Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders 2nd Edition

I own (oooooh) probably between 80 and 100 books on marketing, some are obligatory read for my masters in marketing, some are handpicked in stores and on amazon and I stand by the title of my review. What can you take out from this book: YOU CAN compete with big brands, there are attitudes and ways of running your business that can knock down the goliath in your industry, and this book explains how, giving numerous examples from various industries. Only negative, if I can call it that, is author's writing style, which was rather hard for me, but then again, I am croatian, so it could be my english, not mr Morgan's :). A MUST!! have.

This is a great book for anyone in the branding, marketing or advertising industries to learn to think a little differently about branding. It's also a great resource for business owners (big or small) to ask themselves how they fit into their market and how they can learn to stand out. The beauty of the book is that it makes these ideas seem accessible for businesses at any level. Inherent in the Challenger mentality is that it doesn't take a big budget to make a difference; it just takes a big commitment. This book is a definite recommend.

This book details the realities, challenges, and opportunities of those brands that aren't the category leaders. Since missteps aren't just setbacks, but could be failures with smaller brands, it provides a perspective on how to define who/what the brand is and how to compete. I highly recommend this book for anyone in marketing, but especially those brands that have to fight to be heard over the gorilla(s) in your category.

The original Eating The Big Fish was a seminal marketing text when it was first published in 2001. The new version is, surprisingly, even better. Years of practicing the challenger brand concept has allowed Adam Morgan to refine and sharpen his argument and in there's a whole host of new learning from new case studies.If you haven't read it yet, I urge you to. If you read the original, it's well worth getting the new version to be re-invigorated about the transformational possibility of powerful ideas brilliantly executed.

“Divisible Man” is fabulous! A well told story, with a remarkable protagonist who is someone I’d like to meet, have a beer with…and fly.I found the writing style to be absolutely refreshing, like a glass of Shramsberg Rose sparkling wine whose light Pinot Noir grapes pleasantly burst onto the pallet with a surprising, delightful intensity stimulating the taste buds to crave for more…and more.I can’t wait to pop the cork on the second in the series, ““Divisible Man, The Sixth Pawn.”

I'm telling all my clients about this book. If you agree with the following, you'll like it too. "..marketing is not a science but informed judgement...the cover of the book should offer a photograph of Herb Kelleher, dressed as his occasional business alter ego, Elvis Presley, with the title 'Does This Man Look Like a Scientist?'"Great exercises to get you thinking, no matter if your brand is a leader or an also ran. e.g."Grove" named for Andy Grove- "Fire ourselves- leave the building and come back in as an entirely new team. What's one thing you would stop doing and one thing you would do instead?" Morgan punches holes in conventional wisdom- mission statements, focus groups, etc. A favorite quote: "The key failure, then, for any company attempting to effect a gear change in its own performance is not the ability to define its intention, but the inability to translate intention into behavior."

I have read many leadership books the last few years and I decided to read to this book because my company is transitioning to using the "challenger" marketing system. All I can say is that I hope the marketing changes my company makes are better than this book. This is one of the most disjointed and difficult leadership books I have read. So many examples of success stories yet I felt the author never clearly states how to implement an effective marketing campaign. Just reviewing this book and not judging the success of the companies that use it, it took me a week to slog through the 300 pages and it felt like a chore just finishing the pages. This may be one of those books that have to be read a couple of times (I hope not) to really get to the core meaning. In summary, not recommended for the casual reader of leadership books.

I learned how reevaluated Any brand, how to make it competitive by looking the forest not the trees.Be sensible about making some sacrifies in order to gain focus