The End of Marketing As We Know It - Hardcover

Rogue marketer Sergio Zyman, former Chief Marketing Officer for Coca Cola, reveals for the first time his philosophy of ‘neo-marketing’.

Sergio Zyman – aka Aya-cola – has just stepped down from being chief marketing officer for Coca Cola. Ten years ago he had the dubious distinction of launching New Coke – one of the best documented and most spectacular marketing failures of all time. But just 79 days later the return of Classic Coke produced the biggest one-year rise ever in the brand’s sales. Zyman learnt – and taught others – important lessons about the emotional bond of consumers to the product. The late Coke CEO, Robert Goizueta said ‘If I could have a New Coke situation every day I would. Absolutely’.

Zyman is flamboyant and controversial, with an appropriately fizzy personality. Last year he received a record salary of $412,000 plus a bonus of $305,000. In The End of Marketing As We Know It he will reveal for the first time his philosophy of marketing, which, he says, is not what everyone thinks it is about. He will offer up his own brand of ‘neo-marketing’ based on the notion that ‘advertising and promotion are supposed to sell more stuff’.

Coke is one of the world’s most powerful and symbolic brands; this account of events there by its chief marketing officer promises to be educational, instructive, controversial and entertaining – a must read for anyone involved in the marketing business.

Marketing as we know it today is about image. It’s about getting consumers to love your products. It’s about producing award-winning commercials and promotions, and creating ads people like.

The problem is it’s not working.

So says Sergio Zyman, twice marketing Czar of Coca Cola, and possibly the most famous marketer in the world. Brilliant and irascible, Zyman is best known for reinventing The Coca Cola Company’s marketing approach by spearheading the launches of such world-class global brands such as Diet Coke, New Coke, Classic Coke, Fruitopia, and Sprite, and masterminding such timeless campaigns as “Coke Is It!” and “Always Coca Cola,” resulting in sales of more than 15 billion cases of Coke products per year to over 5 billion consumers in 190 countries.

In 'The End of Marketing As We Know It', Zyman reveals, with characteristic flair, the counterintuitive and often provocative marketing strategies and tactics that helped to increase the market value of the Coca Cola company from a mere $56 billion to an astounding $193 billion in just five years. Shattering the mystique surrounding the discipline of marketing, Zyman recounts such illuminating anecdotes as why he decided not to rerun the much-loved “ I’d like to teach the world to sing” Coke commercial. He also explores:
· Why marketing isn’t an art but a science
· The rise of consumer democracy – and the threat of consumer communism
· How marketing locally is necessary to build global equity
· Why marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department

And why:
· It’s crucial to increase your marketing budget – not to cut it – when sales are down
· It’s suicide to base your sales projections on previous performance
· It’s sometimes necessary to enter a category just to kill it
· All marketers must be accountable to shareholders

Visionary and radical, 'The End of Marketing As We Know It' captures a seismic shift in marketing, from the master of the trade.

“What can I say about Sergio Zyman? He’s a genius; that’s all. And this book will tell you why.”
WARREN BENNIS, Author of 'On Becoming a Leader', University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, USC Marshall School of Business

“A wizard at marketing discloses his magic. No matter what your industry, you will benefit greatly from Sergio Zyman’s out-of-the-box thinking and contemporary concepts.”
CHARLES R. SCHWAB, Chairman, The Charles Schwab Corporation

“This is a book that’s sometimes arrogant, occasionally profane, usually profound, and always entertaining...just like Sergio. If you read it and learn its lessons, you’ll become a high voltage, successful marketer ... just like Sergio.”
JAY CHIAT, founder, Chiat/Day Advertising

“This book is not simply about marketing; it is about how to choose the right objectives and achieve them and how to successfully build a business. No matter what industry you’re in, Zyman’s book is a must read!”
JOHN F. COOKE, Executive Vice President, The Walt Disney Company

“No one is more provocative or passionate on the subject of marketing than Sergio Zyman. Somehow he’s managed to capture all this in 'The End of Marketing As We Know It. ' It teaches as much as any textbook ever could, but does it in a remarkably entertaining way.”
SHELLY LAZARUS, Chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

“'The End of Marketing As We Know It 'is typical Zyman – brash, compelling, and eminently practical. I found myself using several of its conclusions and insights at staff meetings and presentations – of course, without crediting Sergio.”
DAVID J. STERN, Commissioner, National Basketball Association