Book Review: 2011 Trendspotting For The Next Decade
By Kevin Dugan
Expert Author
Article Date: 2008-08-07
Richard Laermer's 12th book* is, to quote Nettie Hartsock, "a decadent read."
 The book is also now 100 percent FREE as Laermer and McGraw-Hill are offering full access to the book for gratis.
"The World is Flat" author Thomas Friedman started giving his book away recently in iPod-friendly audio installments as a way to promote his next book.
These unconventional examples of open-source publishing are just one facet of the new and creative approaches being taken to promote books today.
Serialization of Content
One of the trends Laermer details in this 300-page, fast read is serialization. Technology like iTunes and TiVo are making content more fluid to keep up with our time-starved attention spans.
Even his book reads more like a blog with 77 chapters and plenty of sidebars. You can dive in and out based in your interests.
One of the reasons I most enjoyed 2011 is that I did not agree with everything Laermer suggests in his book.**
That said he does provide insight into how society, religion, media, technology and even language/communication skills are all changing. More than just trends, Laermer gets the reader to think about what it all means. 2011 looks towards a bigger, more important picture. You may see it differently, but this book helps you expand your focus.
Bottom Line?
As my cover shot shows, 2011 is a good summer read. You should check it out and not just because it's free.
---- *Full Disclosure: I write the Bad Pitch blog with Richard Laermer and he gave me a review copy to read.
** Among the items I disagree with in the book includes Laermer's posit that McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign was a failure. For different reasons, I think it was a success. The sing-song audio branding used with the I'm Lovin' It tagline helped McDonald's spend less on advertising as those ads were more effective.
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About the Author:
Kevin Dugan is the author of the popular Strategic Public Relations blog. Kevin is Director of Marketing Communications for FRCH Design Worldwide.
Visit Kevin's blog: Strategic Public Relations.
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