Meatball Sundae Book Review

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
Site: http://www.capecodbranding.com
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What a disgusting concept! A meatball sundae! However disgusting this may sound it is the perfect analogy to describe an equally disgusting concept – trying to apply new marketing techniques to an organization, product, or service that is lackluster in nature. The new marketing, or toppings, are repulsive to commodities, or meatballs. Just as you can’t enhance the flavor of a bowl of meatballs by applying ice cream toppings, you cannot enhance a lackluster commodity with new marketing.

This the premise behind Seth Godin’s “Meatball Sundae”. This is the second book that I have read by Seth Godin, the first having been “Tribes.” I know, I know – I am reading out of order! However, I have only just discovered Seth Godin’s work in the past month – even though I had seen it referenced extensively in other marketing books and blogs. Although this book was released over two years ago, I believer our readers would benefit from my assessment given my recent review of “Tribes” – For a review of “Tribes” by Seth Godin refer to my article “Tribes Book Review”.

Highlights
Here are what I consider to be the top three strengths of “Meatball Sundae:”

1. Format
2. Analogy
3. Great Internet reference

Similar to “Tribes,” “Meatball Sundae” is a breeze to read through. The conversational tone and chunks of information are easy to digest by design – Seth Godin’s books are designed to match the style of blogs. I had picked up so many useful concepts in this book. I enjoyed “Tribes” and walked away with some useful information in that book, however with “Meatball Sundae,” I believe I learned much more. Having read this book has given me a greater appreciation of “Tribes.”

After reading two of his books I am beginning to think that Seth Godin is a mastermind for creating analogies that reinforce the major points of his work. The analogy of a meatball sundae is perfect, for the reasons described in the opening paragraph of this article – I will not reiterate them here. I will just say that I will never forget this image, for better or worse!

Finally, “Meatball Sundae” serves as a great reference for those interested in Internet marketing. There are some great case studies – individuals and businesses who employed the new marketing techniques successfully, and some who failed in doing so. I found by the end of the book that the concepts are solidified and I have a clear idea of how to, and how not to implement these new marketing concepts. It also introduced me to some players in the Internet business community that I was not aware of.

Drawbacks
After reading “Tribes” I had mentioned the lack of illustrations, lackluster examples, and the format (lack of table of contents and index) to be drawbacks of that book. However, having read “Meatball Sundae” and this being the second book I have read, I have a better sense of Seth Godin’s style. Similar to “Tribes,” this book had no illustrations. I find this to be a bit disappointing given the author’s power of analogy. Not that it makes for a bad read by any means – it just could be so much more powerful if it appealed to visual learners as well. The cover illustration was a powerful reinforcement – but it could be so much better if this design was layered throughout the book!

I found the examples in “Meatball Sundae” to be much more powerful than “Tribes.” Admittedly this is subjective and not all readers may agree. For some reason I just found this read to stick with me more. Concerning format – this book did contain a table of contents but lacks an index – which is an improvement over “Tribes,” but not quite where it needs to be in my opinion. This is a nitpick on my part, however given the valuable material – it would make my life easier by simplifying later searches through the book. Although I may be a bit behind the times not having embraced the digital books yet!

Closing Thoughts
If you are, or planning to, market your product or service on the Internet you have to read this book. Seth Godin is a genius with coming up with memorable analogies, and “Meatball Sundae” is no exception. I have to say that I enjoyed this book much more than “Tribes,” however having read “Meatball Sundae” it has given me a deeper appreciation for “Tribes.” There are some great concepts in this book with some equally great examples to reinforce these concepts.

If you enjoyed “Meatball Sundae” you should next read “Tribes” and then “Ignore Everybody” by Hugh MacLeod and “World Wide Rave” by David Meerman Scott.

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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