16 Top Marketers Reading Lists

As marketers, we are tasked with continuously driving and adapting to change. A role like ours requires an appetite for constant learning—from the leading thinkers in our field, as well as from our peers. In an attempt to learn from each other as a community, and to gain insights and perspectives across industries, I thought it would be instructive to invite top CMOs to share their best reads, and why these books have made it to the top of their reading lists. I was delighted with the diversity in the responses. From the work of established business thinkers to iconic post-punk musicians, all of these books can teach us lessons we can apply to the discipline of marketing leadership, and our personal lives as well.

Margaret MolloyGlobal CMO Siegel+Gale

@MargaretMolloy

"I have How Music Works, on my nightstand and I’m very eager to read it. I’ve been a fan of his work over the years and love observing the cultural landscape through his lens. For a lifestyle brand like Truth, maintaining relevancy with youth is an unyielding pursuit. Music often provides the opportunity to have shorthand conversation with this audience. It allows us to communicate volumes about our brand without actually saying a word. I’m hopeful David Byrne will offer a peak behind the curtain of what makes him tick as well. Perhaps a once in a lifetime peak."

How Music Works by David Byrne

Eric Asche CMO American Legacy Foundation@easche

Drive by Daniel Pink

“In Drive, Pink goes on to illustrate why the traditional carrots-and-sticks paradigm of extrinsic reward and punishment doesn’t work, pointing instead to his trifecta of intrinsic motivators: Autonomy, or the desire to be self-directed; Mastery, or the itch to keep improving at something that’s important to us; and Purpose, the sense that what we do produces something transcendent or serves something meaningful beyond than ourselves. The book updates the perspective on 21st-century motivation of leaders, employees, customers and stakeholders. Understanding what motivates people in general is a primer for all marketing professionals as the competency evolves at a rapid pace.”

Brian MiskeCMO

KPMG LLP

Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall and The Road to Character by David Brooks“A few summers ago I read and loved Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run. I wouldn’t consider myself a candidate for an Ironman triathlon, just like I wouldn’t have considered myself a runner, but I was so inspired by the book that I went out and ran barefoot on the beach that very weekend! I wonder what Natural Born Heroes will motivate me to try! In April after reading David Brooks's article The Moral Bucket List, I picked up his latest book The Road to Character. I love the idea of a “stumbler” who isn’t living for “happiness as it’s conventionally defined” but rather sees life as a larger narrative filled with ups and downs—and on this road stumbles upon a purposeful life. David reminds us to confront our weaknesses as we pursue a deeper sense of purpose and a strong inner character.” 

Maryam Banikarim Global CMOHyatt @maryamb

Grow Your Value by Mika Brzezinski

“I like it because Mika reminds us to not forget our personal values when pursuing professional ones; great lessons from the trailblazers.”

Maggie Chan Jones

CMO SAP

@maggiecj

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

“I find marketing is as much about psychology than anything else, and I tend to read more books on that subject than books that would be categorized as “marketing.” One that I am reading now has really made me think not only about marketing but how I think about living my life. It’s Thinking Fast and Slow. It really deconstructs how people think and make decisions and then ties it to how you should think about living your life.”

Rishi DaveCMO Dun & Bradstreet

Different by Youngme Moon

“I'm excited to finally read Youngme Moon's book, Different. With so many messages coming at us, "new" remains the third most motivating word in the English language and "different" is the most magnetic part of new.”

Barbara J. Cooperman

CMOKroll Inc.

@bjcooperman 

“It looks like a provocative read and has been recommended a couple of times. I'm curious to learn more. Data-driven explanations for brand "intangibles" can help companies embrace marketing and I'm curious to see Byron Sharp's analytical arguments about brands.”

How Brands Grow – What Marketers Don't Know by Byron Sharp

Pat ShoresCMOBark & Co.

“The Grateful Dead was an early master of consumer engagement. I keep this book on my desk as a reminder to focus on building relationships with consumers, and to allow them to define how they access and experience your brand.” 

