Sheryl Swingley
Ball State University
Question
What are things I should be reading and studying as a student now so that I can increase my marketing skills while working an internship?
Answer
Reading materials for the marketing professional are abundant. Your main options include books, trade publications and online resources.
I'll start by listing some books that my faculty colleagues and I recommend to students in our classes. Here's a Top 10 list:
10. Thirty Seconds by Michael J. Arlen
9. Building Strong Brands by David Aaker
8. The Copy Workshop Workbook by Bruce Bendinger
7. Hitting the Sweet Spot: How Consumer insights Can Inspire Better Marketing and Advertising by Lisa Fortini-Campbell
6. A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink
5. Confessions of an Advertising Man, David Ogilvy
4. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
3. Truth, Lies and Advertising, Jon Steel
2. Advertising in America: The First Two Hundred Years by Charles A. Goodrum
1. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Laura Ries, Al Ries (Check out other Al Ries' books, too.)
Reading marketing trade publications on a regular basis will keep you up to date with the latest developments in the field and help you know which companies are doing what. This link, http://www.webmarketcentral.com/advertising_trade_magazines.htm, will take you to a list of more than 80 marketing trade publications that are produced in the U.S. Choose a few publications based on your interests and what's available at your university's library.
Next, I would recommend that you read resources available from the Resource Library on the American Marketing Association's Web site. You can read about best practices or download podcasts about "today's most relevant marketing challenges and advances."
Finally, I would suggest that you read some books about sustainability (as it relates to the environment) because how businesses use energy now and in the future is an issue that must be top of mind for marketers. A marketing professor friend of mine recommends Plan B 3.0 by Lester Brown. If you go to the Table of Contents on the following Web site, you can download the book for free: http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm. Another book you might consider reading is one by Thomas Friedman – Hot, Flat and Crowded.
I'm glad to hear that you're willing to extend yourself and read beyond materials assigned for classes. None of us read enough. Read! Read! Read!
Also, don't be surprised if your internship supervisor hands you a book, and says, "Here's a book I want you to read. It's a must read. Everyone in the marketing department is in the process of reading it."