Playing It Safe Sucks

A Manifesto for Courageous Marketing

It’s too easy for marketing to plod along cautiously, to be a passenger on the corporate bus. And that’s a damn shame, because the purpose of marketing is to drive the bus, to make the brand stand out from the pack.

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About Courageous Marketing

Marketers need to be courageous in order to do their jobs as they’re meant to be done. Courage to come up with Big Ideas. Courage to defend those Big Ideas from naysayers and skeptics. Courage to launch those Big Ideas into a cynical, attention-starved marketplace.

‍Playing It Safe Sucks argues that following the same old marketing strategies will not lead to success. Instead, this book encourages you to embrace risk and take a leap of faith in your marketing efforts.

Playing It Safe Sucks is your guide to breaking free from the pack to make a meaningful impact in your career, your company and your industry. It’s time to embrace your inner rebel.

FAQs

Q: Who is this book for?
A: This book is written primarily for B2B marketing professionals, working both in-house and at agencies, but executives who may be wondering why their marketing isn’t working will find it useful as well—and maybe even inspirational!
Q: What will I learn by reading this book?
A: You’ll learn why your marketing should focus on more than just “feeds and speeds,” and instead take the chance to build a true human connection between your brand and your customers. And you’ll read examples of marketers who have achieved sustainable success by breaking out of the traditional mold.

Q: What expertise does the author have in this area?
A: John Miller has worked in marketing with companies large and small for more than two decades and has seen the rewards of bold initiatives and the mediocrity that comes from following the pack. He is a zealot about humanizing complex business conversations.
Q. How can I apply this book to my business?
A: Playing It Safe Sucks coaches you on how to make the mindset shift in your department and your company, and make it a safe psychological space for courageous thinking. It is not prescriptive in how to go about implementing specific changes in your specific situation. Trying to do that would be way too presumptuous.

About the Author

John Miller is the founder and president of Scribewise, a content marketing agency that helps mid-sized B2B companies grow through marketing. He started his career dreaming of being an NFL play-by-play announcer, but realized after several years that there are only about a dozen of those jobs in the world. He has spent the last 25 years working in marketing and public relations, and founded Scribewise in 2012. John lives in Ambler, Pa. with his family.