All Marketers Are Liars

The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

By: Seth Godin

Narrated by: Seth Godin

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better, and look cooler, than $20 no-names... and believing it makes it true.

Successful marketers don't talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story. A story we want to believe.

This is a book about doing what consumers demand; painting vivid pictures that they choose to believe. Every organization, from nonprofits to car companies, from political campaigns to wineglass blowers, must understand that the rules have changed (again). In an economy where the richest have an infinite number of choices (and no time to make them), every organization is a marketer and all marketing is about telling stories.

Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod.

But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. That's a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers and Marlboro.

This is a powerful book for anyone who wants to create things people truly want as opposed to commodities that people merely need.

©2005 Seth Godin (P)2005 Audible, Inc.

Learned quite a bit and enjoyed the audiobook

Seth Godin was very good in this audiobook. He presented numerous thought and action provoking ideas and concepts in a very engaging manner. One concept I am learning a lot from is that people have a world view that is very difficult (if not impossible) to change and it is to this world view that the successful marketer must aim a very good story. I recommend readily this audiobook.

Adequate but only adequate

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only for students.

Any additional comments?

The book is a bit basic. Would be helpful for students or beginners.

Entertaining though and great work by the narrator.

Excellent Marketing Primer

If you could sum up All Marketers Are Liars in three words, what would they be?

Sound, fundamental marketing.

What did you like best about this story?

That the author recognizes that "stories" are important. And that you need to genuinely live your "lie".

What does Seth Godin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's a bit like a friend walking you through the process.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely listen to this one again!

choppy audio at times is why I did not give it 5

choppy audio at times is why I did not give it 5 stars. story was amazing. well written simple and yet effective

A must listen to

Seth Godin shares the very mechanics of how marketing works with powerful insights. don't spend another dollar in marketing before finishing this book.

seth continues to nail it!

Seth continues to :match my world view" on the state of marketing today, then provides credible and on point advice on how to navigate it. Thanks, Seth!

Good, easy read!

As a professional “helper” this book helps to understand the business side of it all as well. Quick easy listen!

Must Read

We own the oldest advertising firm in our market. This book is so good that we are thinking about giving it as a gift to our clients at the end of the year.

The essense of marketing has been defined.

This is a must be read before writing your next marketing plan or investing in any marketing activities. With this simple, practical wisdom you will gain greater results.

Seth has presented a clear, coherent definition of the core of what marketing is all about. All great marketing is based on the principle Seth explains with such clarity and simplicity: telling stories.

There is no preaching in this book. It is a story about marketing. All good stories comes from the heart. As Seth explains your story in all your marketing must be authentic. Hearing Seth tell his story about marketing you realise just how much he understands the importance of the subject to all marketers. When people express things with such authenticity it can easily be misread as preaching.

A good companion to fully understanding this very important basis of marketing in greater detail I would suggest you also listen to, "The 4 Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz also available here at Audible.

Another Audible book that touches on this subject, and is fiction, is "Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit" by Daniel Quinn

Godin Wisdom Reigns

Where does All Marketers Are Liars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

All Marketers Are Liars is great book and definitely worth a listen. Seth's reading style is little dry and mundane, so a voice actor/ professional narrator would have been nice. However, if you have listened to his other stuff and that didn't bother you, this is very much the same. Compared to other choices, I might have held off a bit longer on this one, but it is still a very solid choice overall.

What other book might you compare All Marketers Are Liars to and why?

I would definitely say that this book holds true to Seth's series of books, and I would compare it to those first off. It is reminiscent of most business books of the same genre. I would compare it to Good to Great by Jim Collins or maybe The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber.

Did Seth Godin do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

While there are not characters per se, Seth does do a good job in describing people from examples and from real life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The story that sold a thousands ships.

Any additional comments?

The information is invaluable. The psychology behind storytelling and how it relates to the sale and perception of products/services should not be missed.