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Unravelling the Ripple (Polygon Pocketbooks)
Helen Douglas
Manufacturer: Polygon
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0748663037 |
Book Description
A portrait of a Hebridean tideline on the island of Muck, this beautiful book unfolds as a single photgraphic image flowing through the textures and rhythms of sand, wrack and wave. Unravelling the Ripple by book artist Helen Douglas unfolds page by page, charting the physical, sensual and imaginative depths of the place where land and sea meet. Through her intimate feeling for the materials at hand on one beach, Douglas allows the sea to pulse and contract, and reveal a secret narrative, journeying through the markings of the sand, into tidal pools and wave-crashed rocks. With her verve and her loving artistic eye, Douglas reveals something beneath the surface of these elemental forces.
Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, when you buy an expensive camera the exposure skills DO NOT COME with it!
When you buy an expensive GUITAR, you KNOW that playing skills DO NOT COME with it! When you buy an expensive CAR, you KNOW that driving skills DO NOT COME with it! When you buy an expensive CAMERA, why, then, do you NOT KNOW that exposure skills DO NOT COME with it?
This book teaches the beginning Digital/35mm photographer (9th grade level) the simple and practical methods of correctly exposing a subject. This is also the world's first Digital Zone System book that addresses the application of the Zone System of exposure using current manual digital cameras including many of today's D-Slrs. The book covers in detail the applications of a camera's meter, an off-camera spot meter, an off-camera incident meter, and easy-to-remember techniques for exposing sunlit to moonlit subjects without a meter. The book uses Farzad's simplified 5-stop technique using 100 ISO color slide or Digital Film as its base, but the same techniques can be applied to Black and White, as well as color negative film with different ISOs. Since all the thinking is done before the photographer takes the picture, the book is ideal for this millennium's 35mm photographers that use one-hour processing labs. Since all the exposure decisions are made ahead of time (before the picture is taken), the technique saves the digital photographer many hours that he or she would waste behind the computer trying to figure out what he/she wanted to capture in the first place. The highest level of math required from the reader to understand this book, is to be able to multiply and divide a number by two. Also in the fourth edition (with the Lotus flower on the cover), a special calibration section is added to the end of the book for all those photographers who have spent a few thousand dollars on their D-Slr and are consistently getting underexposed and unacceptable images.
The fourth edition also includes Digital footnotes and assignments for photographers using manual digital cameras. The book also includes Digital as well as 35mm exposure cheat sheets for Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS 10D, Canon EOS 20D, Canon EOS 30D, Canon EOS A2/A2e, Canon EOS Rebel TI, Canon EOS Rebel XT, Canon EOS Rebel Xti, Canon PowerShot G5, FujiFilm FinePix S7000, Minolta Maxxum 5, Minolta Maxxum 7, Minolta Maxxum 9, Minolta Maxxum STSi, Nikon Coolpix 990, Nikon Coolpix 5700, Nikon Coolpix 8700, Nikon D50, Nikon D70, Nikon D80, Nikon D200, Nikon F4, Nikon F5, Nikon F100, Nikon N70, Nikon N90, Nikon N6006, Nikon N8008s, Pentax *ist-D, Pentax 645N, Pentax MZS, Pentax PZ1P, and Sony DSC-F717.
Customer Reviews:
A very useful Book to begin Photography........2007-08-24
The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System
I am a beginner to the world of photography.The reason for me to buy this book was the difficulty with getting a correct exposure to suit different lighting conditions and objects.
After reading this book now I am able to get a correct exposure and make it quickly.
This is the best book I read which is intended for beginners as well.Book provides a lot of details in a very easy to understand format.Ample graphics are used and the Author gradually takes the reader from very basic exposure techniques to more advanced ways.Further he provides some quick steps as well.
Great way to de-mystify the field of exposure.......2007-06-03
I ordered this book as I felt that I was getting nowhere with my undrrstanding of exposure. Over the past few months I agonized over which ones to buy and after much searching I have to say that this book is up there at the top.
The author has also been generous enough to answer my questions on his system and provided me with some answers that are worth their weight in gold!
Thank you Bahman for de-mystifying the subject of exposure and thank you for helping me on the road to improving my photography!
