Now this post isn't about bestsellers nor even books for that matter. But if you examine the themes in the books listed below I think it speaks volumes to what is of vital interest to the average person (ahem, customer). And it doesn't seem to be business. Back in November, the 800-CEO-READ blog posted:
The piece talks about the growing expectations and dependence publishers have for bestsellers. In the early 90's, 1 million copies sold was a big deal and now the bar is 5 million copies. This has been driven by the likes of The Da Vinci Code, the Harry Potter series, and The Purpose Driven Life.
The article talks a lot about Mitch Albom and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This month the book is likely to pass the five million book mark. I found the business numbers interesting - "[publisher] Hyperion will generate $50 million in revenue at five-million mark, on which it will earn an estimated $15 million in operating profit.".
Let me just add the biz book perspective. The only titles that have come close to these kind of numbers are Built to Last (3.5 million copies) and Good to Great (>1 million copies).
I read "Tuesdays with Morrie" - which established Mitch Albom as a runaway bestselling author - on the beach on Koh Jum, Thailand only a few days before the tsunami swept me off my feet. My boyfriend handed it to me after he was done and simply said, "This should be required reading at MBA programs." (He's actually gone to biz school whereas I haven't if that makes any difference.) It's not the typical lighthearted beach fare as I was continually dabbing tears mixed with gritty shell-flecked sand.
I was having a bit of technical difficulties when I clicked "See all 1756 customer reviews" for this book, but it's pretty telling what I've read so far. One commenter wrote this sentence all on its own:
Sad, but in our busy, self-absorbed society today sometimes we need to confront death or near-death situations in order to understand the frailty of life and what is important in our lives.
"I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me", said Henri Matisse. And Leornardo daVinci has said, "Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art." It makes you wonder doesn't it, if marketers - heck, businesspeople altogether - are altogether in left field and totally missing out on engaging and connecting with each and every one of their constituents by cautiously tiptoeing on the surface of life. Hmmm...
For my own part, I am pleased enough with surfaces -- in fact, they seem to me to be of much importance. Such things, for example, as the grasp of a child's hand in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of a friend or a lover, the silk of a girl's thigh, the sunlight on rock and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind -- what else is there? What else do we need? - Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire (1968) (via Rolf Pott's Vagablogging) [Another one of my favorite books, btw.]
not only in marketing, but the bane of all corporations is the lack of passion and feeling for the work performed. i posit that the most successful corporations have the least amount of workers with a lack of feeling or high levels of frustration with their bosses/job satisfaction.
for something so obvious, it seems many companies fail to grasp that a passionate, engaged workforce is critical to the success of a company. along those lines, a company looking for a marketing/advertising company should ask about the people within the agency and their beliefs before talking about any marketing/branding concepts. if the person gleans that the agency lacks passion, then it's time to move on.
Posted by: jbr | Jan 20, 2005 at 07:13 AM