We buy some books either because the title arouses our curiosity or because we already know and appreciate the author.

I bought “Killing Marketing” for two reasons: not only have I read “Epic Content Marketing” also written by Joe Pulizzi, but obviously a title like this could not fail to arouse the attention of someone who, for so many years, has dedicated himself to learning and teaching Marketing.

The title suggests that we “kill” this area of knowledge that is Marketing! But if we read its content, we understand that it is exactly the opposite that Joe Pullizi and Robert Rose propose.

What both suggest is to “kill” a certain image and certain preconceived ideas about Marketing, which has caused more reputational damage to companies than one can imagine.

The idea that Marketing comprises “Product Marketing” plus “Channel Marketing” plus “Advertising and PR” is not only dated, but shows a poor understanding and mastery of the issues. Even in digital transformation processes, this paradigm remains dominant, even if the channels are now preferably digital.

All actions or decisions that are taken in a company, which impact the perceived value of what we sell and solve a customer need, belong to the Marketing function. The ultimate goal is to increase the price the customer will be willing to give for our products and services.  This can influence and make all departments of a company – not just marketing – intervene because they all, in one way or another, contribute to the increase and perception of the value of products and services by customers.

However, what Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose propose in this work is the ability to transform the old-fashioned idea that marketing departments are cost generators into the idea that they are profit centres.

The process they propose – and to some extent illustrate with examples of companies of different sizes and acting in different industries – is that the Marketing function becomes a Media business and, as such, has its own profitability.  Examples such as Red-Bull, which diversifies from an energy drink business to a Formula 1 business through Red Bull Racing and Media through Red Bull Media, or Arrow Electronics which launches a paid-for, specialist publication for engineers but catapults sales of its products while keeping independent and profitable media units per-si, support their reasoning.

But even more than this reasoning, which is widely spread in this work – already interesting and valuable in per-si but of possibly circumscribed general utility – the chapters designed to focus the reader’s attention on a content communication methodology – “One Media Model”, are particularly interesting and useful.

I recommend reading this book as an excellent way to revisit concepts, to get in touch with different approaches to tackle the Marketing function, but especially to improve reflection on this area of knowledge to place it at the right level of management in organizations: in any action – not only coming from the Marketing department – that adds and makes clear the value of products and services, designed to fully satisfy certain consumer needs.