Great book.......2007-05-14
This book assumes that you know very little and then takes you through to teaching advanced techniques in getting the correct exposure every time. A well written book.
Wow -- This is the book to have on the subject of Zone Systems.......2007-05-12
I was familiar with the Zone System, which is used to draw out more detail in a photograph. In fact, you can find a fantastic description of the process on Wikipedia.
In a print system where you have a white paper that turns black when exposed to light, you expose for the dark parts and use dark room processes to get the light parts.
In a digital system, things are reversed because you have a black starting point that turns white when exposed to light. As such, one exposes for the lighter elements and use digital software to post-process the darker areas.
Things become a little confusing though when you are trying to remember what you're trying to do and you realize your meter isn't giving you the reading you want.
Meters expose to 18% grey. Humans, for some reason, perceive this amount as 50%. That is, if you see black and you see white, what you'd call 50% grey in the middle would actually be reflecting only 18% of the light falling on it. Weird, I know. Anyhow...
Anything you point your camera's meter at, it will try to adjust the tone as 18% grey. As such, you first have to learn to see the tone independent of color. This book teaches you how by showing numerous examples along side of extremes.
Once you're pointing your camera's meter at the right place for the zone system to work, you then have to compensate for your meter not knowing you did that. Once again, the book gives plenty of examples, shows all combinations possible, and teaches you several ways to think about the problem so that you know whether you need to expose more or less and by how much.
To top it off, not all camera models work the same way with notation. For instance, if your camera says +2, does that mean that you are adding two stops to what the meter is reading? Or, are you indicating that the meter is two stops more than what you want? The answer is that it depends based upon your camera, and that's covered too.
Once you've got all the mechanics worked out, the book then covers the zone system and works into more advanced applications of it, and then touches on the artistic aspects.
There's lots of big pictures on sparse pages to specifically reduce confusion and deliberately designed not to overwhelm the reader with details that aren't needed for that example. Conversely, during discussion moments, complete coverage of the topic is provided in a very approachable manner.
Two thumbs up for the author of this book. I wish other authors would cover subject matters as clearly and coherently.
A users review.......2007-02-08
Ask many different photographers for advice and guidance on learning the zone system (as I did) and you will get as many different replies. Also, many books written on the subject unnecessarily complicate their explanations and therefore discourage beginners. Considering that exposure is the most important concept in all of photography, anyone with more than a passing interest and a desire to create beautiful pictures will sooner or later arrive at the door of the zone system. Photography and the zone system go hand-in-hand like red wine and steak. I had purchased at least 4 different books on the subject and still been confused until I read the book by Mr. Farzad. Within 1 hour I suddenly realized how simple it all was and was wondering why it hadn't been explained so simply before this publication! Copiously illustrated with simple diagrams I would defy anyone to not understand the zone system after the first read of this book. For the past 4 years I have been teaching photography at my local college and I use the simple explanations as taught in the book with my students. Within an hour or two, 90% of the class find the zone system it simplicity itself. Do yourself a favor, stop being confused and read this book, your pictures will benefit almost instantly. I would have no reservations at awarding this book 10 out of 10.
Book Description
The author shows how to find and choose subjects, position and guide models, and take the pictures.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific underwater photos don't just "happen"........2006-03-19
Jim Church was an astonishing photographer and those that have followed in his footsteps owe much to him. This book is one that I recommend to ALL divers starting off in underwater photography. Have you ever come home with a bunch of shots only to find that none of them really "grab you"?....this boom is for you. Simply and clearly, the text and photo examples show you how to turn an ordinary shot into a "Wow!" shot.
Start here and you can't go wrong.......2002-10-31
This is Jim Church's answer to those who say that you must have a "God given eye" to take great photographs. Jim is above all a teacher. His ability to bring complex ideas down to the level where a novice can comprehend is legendary. His method, rather unique in the world of underwater photography and videography, is not to show you great stuff and say "beat this", but to start with basic principles and work you through until you are automatically seeing the right solution to the situation before you. I would bet that any "name" underwater photographer if asked "where do I start?" would answer "pick up Jim Church's books and read them 3 or 4 times then get in the water.". This book, at less than the cost of 2 rolls of underwater film and developing, should be considered mandatory reading for anyone with a desire to take photographs (or video) underwater.
