real time + marketing = revolution

This week, the new paperback edition of Real-Time Marketing & PR: How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business Now is out.

The book was originally published in November 2010 in hardcover, and this edition is revised and updated with new stats and new examples.

As I was writing the first edition, I felt like a lone voice in the wilderness. Every time I searched the web for talk about issues relating to real-time marketing and PR, results were scarce. Pundits and practitioners seemed locked into thinking about long-term campaigns and not how to seize advantage from what’s happening right now.

More than a year later, search engines tell a very different story: "real time + marketing" is a topic that has exploded. Even the Direct Marketing Association is in the game. The DMA annual conference, one of the largest gatherings of marketing professionals in the world, is now billed as "The Global Event for Real-Time Marketers."

What happened?

Although my humble book did climb to number two on the Wall Street Journal best-seller list ("and stayed there for a week or two," as Jerry Garcia once said), I can't claim paternity here. The wave was coming, like it or not. I just happened to spot it early.

A Real-Time Revolution

When I first sat down to write, protestors in Tehran had just figured out how to use social media as a weapon of civil disobedience. Less than a year later, the same real-time techniques were toppling despotic regimes such as those in Egypt and Tunisia.

Even among CEOs 80 floors above the street, the realization has begun to seep up from below: "What happened to Mubarak is not unrelated to my business." The revolution now underway is not just political and it’s not just an "Arab thing." Upheavals are coming. Those who understand and adapt stand to be among the winners. Those who ignore what's happening may not fare so well.

The real-time revolution is very much a "people thing." And the people I interviewed for the book are its heart and soul: passionate characters at the forefront, from Amsterdam to Boston to Tokyo, each with an eye-opening story to tell. They made researching and writing such a compelling experience for me that I hope... even those who'd choose a root canal over a marketing book will not be disappointed if they decide to read Real-Time Marketing & PR.

By definition, this is a subject that changes quickly. So if you read the first edition you will find many new examples and anecdotes added.

I worked with my publisher John Wiley & Sons to make the look and feel of the new paperback edition of Real-Time Marketing & PR similar to the new third edition paperback edition of The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Similar cover, same fonts, consistent use of terms and language. In a sense, Real-Time is a continuation of New Rules.

If you've read New Rules and not yet read Real-Time, this might be the time.

Comments

[Tony Faustino]

One of the first points I made when reviewing Real-Time Marketing & PR is how it builds on the groundbreaking principles you introduced in New Rules & Marketing & PR. If you're serious about 21st century marketing, studying and applying the lessons from both books is essential.

As a side note, I know the picture of the two books is to reinforce how one is a continuation of the other. But, it would be pretty cool to have your Kindle showing the cover of Newsjacking next to these two classics. Because I could make a strong argument how Newsjacking is part of "The New Rules Continuum."

Congratulations David! Congratulations on all you do to share your art, knowledge, and leadership.

[David Meerman Scott]

Tony -- many thanks for the idea of putting the Kindle image of Newsjacking in there. And thanks too for your support.

[Steve K]

Will this newer version be recorded on audible?

[David Meerman Scott]

Steve - at the moment no. Sorry. The first edition is available on audible though. And I read it myself.

[Nadinestevens]

Hi David,

This is cool! This only proves that the faster we are in delivering out our marketing message the faster we can get better results. Speed wins.

Thanks!

[Ettie Steg]

Slowly absorbing and savoring the technical information and most of all, the careful and meaningful advice you gave in "The New Rules . . ."
Now I feel confident that I am ready to blog, following your guidelines.
Thanks so much!!

[Steve Watson]

Slowly absorbing and savoring the technical information and most of all, the careful and meaningful advice you gave in "The New Rules . . ."
Now I feel confident that I am ready to blog, following your guidelines.
Thanks so much!!