It’s no surprise marketers are often big readers. As a book addict myself, finding out what CMOs are reading is one of my favorite questions in our Get to Know interview series.
With everything from new releases like Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In to classics like The One-to-One Future by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, it turns out we’ve accumulated a solid list of business book recommendations from our CMO profiles.
If you’re on the lookout for something to read this summer, here’s a collection of titles that have earned a mention in our Get to Know column.
Top 25 Books CMOs Are Reading:
Z.E.R.O. Paid Media As the New Marketing Model by Joseph Jaffe and Maarten Albarda
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocely K. Glei
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership by Mike Figliuolo
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt
Book Reviews by CMOs
Tealium CMO Tracy Hansen was a big fan of Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers by fellow Get to Know interviewee Jeffrey Rohrs.
“The book was a gift and I just love it,” said Hansen, “It speaks directly to what I am thinking about right now – how to create an interest in my company and its products, while building value for customers.”
Another popular title among the CMO crowd this year was Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
“Hard not to admire the genius of Steve Jobs and his many contributions, but he didn’t come off as a very nice guy,” said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt CMO John Dragoon of the Steve Jobs biography, “I’d like to think you can be both an innovator and nice.”
Recent bestseller Lean In by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was a favorite among the CMO crowd as well.
“It was nice to see I had unknowingly done some of the same things she suggests,” said Tammy Gordon, AARP’s VP of social strategy.
Kevin Doohan, CMO for audio solutions provider DTS Inc., is a repeat reader of The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins, “I read it every time I change roles.”
To help spark creativity, Chief Creative Officer for TRIS3CT ad agency Chris Cancilla recommended a book from the productivity website 99U.
“A co-worker turned me onto this awesome book published by the website 99U called Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind,” said Cancilla, “Horrible title, but it’s filled with excellent short essays about how to be a more productive creative. It’s the kind of stuff you can act on immediately and see a change.”
Our Get to Know interview series is a fun look into the professional lives of top marketing executives from the world’s leading brands. Every column offers up the inside scoop on topics like:
A typical day for Taco Bell CMO Chris Brandt.
eBay CMO Richelle Parham’s first job.
What app Marisa Thalberg uses most often as Estee Lauder’s VP of corporate digital marketing.
Be sure to keep up with our latest interviews, and drop us an email if you know a CMO for a leading brand who should be featured on Marketing Land.
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