This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See

Great lessons in captivating story telling style. I loved it.

Now I see marketing with a different view. Amazing book.

Excellent book

This is a must-read for anyone looking to truly understand the modern landscape of marketing. Godin's his strategy is to build meaningful connections with your audience, focusing on trust and long-term relationships over quick sales. His insights on the importance of empathy and creating value resonate deeply, making this book not just about marketing tactics but about a shift in mindset. It offers real-world examples and strategies that can be applied across industries. Highly recommend it.

Everything about marketing shared in the book is relevant to date

I’ve owned my business for 21 years, but Seth Godin’s book, This Is Marketing, has transformed the way I think about marketing. I think this book could be called, The Philosophy of Modern Marketing, or Marketing that is Truly Effective. I used to think of marketing as a series of tasks I needed to do each month in order to drum up new business. Now I see marketing as a noble adventure with the intent to create meaningful change in some part of the world. On page 144, Seth talks about “your quest to matter.” That’s a beautiful way to some up his perspective on marketing. It’s not a task. It’s a quest, a call to adventure, something in sync with Joseph Campbell’s work on The Hero’s Journey. Seth emphasizes three critically important questions: 1. What change are you trying to make? 2. Who are you seeking to change? 3. What promise can you make to your potential customers? (Hint: your promise needs to connect to the change you want to make in the world.) He points out that the primary purpose of marketing is to create change in the world; meaningful, positive change. Then in Chapter 10 he explains how important it is to create tension that causes people to make a decision to work with you. On page 121, he wrote, “There are two ways to do your work. You can be a cab driver. Show up and ask someone where they want to go. Charge them based on the meter. Or you can be an agent of change, someone who creates tension and then relieves it.” This reminds me of Joseph Campbell’s retelling of the story about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur challenged the knights to go on a quest for the Holy Grail. Then one of the knights stood and said, “We should all enter the forest at a different point, a place where there is no path. We should carve out our own path in our pursuit of the Holy Grail.” To me, that’s what Seth is telling us to do. Carve out your own path by clarifying the change you want to make in the world, which is your Holy Grail, and then steadily, day after day, stay on that quest to create that change for the people who need that change. Early in the book I decided to put a star next to statements that really meant a lot to me. By the end of the book I had over 70 stars and most of the book underlined. Here are some of the most powerful statements for me: (Page 12) “Marketers make change happen: for the smallest viable audience, and by delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages that people actually want to get.” (Page 12) “Marketers have the empathy to know that those they seek to serve don’t want what the marketer wants, don’t believe what they believe, and don’t care about what they care about.” (Page 20) “Marketing is our quest to make change on behalf of those we serve, and we do it by understanding the irrational forces that drive each of us.” (Page 28) “You have no chance of changing everyone. You need to change someone. Which ones? Do they share a psychographic?” (Page 65) “Our calling is to make a difference. A chance to make things better for those we seek to serve…Not for your own benefit, but because of what it can produce for others.” (Page 70) “Great marketing is the generous and audacious work of saying, ‘I see a better alternative; come with me.’” (Page 81) “Marketers make change. We change people from one emotional state to another. We take people on a journey; we help them become the person they’ve dreamed of becoming, a little bit at a time.” Do you see what I mean? Over and over and over Seth is teaching a new philosophy of modern marketing. Decide on the change you want to make, decide on who to change, and make a promise as to what those people will gain from you to make that change. I can’t encourage you enough to read, This Is Marketing. I believe you will see your marketing work as a noble adventure to make great and positive change in the world. And the book is filled with nuances and processes for you to consider as you move your marketing into action.

Lo consiglio a chiunque cerchi un manuale sul marketing. È scritto bene, in maniera lineare, comprensibile, d'ispirazione. Sensazionale.

