The Little Blue Book of Marketing: Build a Killer Plan in Less Than a Day

Citation

Love, E. (2010), "The Little Blue Book of Marketing: Build a Killer Plan in Less Than a Day", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 19 No. 7, pp. 518-518. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610421011086946

This book is not to be used as directed. For someone new to the planning process (or perhaps needing a refresher) it certainly could be a useful book. But for these people especially, dragging senior decision makers (and their children?) into a day‐long meeting that promises a plan but will likely deliver more questions … well, such an exercise could prove career limiting or worse.

The purpose of The Little Blue Book of Marketing: Build a Killer Plan in Less Than a Day is to provide readers with a process for creating a marketing plan in a one‐day meeting. To that end, it is divided into two parts: “How to organize and run a marketing plan in a day,” and “Topics to cover for a successful marketing plan in a day.” The book is highly approachable in tone; while most readers will find the frequent puns and digressions a relief from what could be a rather dry topic, some will feel that these are an unwelcome distraction from the substance of the material.

Both parts are divided into sections. In part 1, these sections focus on logistics such as how to set up the meeting space and whom to invite. The sections in part 2 include the expected “Where are we now?,” “Where are we going?,” and “How will we get there?,” which sets the framework for a gap analysis. These are followed by a “Congratulations!” section that includes guidance on plan follow‐up, and a section of useful sample plans and timelines.

The real substance of the book can be found in part 2's “Workouts.” These are exercises designed to develop a specific piece of a marketing plan, or what Kurnit and Lance consider a marketing plan. There is, for example, a workout in the positioning section that starts by asking participants, “What five words uniquely and meaningfully define your company/business/idea (p. 119)”? These words are then written on easel pads and discussed. Then, another workout has participants vote on the words that are “most relevant to and compelling for the brand.” The words are then ranked by vote and again discussed. This is all repeated in the “Positioning: round 2” workout. Illustrative anecdotes are scattered throughout the text.

While there may not be a clear consensus among marketers about the exact contents of a marketing plan (there is consensus about very little in our field), certain components are generally expected. Sections on competitive advantage and market trends, for example, are common. A detailed evaluation of market segments that is followed by a discussion of target segment attractiveness is frankly essential. These gaps in the Blue Book approach will appear as glaring holes to most marketing professionals.

More damning is the suggestion that a plan can be created without meaningful research. Are you interested in the teenage market? According to Kurnit and Lance, your colleague's 14‐year‐old kid can tell you everything there is to know about this demographic. One is left with the impression that there exists some adolescent hive mind; to ask one is to know all.

Further, the book gives the dangerous impression that inviting the right ten people to your meeting will provide you with all the competitive intelligence you need. Even in industries where all of the established and emergent firms are well known, most firms do a lousy job of evaluating their own product offering relative to their peers. If their technology is the most advanced, if they have the best design or the best service, team members will tend to believe that they have the best offering – even if technology, design and service are not the factors driving customers to purchase. What is more, those who are inside the firm will often argue that their design is the best even where market data say otherwise. After all, everyone wants to be seen as a team player, right? Consequently, employees will tend to overestimate the relative desirability of their own product offering.

The workouts in this book are useful exercises. Some are even innovative. I favor, for example, the updating of the SWOT analysis to the SWTO analysis. It is a small change, but taking time to evaluate threats carefully prior to considering opportunities can improve the quality and realism of the opportunities under consideration. To say that these exercises will result in a comprehensive marketing plan, however, is overreaching by far.

Although the authors advocate their approach for businesses of all scales, I would cautiously recommend this book to small businesses with resource constraints or to individuals hoping to clarify their personal brand. I would not recommend the book to entities with the resources needed to give a marketing plan the treatment worthy of its importance unless, it was to be used in conjunction with a more sustentative text.

Should the authors publish another edition, they may wish to consider a revised subtitle. How about, “How to host a successful marketing plan kickoff meeting in a day”? That much can certainly be found within the covers of this book.