Fail Better!: The World's Worst Marketers and What We Can Learn from Them

by Stephen Brown

Championing those who challenged conventional marketing wisdom, 30 marketing mavericks are profiled in this candid examination of failure and commercial success. Arguing that those who are brilliantly successful—such as P. T. Barnum, Bill Gates, James Dyson, and Martha Stewart—often use marketing methods that go against the grain, this analysis redefines the word “failure” and advocates the use of nontraditional business and marketing tactics. Each example shows how the marketer in question epitomized a never-say-die mindset and achieved triumph despite their seemingly faulty techniques.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2007

Reviews

[Nura Yusof · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read. Entertaining. His clever turns of phrase can be tiresome tho', like he's trying too hard.

Is marketing an art? To me, art is doing something and not really caring whether people like it or not. If people do like it, then that's a bonus.

But marketing an art? If people don't like it, then you'll lose millions. So, no. Marketing is definitely not an art. It's premeditated, careful research and analysis is involved.

I would think these people featured in the book are gamblers, really. Trying their luck and as it happens, luck was with them, sometimes.