Mark Simmons – författare

The marketing revolution is here, so get on the right side of the barricade and become a part of it! Let''s thank Mr. and Mrs. Consumer and their little Consumerlings who have seized power from the corporations and are now firmly in control.

In Punk Marketing, Laermer and Simmons take an irreverent, penetrating look at the seismic change in the relationship between the people who sell stuff—products, services, entertainment—and those who purchase it. They demonstrate that to survive in business, a revolutionary approach is needed—one they have branded "Punk Marketing"—and it''s one we all need to understand, for the traditional divisions among commerce, content, and consumers are continuing to blur ever more rapidly.

Never dull, sometimes controversial, but always a helluva lot of fun, Punk Marketing presents a manifesto for any businessperson needing to engage consumers—or any consumer seeking to understand and employ their newfound power. And here''s the good news: It''s based on principles that have existed forever. In an age of digital video recorders, "branded" entertainment, cell-phone TV, multiplayer online games, and never-ending social networking, a coherent approach to marketing has never been more vital. With Punk Marketing, there''s a built-in plan to equip you with tools to make all this change work out just fine, thanks.

Punk Marketing is the first shot—soon to be heard ''round the world—of a long-awaited and breathless uprising that businesses want, deserve, and desperately need.

It has been nearly two centuries since the first publication of A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore. Since my earliest memory of Christmas, like countless other folks, I have revisited the poem every year and have derived pleasure from each reading. It never gets old.

When my wife encountered cancer in 1992, a certain reallocation of marital tasks became necessary. So for going on three decades, I''ve composed our annual Christmas letter to family and friends. In 2020, bogged down with the pandemic and seeking a change of pace, I wrote an imagined sequel to the tale and sent it off to the core of our mailing list, about seventy households.

It may have been an effect of the season or simply an impulsive act of comity or affection, but there were an unexpected number of responses, some of which suggested that wider publication should be explored. So here we are. I do hope you enjoy this variation and share it with your family. Merry Christmas.