When Seth Godin puts out a book, I buy at least one copy. So when Meatball Sundae was released…of course I got it. As a long time reader of Seth’s work, IMHO, his best works are still The Dip and Purple Cow.

Meatball Sundae’s premise is that if you are not incorporating marketing in the entire design of your product or service – then (as an analogy) – it is like placing desert toppings on a bowl of meatballs. The two just won’t fit.

Looking at it another way – if you have a boring brand no amount of New Marketing will pretty it up – so don’t waste your money.

Before we get into my take on the book, you should know that he put a 3-page executive summary right at the beginning – read it first to see if you like the subject matter – nice touch, give the reader a taste to see if they want more.

Observations:

• If you are new to the world of blogs, social networking, youtube and Web 2.0 then this book is a great resource. Consider it crib-notes for the world of New Marketing – a term Seth’s references frequently in the book
• If you have a product or service that would not fair well if it was transparent to the world – then you need to get cracking – the trends are not in your favor
• Seth shares 14 trends, here are my favorites; #2 Amplification of the Voice of the Consumer and Independent Authorities, #3 The Need for Authentic Stories, #5 The Long Tail, #12 The Shift from “How Many” to “Who”
• The case studies at the end are a great read for what to do and what not to do

In summary, Seth gives us all the points to consider for the future of marketing. It’s more of a call to action based on what is happening…voices are getting heard faster and they carry more power; authentic relationships matter (so BS will not fly anymore)…it’s the age of the individual.