TIMELESS TEACHINGS.......2002-01-01
When I started in uderwater photography, I was told by a very wise and respected professional, "Composition cannot be taught ... it is not a concept or a method. The photographer is born with an eye for composition and it is an art." To which Jim Church's book has proven that statement to be "Hogwash, INDEED!" Composition may be a gift, but it is a gift that can be honed and trained, just as Jim Church has done with this book. He has given the reader all the tools, tricks and tips to develop that skill into an art. Liberally sprinkled with the Jim Church wit and humour, this book stands up to reading after reading after reading. This book stands alongside his "Guide to the Nikonos" and his "Underwater Video" books as "bibles" for the ardent underwater photographer. As for Jim Church's method of teaching and guidance, I can tell you that nine years ago I was using a disposable underwater camera. I have studied the books and travelled with Jim Church as often as possible and I am now a contributing editor and Photo Pro for an international dive magazine. So, if you ask me if Jim Church's methods work, I would resoundingly answer "YES." If you aks me if this is a book worth buying, I would answer resoundingly "YES!" No matter how many times you read this book and no matter what level of photographer you might be, there is always something new in this book that you can apply in your pursuit of great photos. These concepts of composition are NOT restricted to the ocean floor, either. The methods and concepts explained in this text --- in easy to understand terms --- also apply to land photography. This Essential Guide is exactly that---- ESSENTIAL! I regret that five stars is the highest rank offered for this book. The only thíng wrong with this book ---- it wasn't written sooner! I could have saved a lot of film on badly composed shots!!!!
"Something Here for Everyone".......2001-06-10
People come to photography by many strange and varied routes and my own is as different as the next - though I shall not bore you with that particular story here. Suffice to say that, my first photograph was published in 1974, my first underwater photograph in 1980 and, right at this time, my work has appeared (somewhere) every month since December 1998, I am in the process of completing my fourth book and my photography has even been purchased by National Geographic.
The relevance of all this, however, is that I am largely self-taught and that always leaves me wondering if I am missing some of those basic lessons that would have been explained on the very first day of any professionally run photography course. "Jim Church's Essential Guide to Composition" goes a long way to fill any gaps there might be.
This book has two outstanding qualities; Firstly, it is written by a man who really does know about every aspect of underwater photography. Secondly, and most important of all, however, Jim Church has the power to explain his knowledge in words we can all understand. In so doing he has produced a book for the professional underwater photographer and the amateur diver alike. If you have just bought your first camera and are about to embark on a very expensive trip to try it out, this is your in-flight reading material. Believe me, you will come home with better pictures - I did.
"Jim Church's Essential Guide to Composition" is a 9in x 6in paperback book containing 136 pages, 80 colour photographs and 8 line drawings. Each photograph and drawing serves a purpose and are used to explain each of the many lessons involved with composing underwater pictures and, basically, the difference between taking a good photograph and not. All of which is, of course, supported by the non-technical information imparted in an easy-to-understand style.
The book begins with absolute basics - and what could be more basic than explaining the function of the human eye and then adapting that information in order to provide a better understanding of the function of a camera lens. In short, this is a book about "stepping stones" and each time a relevant point has been explained and demonstrated, the book builds on this knowledge as we step forward onto another stone for even greater knowledge of the subject in hand.
In Summary, this is one of the few books I have ever read which achieves exactly and precisely what it sets out to achieve and is made all the more valuable because the Author is a man who knows his stuff and is able to explain things without getting bogged down in technical jargon.
Five Stars are not enough for this little gem.
NM
Another Good Effort from Jim Church.......2000-09-09
For all UW imaging systems users, this book is less about the technique (which can be found in Jim's books on Nikonos and Video systems), and more about the art of UW photography. Jim again uses the Situations approach, and helps you develop an eye for good pictures. Really useful stuff on working with models.
