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Reviews by Stuart Buchanan, Director of zerogweb.net, a new media company servicing the arts.

E-MARKETING By Simon Collin (John Wiley & Sons, 2000, ISBN 0-471-49897-1, £11.99 [£14.95 inc. p&p*])

E MARKETING EXCELLENCE By Smith & Chaffney (Butterworth Heinemann, 2002, ISBN 0-7506-5335-3, £17.99 [£22.90 inc. p&p*])

Scanning the shelves of the bookstore for practical e-marketing titles may leave you somewhat despondent. The truth is that there are scant few relevant e-marketing books for UK arts professionals. The bulk of publications, written and published in the US, have a distinct transatlantic drawl and tend to be aimed at global, blue-chip corporations. Fortunately, Simon Collin?s E-Marketing redresses most of these problems and provides an articulate, straightforward introduction to marketing online. Its breadth of scope is impressive, from branding, advertising and promotion through to e-commerce and PR. Of particular note is the section on the vagaries of direct email, giving short, direct answers to questions that usually inspire lengthy, technical discussion. This is an intelligent guide that is largely jargon-free, and is perfect both beginners and recent converts alike.

The unfortunate truth of e-marketing is that only the largest of companies can afford the level of investment required to establish a mainstream, high-impact online presence. Therefore, by necessity, the CIM?s eMarketing eXcellence has to pitch itself at an affluent constituency. The budgets required for a fully-integrated, cross-channel campaign (as described herein) is something that many of us can only dream of. Therefore, eMarketing eXcellence certainly scores points for detail (especially with its application of the SOSTAC planning system), however it's probably more than many of us would ever realistically require.

*For further information contact SAM?s Books (see ArtsDirectory p4 for details)