Across several hundred posts, Dave keeps coming back to the same shelf of books — the marketing classics, the strategy classics, the “don’t read that, read this” corrections. Here they all are, in the order he tends to hand them out, with the original Kellblog post that argues for each.
Dave's answer to “what should a non-marketing founder read about marketing?” — three books, all classics, that together cover positioning, advertising, and strategy without requiring you to wade through the rest of the field.
Marketers use the word "positioning" constantly. After this book, you'll actually know what they mean. Subtitle: the battle for the mind.
"Still reads well today — if I had to pick one, this is the one."
Founder of Ogilvy & Mather, king of Madison Avenue. The media have changed; the core ideas have not. Dated examples, durable principles.
"The media have changed, but the core ideas remain the same."
The textbook Silicon Valley book on technology adoption. Plenty of people reference "the chasm" without ever having read it — don't be one of them.
"Moore has revised it to keep the examples fresh along the way."
Dave's standing answer to "what business books should I read?" — the older canon every (older) business person has already read, which most founders haven't. Start at the top.
The classic on technology strategy. Bridges early adopters to the mainstream market.
Dated examples, but the core ideas remain. Still worth the read.
They wrote the book on positioning. Focused entirely on the mind of the customer.
Fairly academic, but core to understanding the underlying theory of marketing.
Lencioni's best on leadership and team dynamics — he's written many; this is the one.
Bosworth himself has superseded it, but it remains the classic in Dave's mind.
The oldest book on the list by a few thousand years. Find an edition adapted for business.
A must-read on the weaknesses of business books and the business press. The antidote to Good to Great.
Quickly becoming a new classic — iterative, frugal innovation strategy.
A Nobel-winning psychologist on the two systems of human rationality and irrationality.
When Dave devotes an entire post to a single book, it's worth paying attention. Each of these has its own dedicated review on Kellblog — not all endorsements. Worth knowing which is which before you click "buy."
"A quick and uplifting read." Twelve short chapters on how Gong built its distinct brand personality — Super Bowl ads, risk-taking culture, sales/marketing alignment. Knock it off on a plane.
"The writing is uneven. The metaphors are weird. Nevertheless, all founders should read it — early and often." A framework for being bought not sold. Startups are magic boxes, not popsicles.
A side-shelf for the difficult conversations with the CEO, CRO, and CFO that will set you up for success. Less about marketing theory; more about moving humans — framing, negotiation, and knowing when to push.
Dave deliberately left Good to Great off the classics list. Three reasons, in his words:
"Despite reasons 1 and 2, it remains a top-seller — so much for rationality in business." If you've already read it, read The Halo Effect next as a supplement.