Product Description

Whether it is the TV commercial that breaks into our favourite programme or the telemarketing phone call that disrupts a family meal, traditional advertising is based on the hope of snaring our attention away from whatever we are doing. Seth Godin calls this Interruption Marketing, and, as companies are discovering, it no longer works. Instead of annoying potential customers by interrupting their most coveted commodity, time, Permission Marketing offers consumers incentives to voluntarily accept advertising. Now the Internet pioneer who has dramatically improved marketing effectiveness in media introduces a fundamentally different way of thinking about advertising products and services. By reaching out to only those individuals who have expressed an interest in learning more about a product, Permission Marketing enables companies to develop long-term relationships with customers, create trust, build brand awareness, and greatly improve the chances of making a sale.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36440 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Seth Godin, one of the world's foremost online promoters, offers his best advice for advertising in Permission Marketing. Godin argues that businesses can no longer rely solely on traditional forms of "interruption advertising" in magazines, mailings, or radio and television commercials. He writes that today consumers are bombarded by marketing messages almost everywhere they go. If you want to grab someone's attention, you first need to get his or her permission with some kind of bait--a free sample, a big discount, a contest, an 0800 number, or even just an opinion survey. Once a customer volunteers his or her time, you're on your way to establishing a long-term relationship and making a sale. "By talking only to volunteers, Permission Marketing guarantees that consumers pay more attention to the marketing message," he writes. "It serves both customers and marketers in a symbiotic exchange."

Godin knows his stuff. He created Internet marketer Yoyodyne and sold it in 1998 to Yahoo!, where he is a vice president. Godin delves into the strategies of several companies that successfully practice permission marketing, including Amazon.com, American Airlines, Bell Atlantic and American Express. Permission marketing works best on the Internet, he writes, because the medium eliminates costs such as envelopes, printing and stamps. Instead of advertising with a plain banner ad on the Internet, you should focus on discovering the customer's problem and getting permission to follow up with e-mail, he writes. Permission Marketing is an important and valuable book for businesses seeking better results from their advertising. --Dan Ring, Amazon.com

About the Author
Seth Godin was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the leading interactive marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in 1998. He was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo! until he left to lecture full time. He is the author of several bestselling books including the classic PERMISSION MARKETING, SURVIVAL IS NOT ENOUGH, UNLEASHING THE IDEA VIRUS, PURPLE COW and ALL MARKETERS ARE LIARS.

Customer Reviews

Recommended
The Gist:
People, whether they are at work or home, are subjected to a constant bombardment of direct mail, newspaper ads, periodical ads, radio & TV ads, which are all designed to capture their attention ahead of the competition. Godin argues that most individuals do not have time for this approach known as "interruption marketing", either because they are too busy or because they simply resent the intrusion. Instead, he suggests that a different approach is needed in this time-precious age, especially if companies want to not only gain new customers but more importantly, keep them. The permission marketing technique is the reverse of the volume scatter gun method. By obtaining a potential customer's permission for two-way communication to take place, the company can build strong relationships and, over time, turn people into loyal, long-term customers.

Commentary:
Permission marketing has been around for years in record clubs, airlines and even doctor's surgeries & the church! However, it is now easier to take advantage of the permission techniques Godin highlights in his book, since the use of technology cuts out a lot of costs previously associated with such an approach.
Permission Marketing is best explained by the following example. A company sends a mailer highlighting the products and services it offers. This mailer is designed not to directly sell the product or service but instead invites the customer to call or email to request more company information. Once the customer has made contact, the 'dating' process can start. The brochure that is sent out in response to the request not only informs the customer of products and services but within the process, is designed to get permission to follow up and arrange a meeting. The meeting will give the chance to learn more about the customer's needs (and budgets!). This meeting can then leverage permission for many other contact opportunities and finally not only make a sale but also build a stronger relationship.
Although Seth Godin focuses mainly on marketing to consumers, this shouldn't put you off as the theories can be translated to a B2B environment and there are a few examples of how permission techniques work in business to business marketing. Not only does he provide case studies of companies including American Airlines, AT&T, Levis, McDonald's, AOL and Columbia Record Club, but also a FAQ section and an area entitled "Questions to ask yourself when evaluating any marketing program."

Reviewer Views:
If you read this book -and I suggest that you do- you might have the feeling that all the key messages Godin delivers could be written in a '20 page pocket guide to Permission Marketing'. This is arguably true, although you might be in danger of forgetting a crucial element highlighted throughout the book. Permission Marketing is a process- not a moment. It is a relationship that takes time to build - the customer is in control and one wrong move can end the relationship forever. This is definitely a book worth reading and not just once - you should keep it very close by when planning any marketing campaign. He steers well clear of the marketing jargon and makes it very easy to read.

What a disappointment!
I am currently writing my dissertation on viral marketing and was hoping to get some additional insight into alternative marketing strategies and tactics. Certainly this book didn't have anything to add at all. Regrettably it is written in a rather populist way with many repetitions and sometimes contradictory arguments (see page 123: "Brand trust is dramatically overrated. It's extraordinarily expensive to create, takes a very long time to develop, is hard to measure, and is harder still to manipulate." Then page 124: "The power of brand trust can be truly significant.." and so on).

I couldn't find anything new about permission marketing. Godin, as far as I am concerned, just randomly throws together concepts of brand loyalty programmes, the importance of dedicated after-sale service, maintaining good personal relationships with important customers etc. just to say at some point that the initial step for any permission marketing activity is still "interruption marketing" via traditional ways of advertising - a concept he, in preceeding chapters, denies much of a future in the marketing world. He even devotes almost an entire chapter to the outline of the difference between frequency and reach. Wow, here's some groundbreaking marketing novelty for you.

I haven't finished it yet but...
...it has been a very disappointing purchase so far. The preface announces that, although it was first written in 1999, the author decided not to update it for 2007. At all. There are reasons given but, unfortunately, the result is a very dated read, which doesn't take into account the massive changes that have taken place in the intervening years.

The other major problem, as a reviewer of an earlier edition points out, is repetition. The author says the same thing over and over and over again. Whatever the intention is, the effect is poor. As with many book like this, you feel the idea is really only enogh to justify an aticle in a journal, and not a whole book.

I can't see myself ploughing on until the end.