Seth Godin’s *This Is Marketing* is a masterclass in modern marketing, focusing on building trust, creating real value, and serving the right audience rather than chasing quick sales or mass appeal. Unlike traditional marketing books that emphasize tactics and hacks, Godin delivers a deeper, more human-centered approach that resonates with both seasoned professionals and newcomers. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its emphasis on understanding the needs, fears, and desires of the people you seek to serve. Godin argues that effective marketing isn’t about interrupting people but about solving problems, creating meaningful change, and forming genuine connections. His insights on storytelling, positioning, and the power of small, loyal audiences are both thought-provoking and highly practical. The book’s writing style is engaging, easy to digest, and full of real-world examples that make complex marketing principles accessible. Whether you're an entrepreneur, business leader, or creative professional, *This Is Marketing* provides a fresh perspective on how to make an impact in today’s crowded marketplace. Overall, this is an inspiring and valuable read that challenges outdated marketing strategies and replaces them with a more ethical, effective, and sustainable approach. Highly recommended for anyone looking to build a brand, grow an audience, or create lasting change through their work!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) „This is Marketing“ – ein Manifest für Bedeutung statt Massenmarkt 📌 Kurzfazit Godin argumentiert, dass modernes Marketing nicht mehr darin besteht, Produkte an möglichst viele Menschen zu „pushen“. Stattdessen geht es darum, Resonanz zu erzeugen, Vertrauen aufzubauen und eine Community aufzubauen, die die Botschaft wirklich versteht. Marketing = Empathie + Geschichten + Relevanz. 📚 Inhalt & Kerngedanken „Marketing is the act of making change happen“ – Marketing als Dienstleistung, nicht Manipulation. Fokus auf kleinste tragfähige Zielgruppe („smallest viable market“) statt Massenmarkt. Bedeutung von Storytelling, Empathie und Authentizität. Marketing als langfristiger Beziehungsaufbau, nicht kurzfristige Tricks. 🔬 Wissenschaftlicher Bezug Parallelen zur Diffusion of Innovations (Everett Rogers, 1962): Ideen verbreiten sich von Early Adopters in die Masse. Anschluss an Behavioral Economics: Entscheidungen werden stark durch Emotion, nicht durch reine Rationalität geprägt (Kahneman, 2011). Godins Betonung von Vertrauen und Community deckt sich mit Forschung zu Social Capital (Putnam, 2000) und Customer Engagement (Brodie et al., Journal of Service Research, 2011). Schwäche: kein wissenschaftliches Fachbuch, sondern eher ein Essay mit Beispielen und Prinzipien. 👉 Fazit Wissenschaft: Inspirierend, empirisch anschlussfähig, aber nicht systematisch. 🌍 Kulturelle Relevanz Godin gilt als einer der wichtigsten Marketing-Vordenker unserer Zeit. Das Buch hat besonders in der Start-up- und Kreativszene Resonanz gefunden, weil es Sinn- und Werteorientierung betont. Kulturell wichtig, weil es Marketing vom „Verkaufen“ hin zum Verändern und Gestalten umdefiniert. 💭 Meine persönliche Meinung 👍 Positiv: Sehr klar, sehr menschlich, mit vielen einprägsamen Beispielen. Für mich ein Leitfaden, wie man Marketing ethisch und sinnvoll gestalten kann. 👎 Negativ: Wer harte Tools und Frameworks erwartet, wird enttäuscht – es bleibt konzeptionell. Für mich: ein Inspirationsbuch, das die Haltung verändert, nicht nur die Technik. 🎯 Fazit This is Marketing ist ein zeitgemäßes, inspirierendes Manifest für empathisches Marketing, das Vertrauen und Relevanz in den Mittelpunkt stellt. Kein Handbuch voller Zahlen, sondern ein Buch, das die Perspektive verschiebt – und das macht es wertvoll. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 von 5 Sternen Weil: klug, kulturprägend, anschlussfähig an Forschung – ein Muss für modernes Marketing.

Enrealidad sigo mucho a Seth Godin. Me gusta mucho como escribe en su newsletter. Cuando vi que atacaria una perspectiva diferente de que no es tan importante lo que actualemte ahora se vende que es buscar tener mas likes o mas seguidores a la causa o más exposicion, lo compre inmediatamente, me llevo mis libros en estos temas despacio para leer por partes y ver como aplicarlo a mi proyecto. Definitivamente recomendado. Como no soy estudiante de marketing tampoco se que tan repetido este. Lo compre por el autor la verdad.