Book Description
For aspiring photographers ready to transform their work from average to expert, here is the "bible" to lighting any subject and space effectively. In specific but nontechnical terms, Photographic Lighting Simplified explains how to take light sources-from outdoor bright sunlight to indoor household lighting-and recreate their effects in the studio. A series of enjoyable, hands-on assignments show readers tips for selecting the right camera format, film, and lenses; the basics of metering and testing; overviews of essential equipment for studio lighting; and much more. Plus, dozens of step-by-step illustrations demonstrate an array of techniques for lighting reflective metal and glass objects; lighting different face types and groups; and special lighting considerations for digital cameras. For anyone who is serious about taking better photographs, this is the ultimate success guide.
Customer Reviews:
Good beginner book but black and white pages.......2007-09-10
This book has some simple lighting set ups to help the beginner but the reason I only gave it 3 stars is I found the book boring to look at. Most of the book is in black and white photos. I like a writer that gets to the point pretty quick and simple and found some of the reading monotone kind of like the black and white pictures.
Pretty good information.......2007-02-07
Good basic information but not very detailed. Not for the intermediate or advanced photographer.
Poor structure, very little real help.......2006-10-14
I thought this book would be an all-in-one lighting wonder book. I mean, it covers hotlights, flashes, strobes, shooting on location, shooting in a studio, and more! But I was sorely disappointed.
While it does discuss a lot of different equipment and techniques, it isn't really very helpful. Why?
* Structure: It doesn't follow a logical sequence, which means you can be jumping around a lot to find 'related' information. This, in turn, means you haven't learnt much because it's too hard to 'file' what you're reading mentally.
* Equipment vs. technique: These two things are mixed in together when they really ought to be separate. I mean, the lighting setups you use when using hotlights are roughly the same as when using strobes. The way you handle the equipment is different, but the same principles apply. So why go into the details of setting up a portrait when discussing the different equipment types?
* No diagrams: How hard can it be to draw a lighting diagram for each shot? There is not one diagram for any photo in the book (though Susan McCartney does start by saying how important diagrams are!!), which makes it hard to visualise the setups.
* No colour: Probably to save money, the only colour photograph in the book is on the cover. Fair enough, but a little effort could have been put into making the black and whites a little less 'flat'.
* Digital falsehoods: Though McCartney apparently shoots digital occasionally, she really doesn't get it, and this comes up in some obviously wrong statements throughout the book, like this one:
"Do be aware that each time you play back a digital image in the camera, it may degrade the final result..." Since when have digital images degraded when previewed on the camera? Statements like this really don't help her professional credibility.
To summarise, while the book does cover a lot of ground and contains some useful information for beginners, you will need to read something more thorough before you actually start shooting with serious lighting gear. It doesn't even tell you how to control lighting ratios!
Disappointing.......2006-06-25
This book was quite disappointing, so much so that if it were possible I would ask for my money back. The author belabors her writings to the point that it becomes irritating. For instance, she explains how electricity heats the filament of a bulb to make it light up. Superfluous information! She also - as another reviewer wrote - publishes all her pictures in black and white, even those she took in color. What was the purpose of that? To make the book cheaper to print?
There is some useful information in the book if you take the time to sift through it all, and it could have been condensed into half the size without losing any valuable content.
Needs Improvement........2005-11-12
I have three main criticisms of this book. First, the book has no color pictures when it is clear the author did not take many of these pictures in B&W (or if she did she needs to find another profession). This is ridiculous when the subject of the book is photography and the pictures are an important learning tool. Second, the author spends too much time on hotlights and flashes when most photographers (even amateurs) will be using strobes because of the availability of light modifiers and other advantages.Third, the last half of the book is about doing photographic assignments rather than adding more information (and there is a lot more) about lighting. In sum, I would skip this book if you're light on cash and get "Master lighting guide for potrait photographers" and "Beginner's lighting guide to photographic lighting" which are both excellent (avoid "basic studio lighting").
