I have a confession to make…
February 3rd, 2006
I find it incredibly difficult to finish business books… or at least… to finish them. I order them. I alphabetize them on my shelf by author. I start them. I start them with a vengeance. But I have a hard time getting through them. I’m just not that motivated.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to create motivation. I’m going to sit down and read one of these books every month, and I’m then going to post my response right here. It’ll be like the Brains on Fire Book Club… or something like that. And I promise not to pull an Oprah on any of the authors… cuz frankly, I don’t have that kind of power.
ANYWAY… I think I’m going to set my sights this month on Brand Hijack by Alex Wipperfurth. Now, I’m pretty sure I’m going to like this book for a few reasons… and not just because the author has a really great last name (and he does). But when I opened the book to the first page, I met a great quote pulled from a NY Times letter to the editor: “We have a message for the movers and shakers on Madison Avenue: ‘Tone down the relentless yammering; you’re talking too loud for us to listen.’” And then there’s the first line: “Corporate America is confused.”
So, there you go. Now we have something to look forward to. I’ll keep you posted. And since I’ve told you I’m going to do this… I ‘d better follow through, right
That’s motivation, eh?
Other posts by Jennifer.
Betsy says:
I’m calendaring this for one month Jennifer…:=)
February 19th, 2006 at 12:43 pmVirginia says:
Maybe it’s not you - maybe it’s them. Why are the writers of business books losing you, the enthusiastic reader, halfway through? Are the books too long? Is the writer’s point sufficiently clear after the first chapter or two? Or is the writing itself? I often quit halfway through because the content seems repetitive.
February 19th, 2006 at 12:43 pmJennifer says:
Good point, Virginia. And this is something that Spike and I were talking about the other day. I think that the problem with most business books is that they tell you, in the first two chapters, exactly what they plan on telling you for the rest of the book… and then they tell you… over and over. After the first two chapters, there tends to be almost no new information. It makes me crazy. Wouldn’t it be exciting to read a business book that had fascinating new ideas in each chapter?
February 19th, 2006 at 12:44 pmBrains On Fire Blog » Blog Archive » The Next iPod? says:
[...] Now, you know how I feel about the iPod. I’m not exactly drinking that particular Kool-Aid. But I know enough to know that it’s a lot more than a sleek design and some user-friendly software that makes the iPod so difficult to imitate. Apple and iPod have a culture, an identity, a lifestyle built around them. They mean something to the people who love them. Samsung doesn’t have that kind of emotional real estate. Alex Wipperfurth brings up several examples of this same phenomenon in his book Brand Hijack (which I haven’t finished yet… sorry!). For example, Red Bull found authentic inroads into the market, slowly growing interest and cultivating a relationship with its customers. And, try as they might, no other brand has found the same secret formula. [...]
March 10th, 2006 at 5:57 am