10 product management and marketing articles to read before the summer

Hi,

I picked 10 awesome reads on marketing and product management, in case you missed them. Summer kicks off in about two weeks, but these articles can't wait to be part of your summer reading list.

May you Rise Above the Noise,

Lewis C. Lin

FIVE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ARTICLES WORTH READING 
Top 10 Posts on Product Management from the Industry's Best 
Indispensable advice on how to be an amazing PM from Marc Andressen, Ev Williams, Ben Horowitz and Steven Sinofsky.

A Personal Reflection On Google+ 
Rare inside story on the dysfunctional decision making and cultural values that led to Google's failed social networking site, Google+.

The Inputs to a Great Product Roadmap 
An incredible how to guide on building a product road map.

This Mind-Blowing Prototype Shows How Crazy Smartphones Could Look In The Future 
Product vision starts with product inspiration, and this smartphone prototype could be Xerox PARC for the next Steve Jobs.

So you want to manage a product? 
A nostalgic, thoughtful and humorous look at what it means to be a product manager. Ideal reading for aspiring PMs.

FIVE MARKETING ARTICLES WORTH READING 
Jessica Livingston: Why Startups Need to Focus on Sales, Not Marketing 
Livingston, a start-up expert, emphasizes why it's important for early companies to focus on sales.

How to Model Viral Growth: The Hybrid Model 
Feeling quantitative? Rahul Vohra of LinkedIn shows how you can model viral growth in your business.

Why Content Marketing Fails 
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive word-of-mouth marketing. But most marketers fail to do it well. Rand Fishkin explains why in his thoughtful 86 page PowerPoint deck.

The 10 Best Online Ads Of The Last 12 Months 
Looking for inspiration for your next online advertising campaign? Business Insider features the top 10 online ads from the last 12 months.

#BrandFailures Are Epidemic on Twitter, So Stop With the Q&As 
Ad Age offers several good case studies on how not to engage with social media users.

Photo credit: Thomas Leuthard

Lewis C. Lin Book Tour Dates, along with 10 great PM and marketing articles

In this latest edition of our newsletter, you’ll find ten articles you wouldn't want to miss, picked from the best reads on marketing and product management.

And if you want to catch me in person, chatting about my recent books, scroll down for information about my upcoming speaking events.

Have a happy Monday and may you Rise Above the Noise,

Lewis C. Lin

FIVE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ARTICLES WORTH READING 
4 Things We Learned From This Rare Interview With Apple Design God Jonathan Ive 
We find out what Ive really thinks about copycat products and the one thing you need to do to innovate great products.

Google Just Turned Gmail Into Pinterest 
Story of how Google’s talented designers turned unlovable spam into a visually engaging display.

Redesigning IMDB 
View one talented designer’s perspective on how he would redesign the Internet Movie Database.

The Fifth Protocol 
I found this to be the most compelling vision to date on how Bitcoin technology can be applied. And it has nothing to do with buying illicit material.

Can You See the Opportunity Right in Front of You? 
Do you struggle with product innovation -- either on the job or at the interview? Your solution might be closer than you think.

FIVE MARKETING ARTICLES WORTH READING 
The Best PR Advice You’ve Never Heard 
Caryn Mooney, head of technology communication for Facebook and co-founder of OutCast PR, reveals her "RIBS" PR communication framework that will get journalists excited about giving your company free press.

How to Optimize Your Email Campaigns 
This article provides a helpful six step checklist for optimizing your email campaigns.

What It's Really Like To Name Products For A Living 
How does a marketer come up with a catchy product or company name like Google, Swiffer, or Kindle? Professional namer, Nancy Friedman, offers more than ten tips on how to pick a name like the pros.

In 9 Of 10 Industries Search Tops Lead Generation, Social Shortens Marketing Cycles 
Attribution modeling: do you think search advertising is unfairly taking credit for sales conversions? Bizible’s research on 480,000 sales leads will surprise you.

Poland Tourism Advertisement 
Advertising Hall of Shame: did Poland’s tourism board create a compelling value proposition with this campaign?

UPCOMING SPEAKING EVENTS FOR LEWIS C. LIN 
April 14, 2014 @ Berkeley, CA 
Product Management – How to Conquer the Interview, Haas School of Business at University of California Berkeley

April 15, 2014 @ Palo Alto, CA 
How to Get a Product Manager Job, Featuring Lewis C. Lin, Bestselling Author of Decode and Conquer , Stanford University

April 21, 2014 @ Seattle, WA 
An Evening with Lewis C. Lin, Author of Rise Above the Noise at Foster School of Business at University of Washington. Registration link: http://bit.ly/1hi6RP7

April 24, 2014 @ Online 
Careers in Product Management, hosted by Evisors.com. Registration link:http://bit.ly/1oTIcW9

May 16, 2014 @ Online 
How to Get Hired as a Product Manager, hosted by collegefeed. Registration link:http://www.collegefeed.com/networking

Photo credit: David Ohmer

Now Available: Lewis C. Lin's Latest Book, Rise Above the Noise

I'm excited to announce my latest book, Rise Above the Noise, is now available on Amazon!

