The Viking Manifesto – why advertising doesn’t work and more

The Viking Manifesto  is a new business book that seems to be getting some attention.

Here’s the publishers blurb:

"The Viking Manifesto is a call to arms for a new way of doing business. It’s
about having an original idea and a different way of making it happen. The
ancient Vikings got rich with swords and fast ships; the modern ones with safe
cars and sippable vodka. Both broke the rules. Both came from nowhere to take
the world by storm. Viking brands are trendsetters, yet all have living ties
with the past. These brands speak softly, yet all have a story to tell and have
succeeded on their own terms. And, they have two virtues that have long ago
fallen into disfavour in marketing circles: courage and a sense of humour.

The Viking Manifesto explains why biggest isn’t best, why advertising doesn’t
work and why this is good news; why competition is nonsense; why reward and
punishment are an inferior form of motivation and why money doesn’t make the
world go round. As if this isn’t blasphemous enough, The Viking Manifesto tells
you which gods to blaspheme, how to create effective PR that no one sees, and
why lawyers should wait outside."

Courage and a sense of humour – sounds like a good premise for a manifesto to me. Another one to add to the reading list.