The Marketing Director’s Handbook

The Marketing Director’s Handbook
The Marketing Director’s Handbook

This book starts off with an alarming stat: only 14 of the UK FTSE 100 have a marketing director on the board. Why?

I was hoping the authors would go on to provide some answers. Instead, they take you through the key areas of marketing – comprehensively and with very practical tips – but it felt like they’d forgotten the title of the book.

The content feels very similar to books by Philip Kotler or Hugh Davidson. Plus there’s the usual bias towards B2C and product, with little on B2B or services marketing, a common problem with marketing books (not an issue, unless you happen to work in a B2B services marketing environment – which I do!).

The first chapter does start to talk about the practical elements of board stakeholder dynamics and how to manage your first 90 days, but that’s it. There’s also a useful chapter at the end on ‘Marketing and the Law’.

This book has a great idea: how does a new marketing director get established and what new challenges does s/he have to confront in this role? Only problem: the authors still need to write it.

Martin Noblet, Managing Director at ADIUVEX Ltd, reads The Marketing Director’s Handbook by Tim Arnold and Guy Tomlinson.

For the recently promoted or recruited marketing director this could be the best investment you ever make. Why? Not simply because the book is probably one of the most comprehensive you will ever read but because it is written by authors who have been there and observed what they refer to the graveyard of marketers. The book’s strengths lie not in its very sound coverage of most of the disciplines that make up marketing. The real strengths lie in the insight and wisdom the authors bring to their subject. As marketers climb the career ladder, the game changes from technical and creative competence to political and leadership mastery. If you only read the first two chapters for their guidance on survival and success at the top table it will be money and time very well spent. I wish this book had been around when I became a marketing director in my early thirties.

The book is substantial (389pp) but full of useful insight and practical help. It is broken down into four main sections – Marketing Essentials, The Marketing Year, Operational Leadership and, lastly, Major Project Planner. There are signposts and cross references throughout to enable the reader to go end-to-end or select topics as needed. There is wise and practical advice on issues that academic tomes seem to forget or pass over quickly. These include managing the board, colleagues and the marketing team. In Part 4 there are a number of themes which can help the new director address some of the thornier issues such as Crisis Management, NPD, Restoring Growth and Mergers and Acquisitions. The authors are less strong on digital but, given the rate of change, it is entirely forgivable. The only bit of ‘cheesy’ is the use of pop song titles at the head of each chapter.

The Marketing Director’s Handbook, The Marketing Directors Ltd, £49.99.

Join The Marketing Society Book Club. If you are a member of The Marketing Society you could write a 300-word review for the Marketing Society’s blog. Contact Will Armstrong to get involved. Find out more about the benefits of joining The Marketing Society’s exclusive network.

Newsletter

Enjoy this? Get more.

Our monthly newsletter, The Edit, curates the very best of our latest content including articles, podcasts, video.

CAPTCHA
6 + 6 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Become a member

Not a member yet?

Now it's time for you and your team to get involved. Get access to world-class events, exclusive publications, professional development, partner discounts and the chance to grow your network.