What's Buried in Grant's Tome

So what kind of a yarn does Grant Johnson spin in “Fairytale Marketing”?

The story concerns one Fairy Tale (or, as readers come to know him, F.T.) Prince, a young marketing student who's clever enough to know what he doesn't know.

What is F.T. a prince of? Never mind. Fairy tales have princes, and this one's no exception.

F.T. is hired by a potions marketer whose wares aren't much better or worse than his competitors'. But a kindly rival takes pity on F.T. (it's a fairy tale, after all) and offers advice over a series of meals. The suggestions propel F.T. to success.

There are some gems to be found on the way to the “seven magical discoveries” of the book's subtitle. For instance, Johnson's characters note, agencies shouldn't be too quick to tout the number of awards they've won, and clients shouldn't be overly impressed by those honors.

And what of the magical seven themselves? Here are a few: agencies should be prepared to partner with clients that are reluctant to explore direct marketing; agencies should have a full suite of measurements ready to demonstrate a DM program's success; and continual testing is a must.

Just the sort of wizardry that's sure to warm marketers' hearts.