This is billed as ‘The Definitive Guide to Transforming Marketing Capabilities’ and points to a hefty list of contributors from some impressive global brand names.

This seemed very appealing and raised my expectations that I could glean advice and guidance about the strategic value of marketing from international marketers and other well-known business leaders.

However, the book has the look and feel of an academic textbook, with overly frequent use of diagrams, flow charts, quotes and inserts. Rather than assisting the reading and interpretation of the text, I found this distracting and at times confusing. Another off-putting factor is the heavy use of business and marketing jargon.

The authors did promise some practical assistance. For example, there is a tool towards the end of the book, which is targeted at anyone within an organisation who wants to bring about growth through marketing. But I was left in doubt about how to apply this approach in my business. I suppose it might have more relevance in a large multinational corporate with a significant management hierarchy and well-defined market presence.

The intention of helping businesses grow through more strategic marketing and closer association with customers’ needs should be applauded. However, I found that the book’s layout and language lacked the impetus to develop my understanding of the topic, or help me to grow our marketing capability. I can only assume I’m not in the target market.

See also: The five key business growth drivers – Entrepreneurs can help their companies develop quickly by simultaneously harnessing these concepts.