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40 oz. Collection
Jim Mahfood
Manufacturer: Image Comics
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ASIN: 1582403295 |
Book Description
40oz Comics, for the first time in one handsome collection! Hot indy artist Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Grrl Scouts: Work Sucks) brings you this collection of his underground 40oz mini-comics. Featuring short stories starring Mahfood's most popular characters: the Grrl Scouts, Zombie Kid, Rocket Boy, and that lovable minister of funk, Smoke Dog! All the mini-comics are printed here in their entirety, and we've thrown in 20 pages of bonus material! This collection also features pin-ups and guest art from Andi Watson, Scott Morse, Mike Huddleston, and Steve Willaredt.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book, .......2007-05-12
Well... I think, Jim Mahfood is an underground-genius! He's the Minister of Visual Funk. Some of his mini-comics in a collection... Strongly recommended!
Average customer rating:
- With a delightful zing, friendship is put simply.
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A Friend Should Be Radical, Fanatical, but Most of All, Mathematical (The Friends Series)
Billy Sprague
Manufacturer: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1561210315 |
Customer Reviews:
With a delightful zing, friendship is put simply........1999-01-30
Allowing for an easy read and a quick little smile, this brief book holds common ground for all ages. By a friend being mathematical, "he should calculate the need, deep in your heart." Although simplistic, this little line embodies the truth of what a friendship should really be like. As a whole, I find the straight forward pleasantness to be worth trying.
Amazon.com
Readers of James Agee's agile and marvelously brief essay from 1949, "Comedy's Greatest Era," remember the lyric forcefulness of the paragraphs on Buster Keaton, their acute sense of his harrowing acrobatics and ennui. In contrast, Robert Knopf's sober study of the Great Stone Face, for all its scrupulousness, looks like a footnote to Agee. His argument is not uninteresting: in Knopf's view, the family vaudeville act (called The Three Keatons) affected Buster's work forever. Out of it Keaton developed his hallmark style, an original combination of the high and the low reminiscent of Samuel Beckett and embraced by Salvador Dalì and Luis Buñuel. Knopf also maintains that a generation of commentators mugged Keaton's movies when they falsely celebrated his "classical Hollywood style." Keaton--the virtuoso acrobat, master of long shots, and ransacker of vaudeville rhythms and routines--pursues anti-narrative impulses that belong to a pre-1917 "cinema of attractions," to absurd theater and surrealism. These styles deflect attention from the plot to Buster's wringing stillness, his flat hat and flap shoes, his elaborately rigged Rube Goldberg stunts. Knopf's thesis is a narrow one, but it is solidly researched and probably true. His prose is another matter. Almost immaculately arid and inflexible, it utterly fails the improvisatory comic who could do so much with so little--for example, love: in a crowd scene in The Cameraman, Keaton leans his body so far leftward toward a girl that you wonder at his pact with gravity. --Lyall Bush
Book Description
Famous for their stunts, gags, and images, Buster Keaton's silent films have enticed everyone from Hollywood movie fans to the surrealists, such as Dalí and Buñuel. Here Robert Knopf offers an unprecedented look at the wide-ranging appeal of Keaton's genius, considering his vaudeville roots and his ability to integrate this aesthetic into the techniques of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1920s. When young Buster was being hurled about the stage by his comically irate father in the family's vaudeville act, The Three Keatons, he was perfecting his acrobatic skills, timing, visual humor, and trademark "stone face." As Knopf demonstrates, such theatrics would serve Keaton well as a film director and star. By isolating elements of vaudeville within works that have previously been considered "classical," Knopf reevaluates Keaton's films and how they function.
The book combines vivid visual descriptions and illustrations that enable us to see Keaton at work staging his memorable images and gags, such as a three-story wall collapsing on him (Steamboat Bill, Jr., 1928) and an avalanche of boulders chasing him down a mountainside (Seven Chances, 1925). Knopf explains how Keaton's stunts and gags served as fanciful departures from his films' storylines and how they nonetheless reinforced a strange sense of reality, that of a machine-like world with a mind of its own. In comparison to Chaplin and Lloyd, Keaton made more elaborate use of natural locations. The scene in The Navigator, for example, where Buster brandishes a swordfish to fend off another swordfish derives much of its power from actually being shot under water. Such "hyper-literalism" was but one element of Keaton's films that inspired the surrealists.
Exploring Keaton's influence on Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel, Federico García Lorca, and Robert Desnos, Knopf suggests that Keaton's achievement extends beyond Hollywood into the avant-garde. The book concludes with an examination of Keaton's late-career performances in Gerald Potterton's The Railrodder and Samuel Beckett's Film, and locates his legacy in the work of Jackie Chan, Blue Man Group, and Bill Irwin.
