book is probably most useful to marketing professionals at larger or mid-sized companies or non-profit organizations. Cone is the head of advertising and brand management at Citigroup Global Wealth Management. Previously, he was the head of marketing of Fidelity Investments. Cone was the one who decided to use ultra-successful mutual fund manager Peter Lynch as a Fidelity spokesperson. Peter Lynch, of course, became a quasi-celebrity. Cone says companies should almost always try to use spokespeople to connect to their customers. Cone writes: "Most of the World's inhabitants look to a personality of some sort to explain their very existence-God, Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed, and all the other major religious figures revered over the centuries. So it should come as no surprise that a distinctive personality can make a significant impact in an advertising strategy." Spokespeople can be celebrities or non-celebrities. Celebrities are expensive. For small businesses, the CEO will probably be the main spokesperson. Small businesses can't afford Tom Cruise or whoever as a spokesperson. Cone discusses the importance of public speaking to successful promotion and gives tips for improving your public speaking skills. Cone says companies using celebrities should choose celebrities who are willing to be integrated into all media-TV, radio, Internet, and print. Cone tells us if a celebrity gets into public-perception trouble-think O.J. Simpson-he/she can always be dropped as a spokesperson with little negative impact to the marketing campaign. Spokespeople don't even have to be real. "Animated characters are the easiest of all spokespeople. They are likable, do not have attitude, usually avoid getting into personal trouble, and rarely turn off constituents with their political views..." writes Cone. Animals are another possibility. We learn the AFLAC Duck is the second most popular advertising character, according to a Yahoo! survey, beating out even the Pillsbury Doughboy. While animated or animal spokespeople might be "remembered fondly for generations," Cone says it's crucial the character and the company's message be integrated effectively. Cone tells us the AFLAC Duck is being downplayed, so AFLAC can emphasize their insurance services more. (Maybe the sudden success went to the Duck's head and he's become difficult to work with?) Cone tells us branding goes way back. Cone writes: "Most brands almost always imply a guarantee of a product or service. Roman marble merchants actually deserve credit for the first brand warranty application. To advertise that marble was totally pure they would tag marble slabs sine cere, which eventually became the word 'sincerely' in English. In Roman times, it meant without wa

Then Put Them to Effective Use!

Cone's title correctly indicates an "in your face attitude" as he shares a number of what he claims to be "marketing secrets that will make [his reader] a star." Of course, how many of them are head-snapping revelations depends entirely on what each reader already knows (or thinks she or he knows) about marketing. To me, this book's single greatest benefit is that it is thought-provoking. Throughout the book, the tone is personal, conversational really, and sometimes confrontational. Cone challenges those who read it to consider or (better yet) reconsider their responses to questions such as these: 1. What do all "winning" marketing plans share in common? 2. What is a brand? What makes one successful? How to manage it? 3. How to create a unique selling proposition? 4. How to "create, hire, or beg" to build a memorable personality for your business? 5. Where do "big breakthrough ideas" come from? In Chapter 22, Cone discusses the ten "secrets" he urges his reader to "steal." At this point, I presume to offer a caveat: Do not make the mistake of cherry-picking ("stealing") ideas from Cone or from any others and then cobble them together in what you may assume to be a cohesive and comprehensive marketing plan. Presumably Cone would agree with me that there are three basic questions which must first be answered: 1. Who are you? 2. What do you do? 3. Why does it matter? Unless and until clear and concise answers to these questions are agreed upon by everyone directly involved in the given enterprise, no marketing initiatives will be effective. For many of those who read this book, Cone can help to formulate those answers. He also suggests a wealth of strategies and tactics by which to achieve marketing objectives, once they have been identified. Few (if any) of those who read his book will agree with him about everything he asserts. To repeat, I think its single greatest benefit is that it is thought-provoking. As you read it, take an "in your face" attitude toward Cone and challenge him to convince you as you proceed from one assertion to the next. I forget who said it but I came across a statement years ago which, in this context, seems especially relevant: If both of us agree, one of us is useless. In the final chapter, Cone explains that this book is meant as a "reference guide." What he insists is needed (and I agree) is to use straightforward thinking as well as to understand both what turns people on and gets them to buy products and services and the key elements of building a successful brand. Inorder for any organization to be all that it can be, "There is really nothing more important for a marketing professional to do than get the right product in front of the right customer with the least amount of waste in time and money." Quite true. It would also be a good idea to remember Warren Buffett's observation that price is what we charge but value is what others think it's worth. Those who share my high regard for this book

Full of practical marketing ideas that can be applied to any business.

This book is a fun, fast read that will help both seasoned marketing professionals and novices. It's written in a clear cut, down to earth manner and chock-full of examples that help the reader understand what makes marketing campaigns successful. I came away with ideas that I could apply immediately, such as how to create more compelling marketing materials, how to foster relationships with customers who have the most impact on the bottom line, and pitfalls to avoid when developing a marketing campaign. My bookshelf is full of marketing books since I'm a marketing professional, but this is one book I'll actually re-read and keep referring back to.