Advertisers are criticized as people who look for the creativeand edgy, not the obvious. They will not be happy.

Marketing people are criticized for getting hopelessly entangledin corporate egos and complicated projects. They will not behappy.

Research people are criticized for generating more confusionthan clarity. They will not be happy.

Some big companies are criticized for their ill-fated marketingprograms or lack of proper strategy. They will not be happy.

Wall Street is criticized for putting too much emphasis ongrowth that is unnecessary and can be destructive to a brand. Theywill just ignore this criticism and continue trying to make as muchmoney as they can.

But this is a book not written to make people happy but toexplain to marketers what their real problem is. Only then willthey begin to look for the obvious solutions that will separatetheir products from their competitors -- in a way that is equallyobvious to customers. All this comes with no jargon, no numbers, nocomplexity, and a great deal of common sense.

Chapter One. In Search of The Obvious.

This is the most important chapter in the book. It is simple,profound, and a secret because few know of it. And someone elsewrote most of it.

Chapter Two. What gets in the way of the“Obvious”.

There are forces in play that don't make the search easy orsometimes even possible. They tend to obstruct clear thinking. Someforces are external. Some are internal. They all are things ofwhich you must be aware. Forewarned is forearmed.

Chapter Three. The Internet Can Be An “Obvious”Problem.

Nothing in the marketing and business world has received so muchhype. But be careful, it is not the be all and end all. All it'sabout are new ways to reach people with your obvious idea. It'sjust another tool but it can confuse things.

Chapter Four. Advertising People Can Be An“Obvious” Problem.

Unfortunately, most advertising people look for the creative,not the obvious. For them, the obvious is too simple and not cleverenough. The old guard of Leo Burnett, David Ogilvy and BillBernbach understood this. The new guard, whomever they are,don't.

Chapter Five. Marketing People Can Be An“Obvious” Problem.

I'm afraid that marketing people often don't appreciate on whatthey should be focusing. Most get hopelessly entangled in corporateegos and complicated projects. It's no wonder that the job tenureof a chief marketing officer is less than two years.

Chapter Six. An “Obvious” Look At The MarketingProcess.

If marketing people are to do a better job, they have to have aclear understanding of the marketing process. What's important andhow to evaluate and operate the functions in which they are incharge.

Chapter Seven. Some Help In That Search For The“Obvious”.

The search should generally start with the competition. It's notwhat you want to do. It's what your competition will let you do.Also, you have to avoid making the kinds of mistakes often made.I'll also let you in on two of my favorite obvious strategies.

Chapter Eight. Some “Obvious” Ground Rules OfWhich You Must Be Aware.

Long ago I wrote about the laws of marketing.* A number of theseare very important in the search for the obvious. As we wrote,ignore them at your risk.

Chapter Nine. Some Observations About “Obvious”Marketing Problems.

To make this interesting, this section outlines the obviousideas that could be used to solve some highly publicized marketingproblems. Some are observations. Several were searches for theobvious that I conducted.

Chapter Ten. The Future Is Never“Obvious”.

A search for the obvious is about today, not tomorrow. Youcannot predict the future and you should never try. Today is today.Tomorrow is tomorrow.