Title: Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing (Fifth edition)
Author: Drayton Bird
Published by: Kogan Page
So, is this book worth the bother? In parts, it proves frustratingly archaic with rambling anecdotes about the mail order business and dated research (1986!), while the digital marketing chapter provides a bizarre A-Z of building and managing a website.
While the novice could pick up tips, Bird seems more comfortable when he writes what he knows best. Chapters on direct marketing are gold dust for starters and seasoned B2B practitioners alike. A chapter on making creative work foolproof makes great reading as a checklist for writing briefs or reviewing creative. He’s also an advocate for testing, which is too often overlooked.
You can’t go wrong by forking out £25 for a copy of this book – but if it’s digital insight you’re after I’d give it the bird.
Reviewed by Paul Hewerdine
Director, B2B, Loewy
