Bestselling business author Godin delivers his most far-reaching and provocative book, explaining what works in marketing these days, what doesnt, and what to do about it.

From the Publisher:
"Gotta get me some of that New Marketing. Bring me blogs, e-mail, YouTube videos, MySpace pages, Google AdWords . . . I don't care, as long as it's shiny and new."

Wait. According to bestselling author Seth Godin, all these tactics are like the toppings at an ice cream parlor. If you start with ice cream, adding cherries and hot fudge and whipped cream will make it taste great. But if you start with a bowl of meatballs . . . yuck!

As traditional marketing fades away, the new tools seem irresistible. But they donat work as well for boring brands ("meatballs") that might still be profitable but donat attract word of mouth, such as Cheerios, Ford trucks, Barbie dolls, or Budweiser. When Anheuser-Busch spends $40 million on an online network called BudTV, thatas a meatball sundae. It leads to no new Bud drinkers, just a bad case of indigestion.

"Meatball Sundae" is the definitive guide to the fourteen trends no marketer can afford to ignore. It explains what to do about the increasing power of stories, not facts; about shorter and shorter attention spans; and about the new math that says five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who donat.

The winners arenat just annoying start-ups run by three teenagers who never had a real job. You'll also meet older companies that have adapted brilliantly, such as Blendtec, a thirty-year-old blender maker. It now produces "Will it blend?" videos that demolish golf balls, Coke cans, iPhones, and much more. For a few hundred dollars, Blendtec reached more than ten million eager viewers on YouTube.

Godin doesn't pretend that itas easy to get your products, marketing messages, and internal systems in sync. But heall convince you that it's worth the effort.

Read Seth Godin's ChangeThis manifesto based on the book - "Marketing Mismatch: When New Won't Work With Old (Riffs on Meatball Sundae)"

Tagged: Marketing, Management, Social aspects, Product differentiation, Target marketing