25 Business Books CMOs Are Reading This Year

It’s no surprise marketers are often big readers. As a book addict myself, finding out what CMOs are reading is one of my favorite questions in our Get to Know interview series. With everything from new releases like Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In to classics like The One-to-One Future by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, it […]

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It’s no surprise marketers are often big readers. As a book addict myself, finding out what CMOs are reading is one of my favorite questions in our Get to Know interview series.

With everything from new releases like Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In to classics like The One-to-One Future by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, it turns out we’ve accumulated a solid list of business book recommendations from our CMO profiles.

If you’re on the lookout for something to read this summer, here’s a collection of titles that have earned a mention in our Get to Know column.

Top 25 Books CMOs Are Reading:

Book Reviews by CMOs

Tealium CMO Tracy Hansen was a big fan of Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers by fellow Get to Know interviewee Jeffrey Rohrs.

“The book was a gift and I just love it,” said Hansen, “It speaks directly to what I am thinking about right now – how to create an interest in my company and its products, while building value for customers.”

Jeffrey Rohrs Audience

Another popular title among the CMO crowd this year was Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

“Hard not to admire the genius of Steve Jobs and his many contributions, but he didn’t come off as a very nice guy,” said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt CMO John Dragoon of the Steve Jobs biography, “I’d like to think you can be both an innovator and nice.”

Walter Isaacson Jobs

Recent bestseller Lean In by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was a favorite among the CMO crowd as well.

“It was nice to see I had unknowingly done some of the same things she suggests,” said Tammy Gordon, AARP’s VP of social strategy.

Sheryl Sandberg Lean In

Kevin Doohan, CMO for audio solutions provider DTS Inc., is a repeat reader of The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins, “I read it every time I change roles.”

The First 90 Days book cover

To help spark creativity, Chief Creative Officer for TRIS3CT ad agency Chris Cancilla recommended a book from the productivity website 99U.

“A co-worker turned me onto this awesome book published by the website 99U called Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind,” said Cancilla, “Horrible title, but it’s filled with excellent short essays about how to be a more productive creative. It’s the kind of stuff you can act on immediately and see a change.”

Manage your day to day

Our Get to Know interview series is a fun look into the professional lives of top marketing executives from the world’s leading brands. Every column offers up the inside scoop on topics like:

Be sure to keep up with our latest interviews, and drop us an email if you know a CMO for a leading brand who should be featured on Marketing Land.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Amy Gesenhues
Contributor
Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land, Search Engine Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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