The Better Mousetrap: Brand Invention in a Media Democracy
"Blackwell's Featured titles: A fabulous new book on inspirational advertising, original thinking, and new perspectives on the modern media."
Blackwell's (UK)
“Gloriously smart. Some of the sharpest thinking I've read for a while; immensely enjoyable.”
Faris Yakob, Chief Innovation Officer, MDC Partners (NYC)
“From brands past to present, and with a firm eye on their digital future, Pont takes readers behind the curtain of brand-land. Today’s Mad Men will either toast him or hate him for it.”
Ashley MacKenzie, Founder & CEO, Base 79 (NYC)
“With the cunning more akin to a wild cat than a mousetrap, Simon takes on crowd sourcing, sandwich bars and Spotify as he explains why consumers need to be offered more than antiquated promotional messages in the digital age.”
Greg Grimmer, Chief Operating Officer, Fetch
“Simon can grab complex ideas by the scruff of the neck and shake them until they explain themselves simply."
John Paul Cadman, Head of Planning, Dentsu Aegis (London)
"The Better Mousetrap is, as the title implies, sneaky in a good way... while Pont's prose entertains, his insights steal up behind you. This reader came away learning more than he'd planned."
Judd Labarthe, Former Executive Planning Director, Argonauten G2 (Berlin)
"Pont’s writing is entertaining and full of thought-provoking case studies. His willingness to share his own successes and failures adds authenticity and a good grounding for the theories he presents. Quips throughout, such as: ‘stay with me here, I’d like the company’, create a strong author’s voice and a glimpse of the charisma he believes brands need within the new ‘media democracy’. A well-written, self-effacing gallop through brand success, failure and evolution and a useful addition to any marketing manager’s shelf."
Samantha Thomsett, reviewer, b2bmarketing.net
“Pont tackles media and advertising themes with pace and passion. The ideas come fast; the thoughts are vivid and accessible. The Better Mousetrap might just do for brands what Gladwell did for Social Sciences and Levitt did for Economics.”
Vicki Connerty, Head of Newcast, ZenithOptimedia (Sydney)
"The Better Mousetrap is a scalpel-sharp examination of our relationship towards brands, why we love them, hate them, or possibly feeling nothing at all.”
Chris Maples, UK Managing Director & European Sales Director, Spotify (London)
“The Better Mousetrap does what the best non-fiction is capable of – providing insight into the world around us, and by extension, the feelings inside us. The articulation is impressive.”
Craig Wills, Head of Planning, Fallon (London)
"Simon has somehow managed to write two books in one: an entertaining page-turner about the inner lives of brands, and a thought-provoking set text for professionals.”
Stefan Terry, Founder, Leap of Being, former Managing Partner, Heavenly Group Ltd (London)
“Simon has de-constructed the complex subject of what a brand is in an insightful and entertaining way, bringing his own experience in the advertising business to bear and giving a unique viewpoint on communication challenges in a digital age. A must read.”
Tom George, Chairman UK and Northern Europe, MEC
“Simon has achieved the near impossible, opening up the Ad world’s evolving complexity, taking aim at this fast moving target and hitting dead centre, with smart, perceptive and holistic observation and comment. A must read!”
Steve Hyde, CEO, 360 Executive Search (London)
“The Better Mousetrap is an astute and gripping critique on brand and cultural anthropology. Page by page your inner voice will be saying “fascinating”, and by the end you’ll be reminded of why you chose the brand-business in the first place. A truly compelling read.”
Christian Johnsen, Communication Strategy Director, Aegis Media (NYC)
“It’s easy for modern-day marketers to get distracted by new technologies, fads and fripperies, in this ever-evolving, complex, digital world. ‘The Better Mousetrap’ is an elegant reminder of the danger of such distractions, and that while focus and discipline are key to success, business and brands cannot stand still and must be willing to innovate and do something new to attract the consumer.”
Philip Smith, Head of Content Solutions, Brand Republic Group, Haymarket Business Media (London)
“The book had my attention from day one. I do not have one note to share with colleagues – I have got pages of them! The style of writing is engaging and pacey. Thought-provoking content, complemented by a mixture of great quotes, diagrams and examples inspires readers to look beyond the everyday norm. Highly recommended.”
Cambridge Marketing Review (Summer 2013)
Remember to Breathe
"Witty and insightful; wonderfully thought provoking."
Book Viral
REVIEW: REMEMBER TO BREATHE - SEX, DESPAIR & THE INTERNET BOOM
By Daisy Buchanan, Sabotage Times
"Pont’s narrative pace alternates between the breakneck giddiness of a nihilistic night out, and the sad, slow burn of healing and waiting.
