If the traffic and discussion from this week are any indication, we should get some good steam with the dialog about marketing finance that will kick off here next week with an extended discussion of Victor Cook’s Competing for Customers and Capital. (Background on the book and discussion.)

As the dialog in the comments over the last two posts shows, this dialog moves very quickly toward a discussion about the future of marketing, which is exactly why I chose this book. Marketing is in the midst of a dramatic sea change, and is currently bobbing around in the shifting tide like a boat without a rudder. Marketers are buffetted with new theories and best-selling fads at every turn–It’s About the Customer, No It’s About Metrics, No It’s About Leads, No It’s About Brand. Meanwhile, the CEOs are saying, look, tell me exactly what it is you actually do that delivers revenue. Well, that would be a nice CEO. Most are really saying, hey, just go report to the sales department.

Competing for Customers and Capital is a watershed book that lays the foundation for defining marketing’s relevance to business strategy. We’re not talking about campaign metrics or brand measurement. We’re talking about how marketing processes increase revenue and shareholder value. This is a story any marketer must understand if they have any aspirations toward a seat in the boardroom.

Please join us next week to kick off the book discussion, and invite a friend.