I’ve been re-reading Chris Locke’s Gonzo Marketing and I’ve been struck again by what a damn good book it is. Chris writes so well, and so entertainingly, that it’s easy to forget how profound his ideas are. Gonzo is a visionary work, which is not a word applied to many (any?) marketing books. And it’s got more ideas in its little finger than most marketing writers have in a lifetime.

So why didn’t Gonzo knock Who Moved My Stinky Stinky Cheese off the best-seller list? It didn’t help that Gonzo was published a couple of weeks after 9/11. (Oh, thank you, terrorists!) And, frankly, I don’t think the title helped: It sounds like it’s about how you can pull off wacky marketing stunts when in fact it dismantles marketing’s basic assumptions and points it in a new direction: micromarkets, voice, engagement.

There’s plenty I disagree with, and, sure, a voice as strong as Chris’ doesn’t appeal equally to all, but so what? At least there’s lots to disagree about and at least it has a voice. Go buy a copy for a friend in marketing…

Categories: Uncategorized dw