In Search of the Obvious

About the Author

Jack Trout, a leading figure in the marketing world, is the president of Trout & Partners, a prestigious marketing firm with a global presence in 13 countries. He is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to marketing, having authored several classic books including Differentiate or Die. Trout's expertise lies in identifying and articulating simple yet powerful marketing strategies that cut through the noise of modern business practices.

Main Idea

In In Search of the Obvious: The Antidote for Today's Marketing Mess, Jack Trout addresses the current crisis in marketing. He asserts that despite the critical importance of marketing in today's competitive landscape, the field is mired in complexity and jargon. Trout advocates for a return to simplicity, urging marketers to focus on clear, obvious ideas that resonate with consumers. These ideas, he argues, are often overlooked in favor of more complicated strategies that fail to connect.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Best Book on Marketing
3. Five Tests of Obviousness
4. Common Sense as a Guide
5. Barriers to Obvious Marketing
6. The Role of the CEO
7. Wall Street's Impact on Marketing
8. The Internet's Role
9. The Advertising Problem
10. The Marketing People Problem
11. Fixing the Ad Industry
12. Marketing Process Simplified
13. Survival Tips in Marketing
14. Solution vs. Direction
15. Leadership and Differentiation
16. Ground Rules for Obvious Strategy
17. The Future is Never Obvious

The Best Book on Marketing

Trout introduces the book Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman by Robert R. Updegraff as the best marketing book ever written. This 1916 book, only 40 pages long, encapsulates the essence of effective marketing: simplicity and obviousness. Trout emphasizes that the search for any marketing strategy should be the search for the obvious, echoing Updegraff's belief that "the trouble is, the obvious is apt to be so simple and commonplace that it has no appeal to the imagination."

Five Tests of Obviousness

The First Test: Simplicity

An obvious solution is nearly always simple. If an idea is clever, ingenious, or complicated, it likely isn't obvious. As Updegraff wrote, "The obvious is nearly always simple - so simple that sometimes a whole generation of men and women has looked at it without even seeing it."

The Second Test: Human Nature

An idea must align with human nature. If it can't be easily understood and accepted by everyone, it probably isn't obvious. Ideas should resonate with people free from professional or technical knowledge.

The Third Test: Clarity on Paper

Write out the idea in simple words. If the explanation becomes long or involved, it isn't obvious. No idea is obvious unless it can be understood by people of average intelligence.

The Fourth Test: Mental Explosion

An obvious idea should cause an "explosive" reaction in people's minds. If people immediately see the value and wonder why they didn't think of it before, the idea is likely obvious.