The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy
Review - 4 Stars
I am going through an intensive Dan Kennedy phase at the moment and have just finished reading "The Ultimate Marketing Plan Third Edition" by Dan S. Kennedy.
It is a book that has given me mixed feelings so let me explain why.
What I don't like about The Ultimate Marketing Plan
Rant 1 - I have ranted before about the use of the word Ultimate - it makes me mad since it seems editions 1 and 2 didn't turn out to be the ultimate.
This one isn't either.
In fact the title is a bit of a misnomer.
Rant 2 - Dan Kennedy takes you through many different topics - and it makes great reading - but I didn't feel that I was reading a book about preparing a marketing plan.
Improving my marketing yes, writing a marketing plan no.
There is a form at the back which tries to pull the topics together to create a marketing plan with a worked example - but it didn't work.
Rant 3 - Dan Kennedy is a direct response marketer and you have a regular call to action to join his marketing group. Again a great idea - and there is an incentive at the bottom for you to try it - but some will be put off my the blatant commercialism of the Ultimate Marketing Plan.
Rant 4 - the book constantly refers to a website with extra resources to give you more details. A great idea but it builds up the promise and expectation.
The stuff ain't there.
And for a marketer of Dan Kennedy's reputation that is just plain crazy.
He builds up desire for more information and then doesn't deliver.
My copy was bought new several weeks ago (March 2009) and the book is copyrighted 2006 so it doesn't make sense to spoil the book by taking away the resources so quickly.
What I like about The Ultimate Marketing Plan
Dan Kennedy is famous for his no BS approach and apart from the nonsense above, that's exactly what he delivers.
Well written, very informative and interesting.
Plenty of examples to show you the direct marketing approach and the emphasis on message, market and media.
The Ultimate Marketing Plan is packed with common sense and I've made plenty of notes.
Rating & Recommendation for The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy
This is a 4.5 star book which has been deducted 0.5 point for no longer meeting the promises made. So my overall rating of The Ultimate Marketing Plan is 4 stars
That still makes the Ultimate Marketing Plan a recommended book to read.
It is not recommended for someone who wants to know how to write a marketing plan. There are better, more structured books and guides for that - both for internal focus and action and external review.
I do recommend the Ultimate Marketing Plan for anyone who wants to learn more about the legendary Dan Kennedy and his ideas or for someone who wants to use direct response marketing in a business.
The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy is focused on the copywriting elements of the marketing message and the two books will work very well together.
Buying The Ultimate Marketing Plan
You can buy both from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk (affiliate links). Free Gift
I was reading my notes from The Ultimate Marketing Plan and I was impressed by the wisdom included.
When I wrote this review, I was irritated - by the title, by the constant selling of Glazer Kennedy and by the promised extra resources that no longer exist.
But The Ultimate Marketing Plan is certainly a very good book for anyone who wants to get to grips with direct response marketing.
Just don't buy it if you are looking for specific guidance on how to put together a marketing plan.
This book is written to produce money... not a nice report for others to read.
Posted by: Paul | February 07, 2010 at 01:19 PM