Meatball Sundae

By: Seth Godin

Narrated by: Seth Godin

American Express could have become PayPal, but they watched the opportunity go by. FedEx uses technology to make shipping easier for the customer; UPS uses technology to make shipping easier for UPS. Who's winning? Google has broken the world into tiny bits. No one visits a Web site's home page anymore; they go in the back door, to just the place Google sent them.

New Marketing, whose tools include things like MySpace, YouTube, Web sites, permission marketing, cable TV, and viral techniques, is reshaping our world. But many companies try to use the tools without first getting their organization and products in sync with them. The result: what Seth Godin calls a "meatball sundae". A big, ineffective mess.

In his trademark style - clear, accessible, jargon-free - and full of real-life examples, Godin reviews how marketing used to work and explains how to use the New Marketing to become a better organization: faster, more flexible, and even more fun.

©2007 Seth Godin (P)2007 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"His arresting conversational style is sure to once again set the business world talking." ( Publishers Weekly)

Excellent

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is however a book that i need to listen to twice, there is so much information that it could be easy to miss something.

Would have been four stars, but

Why did he have to narrate it himself? Lots of interesting ideas about marketing on the Internet. Seth has lots of insights, but the narration was very distracting.

Interesting Perspective on Adopting New Technologi

If you could sum up Meatball Sundae in three words, what would they be?

It helps the business owner realize the benefits of moving with the times in marketing and communication

What was one of the most memorable moments of Meatball Sundae?

The title

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I enjoyed it in bite sizes

Godin is a marketing God

I've read a lot of theoretical metaphysical crap posing as business or marketing insight in my time. Godin ended that problem. Fun, irreverent, and smart as hell he has delivered real strategies I've practically implemented for myself and clients with breathtaking results.

Meatball Sundae explores the clashes caused when we try to apply old world techniques (pre-internet) to new world markets (post-internet). It's light on jargon and heavy on insider market knowledge that will give you an edge over those still wondering what all these changes mean and how they effect our work and lives.

En masse, it's prescient analysis of the forces changing our already changed marketing world. If you're serious about understanding how to communicate stories, ideas, and bottom line results in a web 2.? world then buy this book.

Then go back and buy every other book Seth has written. All Marketers are Liars is the best in my opinion followed by Purple Cow, Meatball, & Permission Marketing.

Meatball Godin

Meatball Sundae is lots of obvious anecdotes about the fact that old school advertising is dead (duh) and has been for years. But Seth Godin still feels he is ultra upfront and hip. Yawn.

Free Headache Inside

Godin manages to talk for four hours and say nothing. In the four hours that Godin listens to himself talk, he broaches trite anecdotes and makes it clear that he believes style trumps substance, as Godin apperantly has no use for any type of structure. He bounds from one half-coherent thought to another, like a pre-pubescent kid - laced up on sugar and a litre of Coffee - talking about what he thought of the newest installment of Hardy Boys vs. Predator. I have no doubt Godin has something to say, but in yet another installment of the Purple Cow, he tries once again to latch on to an irreverent theme instead of calling something as it is; a hoax.

Excellent, but repetitive

Excellent, but repetitive