OwenBloggers: Jared - MBA 2009

My Spring Break With Seth Godin (or) Book Review: Meatball Sundae

While many of friends were trekking through India or lying on the sand on a beach somewhere, I had the fortune to spend my spring break with none other than the geeky bald man, Seth Godin.

I am glad to say that Seth and I spent five glorious hours in car together, discussing his new book, Meatball Sundae and the future of marketing as we know it. And of course by discussion, I mean a book on tape that I somehow found myself talking to on the way to and from DC.

Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?
by Seth Godin
ISBN-13: 978-1591841746

In case you're not familiar with Seth Godin, he's pretty much the pinnacle what's called new media marketing, which includes all of the consumer-shaped media like blogs, podcasts and interactive advertising. His main line is that typical marketing (e.g. TV spots and Newspaper Ads) is no longer relevant in today's marketplace. Furthermore, Seth Godin also notes that the middle of the traditional product adoption curve is not as attractive as it once was, paving the way for marketers to create exceptional products for the very front-end of the curve (i.e. Early Adopters).

Meatball Sundae, itself, was definitely a departure from the typical business school marketing reading list. At the same time, Meatball Sundae is definitely a great way to frame what we are learning with a look at the problems that today's MBAs will face as they enter the marketplace.

The idea of marketers driving new product development to fit with new marketing channels is certainly exciting but don't count on the book to give you a roadmap to do so. Instead, the book focuses on characteristics and case studies of brands that have broken out of the typical "meatball" product mentality to create something new and interesting that consumers can get behind, even in a crowded marketplace.

A Quick Video Case/Exerpt From Meatball Sundae

I know we're all groaning under the weight of the MOD 4 class packs but if you do get a chance, Meatball Sundae does make an easy addition, particularly if you intend on a product or brand management internship this summer. If all else fails, at least check out the audio book, actually read by Seth Godin...you'll swear that he grew up next door to Larry LeBlanc.

Technorati Tags: Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin, Spring Break

Book Review: Mergers & Acquisitions (Fiction)

Mergers & Acquisitions (Hardcover)
by Dana Vachon (Author)
$16.29 - Amazon.com

After reading Sharran's post on speed reading, I almost hesitate to spoil his impressions of Owen's incoming class however, as long as we are on the subject, let's talk book recommendations.

Straight from the "Trashy Beach Reading for Business Students" section of the bookstore, I just finished Mergers & Acquisitions, a fictional story of a budding analyst in a NYC investment bank and his navigation of the plutocratic inner-workings of New York's high society. 

Ultimately, the book doesn't promise to be a hard-hitting look at the investment banking industry but for someone who is often the only marketer in a group of finance geeks (and I say that with all affection), this book was the perfect compliment to a beach chair and a bottle of Corona.

Best of all; compared to some other trashy beach reading, it makes you a little less guilty for taking the weekend off from Quant Camp I.

The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs

One of the side benefits of producing an interview-based podcast is that you end up meeting some really interesting personalities.

This week, I had the fortune of interviewing a fantastic rising media star named Nina Boski. Nina is the founder and creator of LifeBites Media, an interactive, multi-platform content company based in Los Angeles.

While I am working on getting the interview up on OwenBloggers, I thought it would be great to share the results of one of her collaborations.

It’s a book called The Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs. It features Nina and about 12 other authors talking about the work-life side of starting your own business. Nina has some really interesting insights, primarily aimed at non-business professionals, but a lot of which apply very well to understanding what has driven the lives of other successful women entrepreneurs in the past.

Right now, I am headed back to Atlanta for the weekend and so you can expect to see the interview posted here sometime early next week.