Customer Reviews

All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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For a new to marketing like me, reading this book was an eye opener. In general though, it aligns with the current common belief(-opinion) that we, the humans, are 'wired up' such that we only notice (and allow to receive) information that reinforce our existing views, called 'worldviews' in the book. From this idea, Seth Godin derives a number of techniques to 'frame' marketing messages such that your target audience will take. Those I think are worth trying (and I plan to do for my new startup)
Beside that, as most of his books are, this is an easy to read, spiced up with good humor and practical examples. Highly recommend investing your time into reading it

The main concept of the book is advertising is not marketing and in order to get people to listen to your message you must tell authentic stories. Seth argues people make up lies for themselves when buying a product or service. Like Starbucks will make you part of a social elite or buying a frozen meal you make in the crock pot is the same as preparing a home-made dinner yourself. Godin says marketers need to propose these lies to match their target market's worldview. Basically you need to tell a compelling lie to the appropriate audience.

Of course Godin doesn't suggest marketers should really tell lies, but rather stories. The title comes from a strategy of using an oxymoron to describe a product or service, something that will stand out by creating an absurd juxtaposition in their mind.

If there is one large takeaway from this book its to create your story and ensure it's authentic. If you create a story about great customer service and then hire the cheapest labour and fail to train them, don't be surprised if your business falters because consumers who came in for one purchase saw the hype didn't match the experience and never came back.

I reviewed this book in more detail on my Web site: [...]

As a veteran marketer for both the high end real-estate industry and E-commerce, we have to read every marketing book out there.

This book is probably the best

Why?

Because it cuts to the chase

All marketing is just storytelling, that's it. And that's all it really is. Even if you have an amazing product, you still have to tell a story about it, and in reality, the easiest people to convince are people who already believe a part of it.

Any marketer who fails to understand this, fails in general.

If we are talking about ad-words campaigns etc, and the world of catch-e-marketing, then the rules are a bit augmented, but the principle is still the same

And it will always be the same

Our world is an amalgamation of stories, worldviews and beliefs, and our current industrial model was created to manufacture wants and needs. If you have to convince someone they want or need something, they better believe the thread of the story you are appealing to them with.

A+ for Seth Godin, a must have in any marketers collection.

As previous reviews have stated, Godin's book weaves the need for an authentic and compelling story about your remarkable product or service. His thesis that it is useless to attempt to change your target market's worldview is supported by Ori and Rom Brafman's Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. If you want to know why you cannot use the out-of-date marketing methods that Godin talks about, Sway will explain why. Both books make compelling and useful reading.

All Marketers Are Liars is one of Seth Godin's better marketing books. If you have a choice between reading Purple Cow and All Marketers Are Liars, opt for this one.

The book is based on the observation that customers want to align with offerings and services that reinforce their positive self-images. I'm sure that idea isn't new to you. Otherwise, why would someone pay ten times as much for an item of frequently poor quality that has five cents worth of a brand image stitched into its front?

The book builds from these premises:

1. Don't waste your time trying to educate people about what their worldview should be or what your offerings are. Instead just slip into their preconceptions in a comfortable, authentic way.

2. You won't be noticed unless you fit into their worldview and seem to offer something new that they value.

3. An effective, authentic story can help you make a better and more lasting first impression.

4. Most of the future "experience" of your story will be assumed by customers who want to believe that you are what you say you are.

The book takes a little long to make those points. I found myself wishing this were a tightly edited article rather than a meandering book.

Part of Godin's "promise" to his fans is that he will "shake things up." As a result, the title is deliberately misleading to make people pick the book up . . . because ever customer has been lied to my a marketer or sales person. There's nothing new there. His "new" point for those who haven't studied marketing is that customers like a little sizzle with their steak.

If you know about the emotional value of a brand, this book is a waste of your time. If you think that people only care about product and service features, you need this book.

If you really want to learn about storytelling, I suggest you become acquainted with Stephen Denning's fine books on the subject. If you want to develop a sound foundation in marketing, see Phil Kotler's books.

If you want to be entertained without learning too much, stick with Mr. Godin.

(...)

All marketers tell stories, and if they do it right, we believe them. But the interesting part is that by believing the story the story becomes true. That is the premise of Seth Godin's latest book All Marketers Are Liars.

Nike tells a story of athleticism, of competition and excelling - and with that story they are able to sell a $150 shoe that is not far different than the $20 no-name running shoe you can buy at Wal-Mart. Apple tells a story of being creative and edgey and hip and are able to dominate the digital music market, despite other companies offering players that are not only technically better but are cheaper to purchase.

Seth argues that it's not the Nike shoe or ipod that satisfies our desires - but rather it's the story. Tell a good enough story and you can claim a premium on what you offer. Tell a good enough story to the right people and you will see the sales come through. The story doesn't have to necessarily be true but it must be authentic and consistent. The emperor can very happily walk stark naked through the streets and the people will for years talk about how spectacularly he was garbed.

I would have prefered if Seth offered up a few hard numbers, perhaps a case study of a company that did well by telling their story well versus one that bombed due to a lack of a consistant or inauthentic story. But then, Seth isn't here to present cold hard facts, but rather to tell a story of his own. If you've been following the story about marketing that Seth began laying out in Permission Marketing and has continued to develop through The Ideavirus, Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside, then you will definitely want this latest chapter. Seth's story is one that all marketers should know.