Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting
Review: A very easy read with some good insight to the world of marketing. My first thought as I read into this (and proved correct reading the other reviews) is the marketing world is going to hate this book and his concepts. It slaps them right in the face. As a CFO, I question the Marketing efforts all the time and this book reinforced some the issues I have been dealing with for awhile.
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Summary: Ad Agencies Do Not Like This Book
Review: For once someone took a different approach to how a company may sell it products.
This was a refreshing new look at all the advertising and marketing dogmas there are in the business world. If many CEO's would read this, they'd fire the marketing people they employ as they are wasting the money spent on worthless advertising campaigns and ad agencies. You only have to look at some of the reviews presented on this site and you can tell that some of them are so called marketing gurus who feel threatened that their way of life might be challenged. By the way, I'm not related or in no way have ever had any contact with the author. I'm just a businessman that is tired of the same old Ad Agency theories day after day that are not helping my bottom line.
Rating: 
Summary: Need real world examples
Review: I do not recommend this book, simply put, I saw no evidence that the author has any real caset studies to share with his audience.
Rating:
Summary: Lack of Understanding
Review: The author demonstrates a lack of understanding of big vs. small business sales development. Different strategies work based on where they are in the business cycle. To criticize a large powerful company with huge budgets for utilizing the single largest reach and most talked about media vehicle (SuperBowl)without any understanding of the sales dynamics behind it is absurd. The press pre and post, the web traffic, the merchandising surrounding the SuperBowl is the reason Budweiser has done it 18 times. To cast all advertising people in the mold of "junket spenders" and as creative awards hungry is sophmoric logic. Clamoring after Clios is not what keeps clients. David Ogilvy created an award for his agency for the account that had the biggest register ring from their advertising. He created a solution. No one in marketing would disagree that sales input is crucial. But---Ask any sales guy if he would like to go into a call cold or with a customer that has at least heard of him via some marketing---before you throw out the carefully crafted brochures, the interactive web page and kill the trade and or consumer advertising. As I think about it, this is a book that seems to be trying to shock people with a non-issue. I was hungry for solutions and kept waiting to read one. I was curious how Stevens markets for his clients. Does he create brochures for them even though he thinks brochures don't sell? Does he do web pages for them that are "pretty online brochures" and don't sell? I'd love to see some realtime stories and results of his efforts- a strong case study or two versus these statements that seem to go against the grain in strategy but mouth the rhetoric or the obvious. Still waiting.
Rating:
Summary: liked it, overall
Review: Sorry, Jim H, I'm not Mark Stevens. Unfortunately, I'm not smart enough to write such a book. I've been silly enough to believe that the ad agencies my mid-size tech firm works with have been helping us. Yet, our revenues are trending slightly lower...and we've increased the marcomm budget 2 years straight (after a slight recessionary reduction). Take it from me - this was a (needed) gut check. No more denial on my part. And no more cash for crazy Internet sponsorships, etc.!
Rating:
Summary: So obvious
Review: Reading all the reviews, it is so obvious that the last 4 great reviews for this book are written by the author himself. I mean come on. Grow up. At least hire people to write the reviews for you.
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Summary: These Customer Reviews Suck! (Not the book)
Review: I don't know mark Stevens, so all I have to go on is the book.
I liked it - if nothing else, it will force you to rethink your strategy. The bad reviews here where people are complaining about ROI are amusing. ROI has recently become a marketing buzzword - but how would an advertiser know what your real return on investment is unless they know what your sales are? Does USA today know how many widgets you sold last month? No. ROI is what advertisers are selling because it's the only way to quantify what they do- - they are selling frequency and reach and units. But how does ROI actually help you? It doesn't help you unless your sales are improving, and this book tells you to make your marketing department accountable to your sales department. Before you do anything, make sure the sales force is behind it. This is sound advice.
Rating: 
Summary: The bad reviews must be from "Ad Guys" that are threatened.
Review: Thank God, Mark Stevens had the guts to tell the truth about sucky marketing coming from those complete idiots that try to pass themselves off as "marketing experts" in ad agencies. If agencies were compensated by the sales increases generated from their ads, few if any would survive. I've worked in advertising for over fifteen years, producing commercials and infomercials. It only took a few months in the business to conclude that 90% of the ad agencies just don't know what they are doing. Ad agencies know that their marketing doesn't work; it sucks. They can talk a good story. Most "ad guys" are dishonest people--sociopaths that lie to their clients, steal the money and never loose any sleep. They go through their client's money by blowing it on "shoots" in exotic places so they can get some R&R on the client's tab, then brag about it to their buddies in the biz. They really don't give a flip if the ads produce any increase in revenue for the client. The big concern for the agency is that they win an award. I've seen it happen repeatedly. It makes me sick. If you are a client of an ad agency, do yourself a favor and read this book. You'll find out fast if you're being fleeced. The negative reviews you see posted? I'll bet anything that they're from threatened, insecure account executives that are scared the truth will get out. Not long ago, I was at the office of a well known national agency. Someone had a sign at their cubicle that read: "Don't tell my mother that I work in advertising. She thinks I'm selling used cars."
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Summary: Central theme is "His Thinking Sucks"
Review: Woo hoo... if Mark thinks people will fall for that comment from "Tampa" where they supposedly "saved" $250,000, he is really insulting readers intelligence. No "real" reader would make that comment- pure "Markster speak." Nor would a real company know the results by now. Then the thank you notes to himself. Thank YOU, Mr. Stevens, get real!! Grow up Mark. Your book is speaking loudly and clearly, your marketing sucks. Palid attempts to buttress up your rating here with phony positive reviews is really pushing it. Instead, post some positive ROI case studies, some testimonials from a client that you have kept for more than six months.
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Summary: Thank God For This Book
Review: I say Thank God because it is providing me with the keys to growing my business. Ever since I bought the book in August, my company has saved more than $250,000 on dumb marketing that was sold to us by people who lack Stevens' knowledge of how to grow a company. Finally, someone with knowledge and experience tells the truth. The hard truth. Some get offeneded; real business people listen and act!
Thank for the first real world view of marketing and how to put it to work.
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