Customer Reviews:
More scholarly claptrap.......2007-08-28
When a man is born who only ever wanted to make people laugh, why would someone write a book that manages to suck every interesting thing about him and his work into a laborious, scholarly void? Reading this was as interesting as watching wood warp. The best book regarding this comic genius - "Buster Keaton and the Dynamics of Visual Wit," by the amazing George Wead, is impossible to find, but this junk is available in the discount bin. More's the pity for anyone who would like to read about Buster.
this wasn't a great book.......2005-06-27
buster keaton rocks my socks! the book was very complicated to read. but the pictures rocked1 THAT'S WHY I Give it a 5 out of 5. i have all his silents. but i don't have anytime to watch them anymore. oh well, but hey jesus is coming back soon!. amen.
i will be better in heaven then here.
Fun Book, Great Pictures.......2005-02-20
(...), so this book was tough to understand at times, but the stuff on Buster Keaton's childhood was great. The photos are really cool and reading about how the old movies were made got me to go through my dad's collection of videos (he has the box set) and watch my favorites again. It's a beautiful looking book, too, so I know I'll keep it and read it again.
Blows away the competition.......2004-02-26
This book is super smart and cool. It took me a while to get through it, but I learned a ton about filmmaking and theater and clowning. And the pictures are awesome! My dad raised me on Keaton, and this was like a dream with memories.
Mostly, a disappointment.......2000-03-24
_The Theatre and Cinema of Buster Keaton_ makes some interesting points -- in particular, the ways in which Keaton was able to take what he learned on the Vaudeville stage and integrate it to astonishing effect in his films. There's also a fairly interesting discussion of his affinities with the Surrealists -- an example given is the underwater scene in "The Navigator," where Buster is shown using lobster claws to cut a wire, and then getting into a sword fight with a swordfish using another swordfish as his weapon.
But overall, the writing was ponderous, and the book seemed more like the citation-filled musings of an undergraduate than a mature, cutting-edge scholarly discussion. The book might be more bearable if the author didn't beat us over the head with the same arguments.
Amazon.com
Being a great jazz critic is hard enough. Gary Giddins, however, is much more than that--he's one of the smartest, wittiest, and most versatile critics this country has produced. All of his collections are well worth owning. But in Faces in the Crowd, Giddins ranges beyond his customary jazz-and-pop beat, delivering superb assessments of Robert Altman, Jack Benny, James M. Cain, Spike Lee, Vladimir Nabokov, Samuel Goldwyn, and Myrna Loy. His enthusiasms are hard to resist, and on almost every page he makes you think about his subject from a novel (and enlightening!) angle.
Book Description
Thirty-seven profiles of major figures in the culture of our century
Customer Reviews:
a classic essay collection.......2000-10-01
This is one of the books I keep on the night table, because I find myself rereading my favorite sections over and over. When I was in school there were a couple of essay collections, like Robert Warshaw's The Immediate Experience and Dwight Macdonald's Against the American Grain, that were notable for their range and style, and Faces in the Crowd is a book I treasure for the same reason.
Gary Giddins is a well known jazz critic but in this collection his interests are extremely far-ranging, from Clint Eastwood to Eudora Welty. What makes him a fine writer is his generosity and insight. He writes like a friend who wants to share something he loves with you, yet at the same time he is a terrible exacting critic. Perhaps his greatest attribute is his wit; sections of this book are very funny. His essay on Jack Benny is a classic. But he can be hilarious when you don't expect, for example is writing about literary biographers (Katherine Anne Porter), or on Elmore Leonard's stylistic overkill, and a discussion of the pedants who are rewriting Faulkner. Of course, he is always good on music and his section on divas--Billie Holiday (who can be seen on the cover), Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Kay Starr--is moving and beautiful. This is a wonderful book.
Book Description
The human brain operates at a tiny fraction of its true capacity, and everyone welcomes the opportunity to improve on their brain power. This book will help the reader do just that!