If you're a marketing professional who's getting ready for an upcoming interview, Rise Above the Noise, will help you ace the interview and get the offer.

The book covers tips, advice, frameworks and sample answers to the most common and toughest marketing interview questions including: 

• What promotional strategies would you use for a Honey Nut Cheerios campaign? 
• Develop a social good campaign for Teavana. 
• Should Hidden Valley increase the price of its ranch dressing? 
• Kit Kat sales declined year-over-year. Why is that, and what would you do to address it? 
• Tell me about a terrible product that's marketed well.

Thanks for your support, and feel free to forward this email to others in your circle.

May your career rise above the noise,

Lewis C. Lin

Viewer's Guide to 2014 Super Bowl Ads

4 min read

Viewer's Guide to 2014 Super Bowl Ads

Today is the Super Bowl! For those of you watching the game, studies say that 78% of you will be looking forward to the ads. To increase your viewing pleasure, I've penned a short Viewer's Guide to 2014 SuperBowl Ads.

Read on to impress your friends and critique ads like a marketing guru. And for those of you with an upcoming marketing interview, you can use this to answer that dreaded marketing interview question, “Tell me your favorite (or least favorite) TV ad.”

Evaluating an Ad

I have a six-point checklist for critiquing ads. But beer, guacamole, and friends can impair memory. To make it easy to remember, I've shortened it to three and paired it with a football theme, just for the big game:

M emorable 
O h, Product! 
B enefit

Memorable 

The ad has to grab attention. The viewer is making a choice of whether they’re going to stick around or grab a beer. And if they've stuck around, is the ad memorable enough for them to think, discuss, and tweet with their friends?

Oh, Product! 

Creative types tend to produce tear-jerking, Oscar-worthy ads. But this is the Super Bowl, not Sundance. The point of an ad is to pitch products. It has to provide the viewer an idea of what’s being promoted as well as a clear brand association.

My biggest pet peeve these days is tablet commercials. All of them feel similar: inspirational soundtrack and images of a person using a tablet – filled with hope and potential. Heck would I know if it’s promoting an iPad, a Nexus, a Galaxy Tab, or Kindle Fire. Commercials that don’t clarify what’s been promoted won’t drive sales.

Benefit 

Lastly, the ad has to explain the product benefit AND produce evidence why they can back up that claim. It’s not enough to say that you've got an ad for Coca-Cola, Camry, or Charmin. An ad should tell consumers why they should choose their brand over the competition.

Take Volvo for example. You buy a Volvo because their cars are safer than others. They invented the seat belt and reinforce their car with the strongest steel possible. If you’re in the market for a safe, family car, it’s Volvo all the way.

Ads to Keep an Eye Out For

I've scoured the web for 2014 Super Bowl commercials. Keep your eye out for these three ads:

Fan Favorite: Budweiser’s "Puppy Love"

Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” commercial is the story of a friendship between a puppy and a Clydesdale. With 32 million views on YouTube, it’s getting rave reviews for cuteness and an appealing Romeo-and-Juliet story line. I believe the spot will create strong brand awareness for Budweiser. However, the ad doesn’t create a strong connection with its beers, and the product benefit is too subtle and vague. Will thead actually increase sales?

Lewis’ scorecard 
Memorable: A- 
Oh! Product: F 
Benefit: D

Link 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4

Ad with the Best Celebrity Tie-In: T-Mobile’s “Tim Tebow” 

Tim Tebow takes center stage in this ad, with a fun-filled, self-deprecating performance. T-Mobile cleverly pairs their brand benefit with the NFL’s most famous player that’s not currently playing in the NFL.

Lewis’ scorecard 
Memorable: A- 
Product: B- 
Benefit: B+

Link 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTaH-OtUv94

My Favorite Super Bowl 2014 Ad (so far): Volkswagen’s “Wings” 

Volkswagen clearly articulates a “long-lasting” car brand message in this memorable (albeit corny) ad. There is one room for improvement: Volkswagen is widely perceived as having unreliable cars relative to their competitors. Perhaps the goal is to change brand perception, but nevertheless, the “long-lasting” claim is a bit of a stretch.

Lewis’ scorecard 
Memorable: A- 
Product: A- 
Benefit: B+

Link 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns-p0BdUB5o

Final Takeaway

Developing an ad that effectively promotes a product to increase sales WHILE grabbing your attention with a memorable story is NOT EASY.

Pay attention to today’s ads, and see which one does the best job of achieving both goals.