Marketing Lessons from The Grateful Dead by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan

Lorna JosephNational Marketing Leader,

Audit Enterprise & Risk Services Deloitte

@lornajoseph

“According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers value recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. So, marketers can't leave this to chance - we have to get good at this on purpose. For those old enough to remember, Faberge had this concept down as early as the 70's with their "tell 2 friends" commercial. Word of Mouth is a simple principle, but this book provides practical advice on how to actually activate it by cultivating endorsements and advocacy from your customers.”

Highly Recommended: Harnessing the Power of Word of Mouth and Social Media to Build Your Brand and Your Business by Paul Rand

Patrick Bernardi CMOHu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC@PBwas44

“I’ve used Strengthfinders 2.0 as a tool for years. Strength Based Leadership has great personal stories from successful leaders, which provide me with “ah-ha” moments in my own work. Everyone at Consumers Credit Union is given Strengthfinders during their first week. We see everyone's results on our intranet and can understand how they may react to a project. It’s important for me personally to know the strengths of our team. We understand our team synergy better and are more productive.”

Strengthfinders 2.0 and Strength Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie

Lynne J. Johnson CMO

Consumer’s Credit Union@MoJoCMO

“I'm always curious about understanding perspectives concerning how human behavior can impact sales. This book provides both information—how and why—and a process to follow to build sales. Every business needs more customers and product evangelists and I find Ryan's story/ business journey very interesting.”

Ask. by Ryan Levesque 

Valerie FosterVP, Marketing CommunicationsMonitor Liability Managers@ValerieFoster3

“I’ve admired General Powell for years, and when he confirmed his appearance at Sage Summit, I knew I had to read this book. General Powell shares the lessons that shaped his career; what an inspiration for anyone in business – and he was even more inspirational in-person. I’m in awe (and agreement) of his perspective on small business and the importance they have in this country. And as a CMO, his advice on taking care of people, focusing on the mission, and having a purpose resonate.”

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by General Colin L. Powell

Gabie BokoEVP, Marketing

Sage@GabieBoko

“Right now I’m reading A Beautiful Constraint. We're nourishing a challenger culture at Campbell Soup and trying to get people to think about doing more with less. This has some inspiring lessons as well as case studies we can all learn from.”

A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden

Michael W. GoodmanDirector, Innovation Commercialization Campbell Soup Company

“Although it was published 10 years ago, I still find myself referring back to this book. With new product development and portfolio strategy being an important part of any CMO’s job, I find Blue Ocean Strategy’s underlying principles of market disruption to be inspirational. We need to go beyond the “low hanging fruit” to explore non-traditional and potentially transformational paths to growth.  To use a baseball metaphor, singles and doubles are nice, but it’s also important to hunt for those elusive home runs.”

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

Carlos NavarroVP and CMO

South Jersey Industries

“This has been in my mile-high stack of bedside books for a while and became relevant a couple weeks ago when I decided to leave a strong company for a new CMO adventure and the complete unknown. Whether taking a new position, introducing an unconventional strategy, or presenting what we hope will be a breakthrough creative campaign, marketing leaders are familiar with uncertainly, risk, and the associated feelings of vulnerability. Brown encourages readers to see vulnerability as courage. With vulnerability as a newfound superpower, “daring greatly” just got a lot easier!”

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Gina McDuffieCMOVER@ginamcduffie

“As "simplicity" is an essential part of a modern marketers strategy, focusing on the "essential" is critical to simplifying. This book provides a framework for how to determine what's essential to professional success and personal happiness. Essentialism isn't about doing less, it's about making a bigger impact.”

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Margaret MolloyGlobal CMOSiegel+Gale

@MargaretMolloy

My thanks to these CMOs for sharing their incredible diverse selection of top reading suggestions. Now, it’s over to you. We’re keen to hear your recommendations—what would you add to our list?

Follow and Tweet me @MargaretMolloy

A version of this presentation first appeared on Forbes.com

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