Sam’s experiences are so well drawn and the novel’s powerful sense of place, with certain parts of London described so vividly, that I can smell them – and the social history angle, which evokes the recent past in a way that is always accurate and interesting without veering towards the sentimental.
The main strength of Remember To Breathe is its honesty about men, women and how they hurt each other. It’s frank about the way that feminism and femininity has been politicised and masculinity marginalised as a series of trends. And Sam’s advertising role gives Pont the opportunity to reflect on how lives are ruined by sloganeering – Having It All is always going to clash with Happy Ever After. It holds its own as a Generation Y coming of age title, and reminds us that no-one is immune from being derailed by extreme emotion, no matter how grown up you think you are."
To read the full review, go to: Sabotage Times
REVIEW IN THE BOOKBAG
By Sue Magee, The Bookbag
“It dawned on me that Sam was a complete original. I thought I would dislike him. I wanted to dislike him, but I couldn't. Even in the depths of self-pity and self-loathing you sense that he knows exactly what he's doing - that he's watching and judging the performance. He laughs at himself, at his extravagances and he can probably measure exactly how ridiculous it all is. He's blisteringly funny and honest way beyond the point at which you wish that he could be a little less forthcoming.
I laughed myself to tears... It's character driven rather than plot driven. You can attach all sorts of tags to it - rom-com, coming-of-age - but if you enjoy characters who come off the page and behave outrageously and a storyline that's insightful then this could well be the book for you. I do hope there'll be a sequel.”
4 out of 5 stars
To read the full review, go to: The Bookbag
Digital State: How the internet is changing everything
MARKETING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 NOMINATED
Short-listed as one of the Top 5 business marketing books of 2014.
"Makes the complications of the digital world a lot easier to swallow. Captivating."
WIRED INSIDER
"It’s not often that you are glued to every page of a business book, convinced that the next page can’t beat the last, but this book did just that for me! Compiled and written by Simon Pont, who is clearly a fiercely intelligent and impassioned modern ‘Ad man’, he has thrown open the pages of this compendium to 13 deeply influential figures in global marketing, to give their views on how the internet is changing everything. I was blown away by each chapter, feeling humbled but excited as I read this delicatessen of insight and genuinely useful, thought provoking prose."
Lucy Acheson, Head of Data Planning, WDMP - B2B Marketing review
"Digital State is an exciting, informative and timely read. A welter of facts and opinions across numerous fields makes it of considerable interest to the general reader."
Geoff Ward, review in Mysterious Planet (2013)
"Simon Pont and his panel of experts have wrestled the beast of elusive definition. Digital State shines a search light across this technological and cultural revolution of ours, and outlines the clear shapes and forms that previously lurked in shadow. For those keen to better understand our digital age and the opportunities it may afford, this is essential reading."
Ashley MacKenzie, CEO, Base79
"Simon is a smart man, lucid, forward-thinking, efficient, and these key attributes play through in his latest book. In ‘Digital State’, Simon and his circle of preeminent thinkers help decipher the bigger picture about what 'digital' actually means, driving into our frontal lobes conclusions that normally (and sadly) are not afforded in day-to-day life."
Anthony Ackenhoff, CEO & Co-Founder, Frukt
"Insightful, erudite and rammed with opinions, reference points and perspectives. Ours truly is a Digital State, and now we have a defining text that explains just what that means. Instructive reading for those who don’t just want to be the denizens of this digital state, but rather its trailblazers."
Craig Wills, Executive Strategy Director, The Gild
"Healthy scepticism balanced with issues such as how the digital state can cure modern marketing, and how story-telling and digital platforms can make the world a better place."
Irish Times
"The challenge of summing up the impact of digital on business and brands in one book is one thing; finding and inspiring 14 expert writers from sectors as diverse as advertising, law and finance, to explain and inform that conclusion, is another. Simon Pont manages to meet both challenges head-on and, in doing so, tells us something new about the digital state we're in. Timely, pertinent, even prescient."
Philip Smith, Head of Content Solutions & Studio, Brand Republic Group, Haymarket Business Media
"Cohesive; transparent; thought-provoking, a unique perspective on digital media. A “big picture” view of the digital state, drawing on concepts from Hegel, Heidegger, and McLuhan, as well as contemporary popular culture. "
“A rounded view of digital from financial to emotional. Takes a look at the ‘Digital State’ from all angles, creating digestible bite-sized portions easy to take in during your commute.”
Adland.TV (Autumn 2013)