Upstream Marketing: Unlock Growth Using the Combined Principles of Insight, Identity, and Innovation Paperback – June 28, 2021

As a chief marketing officer, I read a lot of business books in an attempt to stay current on the latest thinking. These include titles that profile individual companies like: “Shoe Dog” from Phil Knight, creator of Nike, “The Ride of a Lifetime” from Disney CEO Bob Iger and “Working Backwards” about Amazon by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr.This book does a “deep dive” on seven companies (Apple, Amazon, Disney, Google, Nike, Southwest, Starbucks) distilling the insights into a common set of 'lessons learned'. It's like getting the cliff notes version of a bunch of business books best sellers, with upstream marketing serving as a wrap-around concept that ties them all together.Don't get me wrong -- it's not a quick read. There's a lot to unpack and it takes some time to get through it. Still, it's one of the best books I've read this year with a high learning ROI.

I'm always seeking business book best sellers and came across this recently published one. It does a nice job describing marketing strategy and hits on a lot of relevant topics, classified under insight, identity, and innovation principles. Each marketing principle includes a series of how-tos across customer research, market segmentation, value proposition development, brand positioning, brand architecture, and related topics. It's one of the best marketing books I've read in some time and give it five stars.

There are a lot of great business books out there: Jim Collin's "Good to Great," Stephen Covey's "7 Habits," "Playing to Win" by Lafley and Martin, to name a few. Throw in books that profile individual companies – Apple, Amazon, Disney, and Nike – and it's a long list.This book brings them all together in a compelling way. You get the benefit of entering into the minds of great business leaders – like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney – and their take on upstream marketing. And the authors have done the work for you, distilling into 300 pages what undoubtedly took them many years to learn and apply.There's a lot packed into each chapter, and I found myself highlighting and dog-earing practical tips and tools. This one will stay on the shelf.

The authors do a nice job weaving in their own experiences, case studies and quotes from business leaders into an overarching strategy framework . This book made me think . . . a lot. Like a good movie that occupies the mind, I found myself thinking about upstream marketing long after reading it. It's one of the best business books I've read this year and ended up buying the hardcover version for reference. Highly recommended!

I read a lot of business books and find many rehash the same digital tactics — SEO, social media, and inbound marketing.This book is a refreshing change. It views digital marketing as “necessary, but not sufficient,” then goes on to introduce an integrated upstream marketing framework around three principles: insight, identity, and innovation.Insight stresses market research, including segmentation methods. Identity covers value proposition and brand strategy development. Innovation focuses on driving growth through new products. The final part brings them all together in a 7-step process.This is one of those books where the concepts seem obvious in hindsight, though the details have never been presented this way before. It's a new way of thinking that has completely changed the way I view marketing. Well worth the read.

This is a well-researched, well-written book on corporate strategy, viewed from a marketing lens. If you're new to marketing, there are other books that provide a better introduction, including Donald Miller's "Business Made Simple". Upstream Marketing goes a step further, going deep on the "whys" and "hows," includes a series of strategic frameworks. I've already applied a few of them on my own so can attest to their value.

I'm back to commuting and was looking for a marketing book available in audiobook format. This is available on Audible and also syncs with Kindle. There are a number of frameworks and images in the book, so it's nice to hear the content but then also be able to see the details.

It is a good read