Book Recommendation: Marketing Outrageously by Jon Spoelstra

A few years ago, there were three marketing books that inspired me and helped me improve my marketing. I recommend reading them in the order that I present them. Although not a book series, they each seemed to build on each other. This post and the following two will be reviews of these three books.

The first book is Marketing Outrageously by Jon Spoelstra (the father of Miami Heat head coach, Eric Spoelstra). Then Attention! This Book Will Make You Money by Jim Kukral. Finally, C.C. Chapman and Ann Handley’s Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) that Engage Customer and Ignite Your Business (whew, long title…) completes the trilogy.

I cannot recommend Marketing Outrageously enough to anyone that works in marketing. Spoelstra worked with many sports teams to jumpstart their revenues because he thought beyond the game itself. When you go to an NBA game these days, there is always something going on to entertain you. From the moment you arrive until you leave, there are contests, videos, mascots, performers and more. Jon Spoelstra was the first to implement these attractions. He understood that fans are coming for an entertainment event, not just a basketball game. By adding attractions and improving the teams’ marketing, he was able to increase ticket sales and revenues for many bad teams. While he was a sports marketer, his advice applies to any industry.

Through his 17 ground rules, he explains how he applied them in his career and gives the results. Included are the steps he had to take to get buy-in from team owners and his other bosses. Needless to say, a lot of his ideas were out there. But through it, he explains his thought process and the justification for what it was he wanted to do. These aren’t crazy ideas for the sake of being crazy, there are rhyme and reason (and success!) to the tactics he employed. One memorable example was sending rubber chickens to season ticket holders and prospects.

He teaches you how to think in a different way and bigger about what you are marketing. Since almost every one of his rules inspired me, I thought about how I could apply them to my job. It energized my approach to marketing. The best part was that, unlike many books with no payoff of advice, Spoelstra relates it to his career and gives you tips on how to apply it to any business.

Again, if you’re in marketing, do yourself a favor and RUN to pick this one up.

Thanks for reading. Share any comments on this book or any experiences you’ve had with marketing outrageously in your own career. I’d love to hear some examples and the results. Then check out my review of Jim Kukral’s Attention! This Book Will Make You Money.