If I had to start over today, these are the first 13 books I'd buy.
These are the books that have most influenced how I think about marketing, branding, psychology, and business. Every recommendation has either shaped my thinking or been referenced repeatedly while researching my videos.
Every book on this page is one I genuinely recommend. If you purchase through one of the links below, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
★★★★★
"The single most influential marketing book I've ever read."
This book completely changed how I think about brands. Rather than asking how to build a better product, it asks how to occupy a unique position in the customer's mind. You'll see its ideas referenced throughout many of my videos.
★★★★★
"Marketing is often more like military strategy than advertising."
Al Ries and Jack Trout argue that the best strategy depends on your position in the market—leader, challenger, flanker, or niche player. It's one of the reasons I frequently compare companies to famous military campaigns.
★★★★★
The first Ries & Trout book, I ever read.
Twenty-two timeless principles that explain why some companies dominate while others slowly disappear.
Whenever a company breaks one of these laws, it usually shows up in my videos.
★★★★★
The science behind persuasion.
Every marketer should understand why people say yes.
★★★★★
One of the funniest and most original books on marketing.
Logic doesn't explain human behavior.
Perception does.
★★★★★
One of the most influential books ever written on public opinion.
Understand how ideas spread, perceptions are shaped, and influence works at scale.
A timeless classic that forever changed the way I think about marketing and persuasion.
★★★★★
Written over 100 years ago.
Still one of the best books ever written on advertising.
Simple. Practical. Timeless.
★★★★★
The best ideas are often the obvious ones everyone else overlooks.
A timeless business fable about solving problems through observation, common sense, and clear thinking.
Simple, short, and surprisingly profound—one of the books I recommend to anyone in business.
★★★★★
Build growth into the product.
Not just the advertising.
A modern look at how companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and Instagram grew by making marketing part of the product itself.
★★★★★
An outstanding guide to understanding incentives, status, emotion, and human behavior.
Business is ultimately about people.
★★★★★
David Ogilvy built one of history's greatest advertising agencies.
This book is packed with practical advice that still applies today.
★★★★★
Stop competing.
Create your own market instead.
One of the best books on strategic differentiation.
★★★★★
Not every business needs to become the biggest.
Sometimes becoming the best is the better strategy.
A refreshing perspective on building exceptional companies.
There are thousands of books on marketing.
Most aren't worth your time.
Rather than recommending everything I've ever read, I wanted this page to contain only the books that genuinely changed how I think.
These ideas appear again and again throughout my videos because they've consistently helped explain why companies succeed, fail, grow, and disappear.
Whether you're building a company, leading a brand, or simply curious about how great businesses think, I believe these books provide one of the strongest foundations you can build.