eMarketing - The Essential Guide to Marketing in a Digital World - 5th Ed.

Weighing in at over an inch thick, this ‘beast’ is less of a book and more of a bible for the digital marketing world.

Accordingly, this is not going to be your average book review because I didn’t read or evaluate it as I normally would, say, Seth Godin’s latest publication.

In fact, I didn’t read it cover to cover. It’s not that type of book. eMarketing is a textbook, but not of the dusty, crusty variety (unlike most textbooks it’s well designed and easy on the eye). It is very up to date – this is the forth edition since 2008 – which is pretty admirable given digital marketing morphs and changes at a pretty rapid rate.

eMarketing is comprehensive and a ‘must have’ for anyone wanting to gain a more thorough understand of digital marketing. It’s ‘required reading’ for people working in the digital space, and ‘recommended’ for those involved in advertising, PR, social media and other areas that are ‘touched’ by digital. Having this book on your desk as a reference tool will keep you ahead of the game.

eMarketing is split into four core areas (I’ve included some of the topic areas which will give you a good idea of what’s covered):

Part One – Think: digital marketing strategy, market research, crowdsourcing,

Part Two – Create: web development and design, writing for the web, mobile development,

Part Three – Engage: email marketing, online advertising, affiliate marketing, SEO/SEM, PPC advertising, social media, CRM, mobile engagement, and

Part Four – Optimise: web analytics, conversion optimisation etc.

Each one of these topics is introduced, explained, pulled apart and summarised in language that’s easy to understand (including definitions of key terms and concepts – very important with an area like digital marketing which is awash with jargon). Importantly, it contains examples and case studies such as Zappos.com, Navteq, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic and Hyundai.

Reviews and Comments:

The first thing that you should do is obsess about the terms in this book. Vocabulary is the first step to understanding, and if you don’t know what something means, figure it out. Don’t turn the page until you do.

- Seth Godin, 
Author: Purple Cow, Lynchpin and Permission Marketing

My Quirk eMarketing textbook is a truly indispensable desk item. Since completing the e-course I have been able to help embed the correct terminology and appropriate digital focus with all colleagues from top down. This is essential if we, as a global business, wish to be seen as competent leaders and high quality adopters of digital marketing tactics and strategies. Behind every great digital marketer should be this great textbook!

- Sunita Anderson, 
Group Marketing Knowledge Manager at SABMiller plc.

“I found the textbook well-written, making what could be quite complex terms and definitions easy to understand. Having loads of practical examples scattered throughout the chapters, the theoretical concepts were well highlighted in practical, real-world application. Each chapter challenged me to apply my newly learnt skills through providing further readings and additional resources to explore.” 

Mr A. Marriott
Lecturer: Marketing, and Advertising & Sales Promotion at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University