Customer Reviews:
A Great Book to Challenge Students.......2006-06-30
This is a great book to challenge our minds to perform at its highest level. I use the activites provided as 'brain breaks' for my students.
Book Description
Maximizing revenues. Performance accountability. Conversion rates. Not only is the competition tough, marketers are facing myriad business challenges to rethink the way they operate and to deliver stellar results.
With the pressure on, marketing professionals need the best resources possible. High Performance Marketing is the essential resource-delivering tools, real-world practices, and a clear six-step approach to help marketing professionals navigate today’s bewildering challenges and drive gains in performance.
In High Performance Marketing, author Naras Eechambadi shares his insights gleaned from more than 20 years as a marketing executive. He details a powerful six-point framework of competencies and explains how disciplined and rigorous management of each of these competencies will put an organization on the road to superior marketing performance.
High Performance Marketing should be required reading for senior executives and marketing professionals seeking to invigorate their organizations.
Highlights
•Cutting-edge methods to assist companies in bridging the problematic gap between strategy and execution
•Compelling case studies to illustrate the amazing marketing successes of companies such as Morgan Stanley and Harrah Entertainment
•A sample survey to enable readers to assess their companies’ competencies and identify weak and strong areas
•Expert guidance to help marketing professionals rise to a higher level in the enterprise-as catalysts and boundary spanners
Customer Reviews:
What does the C-Suite want from Marketing?.......2006-02-12
This book is a great resource for anyone who wonders what C-level executives REALLY think of Marketing - and more importantly what they want Marketing to deliver.
Naras Eechambadi's prescriptions and models provide a useful roadmap for marketers at all levels seeking the route to success - and he uses case studies and examples extensively to illustrate his points.
A very worthwhile read for anyone - at any level - struggling to express and deliver on the true value of Marketing.
Crisis and solution.......2006-01-04
Marketing is in crisis, and Naras Eechambadi has revealed one of the main reasons: There's a wealth of marketing information out there, but not enough managers qualified - or willing - to use it.
Yes, sixty years after the wide acceptance of the "marketing principle," that is, that companies succeed by selling customers what customers want, we see more unhappy consumers than ever before. Because of globalization and Enron-type scandals, finance has again risen to top priority in corporate boardrooms, at the expense of marketing. In other words, marketers can't even market marketing! And ironically, the financial bean-counters are leaving money on the table by driving customers away.
As a business educator, I accept some blame for this. I'm glad to see Eechambadi put forth these good remedies.
Progress over pouting.......2005-11-18
There's no doubt that marketing is under pressure to perform better and perform with proof. Naras Eechambadi does not indulge in the standard marketer's whine about being underappreciated and underfunded. Instead, he provides a very comprehensive description of marketing's challenges along with evidence of early accomplishments in the form of case studies from Samsung, Gillette, Harrah's, Royal Bank of Canada, Starbucks, Bank of America and more.
His commitment to marketing evolution--through assessment to strategy to discipline, all the way to greater organizational investment--is not overenthusiastic but grounded in the potential inherent in current marketing metrics. Loyalty and retention efforts need to be translated into the financial terms of reduced service cost and increased profitability, and presented with requests for marketing budgets, for example. Use High Performance Marketing as your primer to the New Marketing.
Marketing Clarity!.......2005-11-16
I had the pleasure of hearing Naras speak earlier this year and was very interested in his explanation of Marketing today. High Performance Marketing sets the pace of marketing initiatives today and is a must read not only for marketing executives but for senior executives who must be involved for a marketing program to be successful.
Naras walks you through the process of today's marketing landscape and brings clarity to the realistic expectations, execution and marketing success. Marketing is an art and High Performance Marketing is a great handbook to guide you through with best practices case studies and metrics.
Tactical & Thought Provoking.......2005-11-03
High Performance Marketing provides compelling thought leadership and offers sound tactical advice for marketers and CRM practitioners.
Naras draws from both his professional experience and academic research which makes this book a must have for marketers and CRM practitioners.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Strategic Finance, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 527 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Financial management and marketing.("High Performance Marketing: Bringing Method to the Madness of Marketing")(Book Review)
Author: Alfred M. King
Publication:
Strategic Finance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: 25(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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