Advance Praise for The Elements of Influence
"Alan Kelly is the Bill Walsh of marketing and positioning strategy and tactics. His playbook reads like an insider's field guide to the ins and outs of positioning warfare. Master it, and you can play with pros anytime."
—Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and Dealing with Darwin
"Ever wonder how marketing campaigns get built? How messages are spun? How public opinion is managed? Here are the answers - in a clear, enjoyable, and eye-opening system that even the black belts of influence will find surprising!"
—Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series
A landmark system for business leaders and marketers, campaigners and bloggers, political junkies and fans of popular culture, The Elements of Influence takes the mystery out of strategy and how it shapes and shifts niche and global marketplaces alike.
The first definitive system for out-smarting an opponent, managing a brand, protecting a reputation, and orchestrating word-of-mouth, The Elements of Influence unveils this critical and sprawling discipline and introduces The Playmaker’s Standard™, a new essential language of 25 irreducible plays. It breaks down into precise pieces the moves and counter-moves by which competitive advantage is won and lost, buzz is built, spin is spun, and arms are twisted, and it shows how masters of the game call, run, decode, and counteract the ploys and plans of their marketplaces. Plays are everywhere and everyone is a playmaker, from the cutthroat free marketeer to the collaborative policy maker, and those who understand playmaking—the black belts of business, politics, and pop culture—will always have the edge over those who don’t. The Elements of Influence will help you join their ranks.
More Praise
“The Elements of Influence is, in so many ways, a remarkable and timely book. It’s also a good read, not only for those who practice in the professions of influence, but for those of us who are subject to their maneuverings. Alan Kelly has gathered together and explained, under one cover, all of those moves, counter-moves, plays, strategies, and responses that we’ve instinctively recognized but little understood. No one in marketing, sales, public relations, lobbying, and other forms of psychological influence can call their understanding complete without first examining what he’s written. This is a smart, clever, intuitive text for those who hope to shape thinking, modify intentions, and guide the behavior of others.”
– James S. O’Rourke, IV, Professor and Director, The Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
“The Elements of Influence will tune you in
to the art of playmaking and the strategic moves of players
in everyday personal, corporate, or political life. It will give you conscious
and competitive insight to ensure your success in the business of your
life…and the life of your business.”
– Thomas L. Harrison, Chairman & CEO, Diversified Agency Services,
Omnicom Group Inc. and Author, Instinct: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA
to Achieve Your Business Goals
“This is the ultimate playbook for communicators and campaigners of all stripes. If you work in politics, business, or elsewhere, keep a copy of The Elements of Influence on your desk – and give copies to your staff.”
– Dan Schnur, Communications Director, McCain 2000 Presidential Campaign
“In The Elements of Influence, Alan Kelly emerges as one of the most original public relations theorists in years. Shrewd practitioners will use his system, while scholars scientifically test it, far into the future.”
– Frank E. Ovaitt, Jr., President & CEO, Institute for Public Relations
