Sustained thought

We see a lot of book proposals that read more like PowerPoint presentations. It's not surprising. It is so easy to create a presentation these days and if it's good and has an interesting point of view or new insights, someone in the audience is bound to say, "You should write a book."

However, a few lines of text, some photos, and a few charts aren't really enough to create a book with legs. And, whatever you think about books, the really great ones have legs. They are selling from a publisher's backlist for many years after they are written. A presentation, on the other hand, is fleeting. There is no sustained thought, working through the arguments and making a case for the insights.

We at Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. think a good business book should contain wisdom and insights from the trenches. That is why most of our authors are in their forties and fifties and have been working in their fields of marketing and market research for a minimum of 15 or 20 years.

They can share antecdotes backed up with research and facts. They can write with confidence about their topics and they know the difference between a trend and a fad. Their thoughts are sustained because their knowledge is deep. Their books will be in the libraries of marketers for many years to come. That's why our slogan is "Practical Books for Smart Marketers."

Making you think

In my last comment I referred to the work of Tom Asacker, one of our favorite authors at Paramount Market Publishing. Today I got another thought-provoking article from him about the use of the word "authentic," which seems to be the buzz word of the year. Unlike bloggers who are writing just to talk to themselves, Tom often shares thoughts that he has been sorting through for a long time. Hence, the name of his book and website, A Clear Eye. You can sign up to receive his occasional thoughts. It is absolutely free, well-written, and always thought provoking. Before you use the word authentic again, hit this link and you may never use the word again.

A Clear Eye for Branding Translates Well

Tom Asacker's book, A Clear Eye for Branding, is now available in Korean and in an English edition in India. If you enjoyed his book, you will find more of his wisdom and insight at his website www.acleareye.com. If you have never seen him present, you are in for a treat. Just go to his website and click on videos of some of his presentations. Tom is one of the best thinkers around when it comes to consumer behavior and marketing strategy. Paramount Market Publishing will have a new book from him in 2008.

Award-winning Author at Paramount Books

Pepper Miller, author of What's Black About It has been honored with the 2007 MAXX award as Research Executive of the Year by Target Market News.

MAXX stands for Marketing to African Americans with Excellence. The awards program annually recognizes the contributions, innovations and exceptional performance of African American professionals in the fields of marketing, advertising, media and consumer research. Her book, What's Black About It from Paramount Market Publishng and co-authored with Herb Kemp (2005), was the first in many years to explain why the importance of the African American market in the United States and how African American consumers differ from their white counterparts.

Miller, president of the Hunter-Miller Group, joins the select group that includes Eugene Morris, chairman and ceo of E. Morris Communications (Advertising Executive of the Year); Catherine L. Hughes and Alfred L. Liggins III, both of Radio One who were named media executives of the year, Gwen Kelly, senior marketing manager, African American Initiatives at Wal-Mart (marketing executive of the year); Michelle Flowers, president and ceo of Flowers Communications Group (public relations executive of the year), and Carol H. Williams, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Carol H. Williams Advertising, who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honorees were selected by the editors, writers and contributors of Target Market News, and are considered on the basis of the longevity of their careers, their advocacy of American American marketing, and the professional accomplishments that distinguish them within the industry.

”We are especially honored to give well-deserved recognition to these professionals for being champions for the African American consumer market” said Target Market News president and publisher, Ken Smikle.

“Through their persistent pursuit of excellence, they have been influential in setting benchmarks for all those doing business with African American consumers,” said Smikle “We encourage the entire industry to join us in celebrating our honorees for their unique accomplishments in elevating the field of African American marketing and media.”

Candidates were considered for recognition on the basis of being African American executives with distinctive careers, and who, throughout the course of their professional careers, have endeavored to promote greater understanding of, growth of, and sensitivity toward, the African American consumer market.

The honorees for the second annual MAAX Awards will be feted on July 2, 2007 at an awards dinner during the Eighth Annual Black Consumer Research and Advertising Summit. The event, hosted by Target Market News at the Chicago Wyndham Hotel, is the nation’s largest annual gathering of African American marketing, media and research professionals.

Paramount congratulates Pepper Miller on her achievement and looks forward to publication of her next book in 2008.

Moral compass needed more than ever

A couple of years ago we published a book called A Knights Code of Business: How to Achieve Character and Competence in the Corporate World Its intent was to help employees and employers navigate the ethical and personal issues that arise in the corporate world. Author Gene DelVecchio laid out a series of scenarios that would help determine right from wrong. He did it with a sense of humor assisted by his illustrator, Roderick Fong. The book bombed. Nobody, it seems, wanted to know about how to approach sensitive issues in the workplace.

Lately, however, we are feeling like this book is more needed than ever. We are seeing more and more "shading" of right and wrong by people who should be leading the country with their integrity. Take Paul Wolfowitz. If he had followed the dictums of A Knight's Code, he would still be president of The World Bank. Says Del Vecchio in a chapter on indecency, "Appearances are truths." In other words, as our esteemed President would say, if people believed there was favoritism in Wolfowitz's treatment of his girlfriend, there was. It doesn't matter whether he tried to deal with it in an ethical way. Following Del Vecchio's advice, his girlfriend would have been gone from The World Bank before he ever arrived or he wouldn't have taken the job.

And then there is Alberto Gonzales, pressuring former Attorney General John Ashcroft, as he lay in his hospital bed, to sign off on an illegal wiretaping program. Unethical? Sure.

Maybe these folks don't have time to read, but they should. More than ever, this country needs people who know right from wrong, truth from lies, and who value their integrity more than their paycheck and ego.

Beware the unreadable business card!

Recently we’ve had occasion to look at dozens of business cards and it is amazing how bad some of them are. You would think that a business card should be highly legible and allow people to immediately be able to use the contact information (phone, email, street address.) Yet you would be amazed how often the contact information is in tiny, very light gray type, whereas the name of the business card owner is very large in dark type. Sometimes there is a photo of the owner or an absurdly large logo taking up most of the space on the card. Baby Boomers are now all aged 40 and older, just the time when the eyes have a harder time seeing small, light type. They are also the majority of the workforce and certainly the majority of folks exchanging business cards at conferences and other events. Take an objective look at your business card. If your contact information isn’t accessible, go for a new design.

Millenials and Pop Culture

Entertainment companies of all kinds continue to seek the Holy Grail--young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are the trendsetters in determining what is and is not popular culture. Millennials and Pop Culture, a new book by generational experts William Strauss and Neil Howe explores the reasons that Millennials, people born between 1982 and the present, have become turned off by the entertainment establishment and makes recommendations for ways the entertainment giants will have to change if they are going to attract this generation.


One reason this market is so important--in addition to its reputation as trendsetters--is that it is 80 million strong, even bigger than the baby boom generation. Its spending power isn't as deep as the boomers, of course, because these kids are just entering their earning years, but their influence over the spending of their parents and grandparents is great.


Strauss and Howe suggest four strategies for dealing with this generation:
Tell stories in an optimistic framework. Millennials are a "can-do" generation that believes they can sold problems. They are confident as a group and believe they will make a contribution to a better world.
Craft stories about ambitious young women. The new attitudes of young women may be key to this generation.
Craft stories with a new male style. While the baby boom generation wrings its hands about what is happening to young men, these very same young men are creating a new style for themselves. They are ridding themselves of many of the stereotypes that have held them back and accepting the fact that it is okay to adopt some new behaviors that don't emphasize traditional masculine values.
Treat Millennials as active users of culture, not just passive viewers. With all the electronic tools available to this generation, it was inevitable that they would make music, films, games, and other forms of entertainment, not just wait for someone else to do.