An alternative 2024 beach reads list – by marketers, for marketers

But what about the die-hard marketing fans who want a little ‘thought leadership’ in their summer reading pile? We’ve got you, with recommendations from 7 leading ad execs from The Drum Network.

Mark Wiggins, creative studio director, Search Laboratory: Deliver Me from Nowhere by Warren Zanes

“For me in the ‘essential reading’ category for creatives, this book charts the process of recording and releasing Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska. What does it teach us about creativity? It focuses on the process of trying to re-record and ‘perfect’ the original bedroom demos recorded by Bruce, something they could never quite recreate in a studio. It also looks at the resolute attitude Bruce took against a record label that was scared to release something so ‘off-brand’ from both his recent work and the direction they wanted him to go in. It’s a lesson in not sacrificing your creative standards, being brave in standing by work that you believe will resonate, and understanding how some creative work might not make a huge impact initially but can have a slow burn to legendary status.”

Julie Reid, head of brand, Hallam: Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull

“Recent predictions about how artificial intelligence might replace humans across industries (including marketing) have set me off on a search for those things that make us human: things that we can trade on even if the robots come for our current jobs. Creativity is top of the list. I loved Creativity, Inc, which tells the story of Pixar – the little movie studio that could. Not only is it instructive on how to create and sustain an environment where people can be their most creative, it’s also a story of how people learned how to use emerging technology to push their craft further than it had gone before. Easy to read, full of great lessons that can be applied individually or within teams, this is a great book. And it gives you a chance to go back and watch all your favorite Pixar films as well as the new ones you may have missed. Win-win!”

Matt Lewis, president, Europe, Momentum Worldwide: Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers

“For a quick hit of brilliance in between your action-packed summers, this pocketbook is one I revisit over and over. It’s filled with lightbulb moments that can be applied to any business. Whether you’re running a company, aspiring to run one, or you’re a producer, you work in finance, whatever: the lessons are simple and universal. The best part? You can open on any page for a one-minute hit of inspiration, or read the whole of it in an hour.”

Gina Waite, business director, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment: Forth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

“Summer holidays call for escapism: time to switch off from strategies, pipelines and planning. That’s why I’ve been delving into the action-packed, aubergine-affiliated genre of ‘Romantasy’. Immersing myself in a world where dragons are ridden, people have superpowers and there’s many a spicy romantic liaison. The genre’s astonishing rise has taken TikTok by storm, racking up millions of sales globally. It doesn’t just get the imagination going but also the ‘brand’ cogs turning. This cult genre opens the door for brands to tap into a rabid fan community. Amazon Prime has brought the rights to the book series, which will no doubt kickstart licensing deals, immersive IRL activations and gaming experiences galore. Plenty of space for brands to tap into a cult following and passionate fan community.”

Lucy Mart, chief growth officer, PrettyGreen: Scale or Fail by Allison Maslen

“This is a must-read for agency leadership or bus dev roles. As someone who never finishes a book (unless I’m on holiday), I’ve read this book cover-to-cover. It sits on my desk with post-it notes ready for quick reference. Maslen has successfully run (and sold) multiple PR and Marketing agencies and has nailed the art of growth in a highly competitive client servicing environment. The book is succinct, with tangible tips and advice for the time-poor or short-of-attention-span. Maslen calls out the pitfalls and bad habits agency leaders develop which can stop their businesses growing. You’ll come away feeling that you’ve learned changes you could make immediately to how you operate.”

Jeff Bowerman, executive creative director, Dept: Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb

“We talk a lot about finding the tension in advertising, and while holidays are supposed to be a lovely ‘detensioning’ time, I’m not one to easily relax even with the Slack alerts off. So my holiday read recommendation will speak to those who, like me, enjoy keeping their holiday as full of uncomfortable contradictions as their work life. Midnight in Sicily is a rich, evocative history of the darker side of the beautiful Italian island, through the lens of incredible food, art and travel. Imagine the Cosa Nostra, deep rooted political corruption, violent crime and egregious amounts of cadavers served with a side of eggplant caponata. Takehomes for marketers? Tensions are good. Don’t shy away from them. Human pleasures like food and art (and dare I say advertising?) will always make the darker sides of life all the more human.”

Daisy Domenghini, managing director, VaynerMedia EMEA: Day Trading Attention by Gary Vaynerchuk

“I know, I know. I may be biased, but if we’re talking about must-read marketing books, I have to mention the latest book by VaynerMedia’s chief executive. It’s a blueprint for how to build modern brands and generate sales on social media, complete with diagrams, step-by-step instructions, and worksheets. From the ‘TikTokification’ of social media to the nuances of each platform, it runs the rule over why modern brands are built on social. And if that’s all a bit ‘TL;DR’, the audiobook on Spotify has plenty of extras. Through the book, anyone can access our agency processes and knowledge. But that’s good news. It gives you the principles, then it’s over to our industry to see who will make daily content, train those muscles, and gain a creative edge.”