branding

100 books every Public Relations (PR) / Branding professional should read

Ok, so I don’t actually have a complete list yet (mostly because I really want to take the time to trawl through my library again) but that’s where you come in.

Let’s hear what you think should be on this list.

I’ll kick it off with some of my fave’s here and keep adding to them as we go along and I have the time.

It would of course be great to have some feedback on this topic in particular.

The list is in no particular order by the way and just represents some of the best and most insightful books I’ve had the pleasure to either read or revisit in recent months.

Check further down for my two cents on these:

1. Drop The Pink Elephant - 15 Ways To Say What You Mean…And Mean What You Say by Bill McFarlan
2. Guerrilla PR by Michael Levine
3. How To Make Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
4. Join The Conversation - How To Engage Marketing Weary Consumers With The Power Of Community, Dialogue and Partnership by Joseph Jaffe
5. Making It Stick - Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die by Dan Heath & Chip Heath
   
6. Purple Cow - Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
7. Re-Imagine! Business Excellence In A Disruptive Age by Tom Peters
8. Rubies In The Orchard by Lybda Resnick with Francis Wilkinson
   
9. Small Giants - Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead Of Big by Bo Burlingham
   
10. The Fall Of Advertising And The Rise Of PR by Al Ries and Laura Ries
11. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
12. The New Rules Of Marketing And PR - How To Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing And Online Media To Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott
    

THE LIST

Drop The Pink Elephant - 15 Ways To Say What You Mean…And Mean What You Say by Bill McFarlan

We’re all communicators - but sometimes we forget just how easy it is to communicate too much or too little. This little book belies the value of the reminders that it offers us all - journalist, blogger and PR person alike.

Guerrilla PR by Michael Levine

While it doesn’t break any new ground and can seem awfully simplistic at times, this book is a good primer for the green practitioner and a valuable reminder of the fundamentals.

How To Make Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This is surely one of the seminal works on human relations and networking that has ever been written. As true today as it was back in 1937, Carnegie’s work here has helped me improve how I interact, deal with and reward people around me. Bear in mind that financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to “the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people,” and you begin to understand why this book is so important.

Join The Conversation - How To Engage Marketing Weary Consumers With The Power Of Community, Dialogue and Partnership by Joseph Jaffe

Jaffe - prolific blogger and author among other things - discusses the changing roles of the consumer and what marketers must do to adapt to the changing landscapes. Especially important if you intend to stay relevant and join the conversation online, offline and through the line.

Making It Stick - Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die by Dan Heath & Chip Heath

An entertaining and often common sense approach to communications. While some points of the book will leave you scratching your head, the book on the whole is a good one and easy enough to read. Focused on six key principles: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions and stories; the brothers explore how you can leverage on these points to get what you need while offering a compelling storyline.

Purple Cow - Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

After this book you’ll probably wonder how you could have missed something so obvious. Through a simple, effective and narrative style of writing, Seth Godin - one of my fave thinkers - encourages you be extraordinary in everything. And to always question everything. Good enough isn’t enough and it’s never going to be if Godin has his way.

Re-Imagine - Business excellence in a disruptive age by Tom Peters

As non business a book as it can be, this is definitely one of those times when you can’t judge something from it’s cover. Or it’s pages. Or any part of it aside from the content that is fresh, thought provoking and totally something to return to over and over again. Invaluable!

Rubies In The Orchard by Lynda Resnick with Francis Wilkinson

Real world examples told in a no nonesense and yet engaging manner by someone who seems to have been there and done that - twice! Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for real world examples of a PR practitioner who knows the difference between Public Relations and Publicity.

Small Giants - Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead Of Big by Bo Burlingham

As we strive to grow bigger, faster and spread our reach further, we sometimes forget what we are and where we are going. Burlingham’s book reminds us of the old adage that ‘good things come in small packages’ and demonstrates that small doesn’t have to be a follower.

The Fall Of Advertising And The Rise Of PR by Al Ries & Laura Ries

If like me you’ve had to explain repeatedly why the message is more important and that content sells way better than anything else then this is denitely the book for you. Through a series of examples from some of the best brands in the world, All and Laura Ries dissect the age old argument of which is better - PR or advertising - and help put some much needed perspective in place. Must have for any serious practitioner of the art.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Thought provoking and a reminder of our own mortality, this is one of those books that helps remind you that in everything we do - and yes this includes PR and branding - we should do it to the best of our ability and with passion. It’s got loads more goodness inside but I strongly suggest you read it yourself. It’s well worth the time it’ll take you.

The New Rules Of Marketing And PR - How To Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing And Online Media To Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott

The old rules of marketing and PR are increasingly irrelevant says Scott, arguing in his latest book that new opportunities for new thinkers is the order of the day. This is especially true for PR practitioners who address the needs of the ever more important small and medium sized business group of companies. A thoughtful and easy to understand guide to the latest communication tools online, he also balances the new with the old, emphasising the need for well crafted and consistently good planning and execution as well.

© 2008 Journeys Through The Line.