12 Marketing and Branding Books Every Business Owner Must Read

The best marketing books for business owners teach principles that don't go out of date: how people buy, how to position your brand and how to write words that sell. These 12 are the marketing, branding and advertising books I recommend most often, from classics like Scientific Advertising and Positioning to two newer picks on buyer psychology and positioning.

Whether you want to sharpen your own marketing skills or just understand what your marketing people are talking about, start with any of these. I've grouped them by what they'll help you with.

Classic advertising books

Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins

First published in 1923, this book is still astonishingly relevant to Google Ads and Facebook ads today. Hopkins reminds you that the purpose of advertising is to sell, not to entertain. He treats advertising as salesmanship, and he was testing headlines and offers decades before anyone called it A/B testing.

Advertising legend David Ogilvy said: "Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times."

"Remember the people you address are selfish, as we all are." Claude C. Hopkins, Scientific Advertising

If you like Hopkins, read my post on giving your customers a 'reason why', which is built on one of his core ideas.

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

Another advertising classic, from the founder of Ogilvy & Mather. It's packed with practical advice on headlines, layouts, research and running campaigns, illustrated with real ads. A must-read for anyone involved in marketing communications.

"I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information." David Ogilvy

The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry

In creative advertising, no amount of glossy presentation will save a bad idea. This book focuses on the first step of every campaign: the concept. The current third edition (subtitled "Think Now, Design Later") includes over 500 campaign roughs and a chapter on branded social media. It's a great book on creative strategies, ideas and campaigns for students and professionals alike.

Branding and positioning books

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries and Jack Trout

One of the classic books on brand strategy. It shows you how to own a place in your prospect's mind that reflects your strengths and your competitors' weaknesses. Ries and Trout first wrote about positioning in a 1969 article and published the book in 1981. In a world of endless ads and choices, the core idea is more relevant than ever: you can't be everything to everyone, so pick the space you can own.

For a practical take on this, see my guide on how to stand out from your competitors.

Building Strong Brands by David Aaker

David Aaker shows how strong brands are created and managed, using real brand-building cases from Saturn, General Electric, Kodak, Healthy Choice and McDonald's, among others. Many principles of modern brand management trace back to this book, including the idea of brand equity as something you build and protect. If you're searching for one serious book on brand management, this is it.

Obviously Awesome by April Dunford (new addition)

If Positioning explains why positioning matters, Obviously Awesome shows you how to do it. April Dunford spent about 25 years leading marketing at fast-growing tech companies and gives you a five-step process to work out who your best-fit customers are, what you're really competing against and what makes you different. A second edition with new examples came out in February 2026. It's written for tech products, but the method works for any business with a "we're good, but customers don't get it" problem.

Copywriting and direct marketing books

The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy

One of the best copywriting books I've read. Starting with identifying your customer and really getting to know them, it walks you step by step through writing a sales letter. The same process works for any marketing message, including landing pages, emails and ads. The current edition is the fourth, from 2011. Pair it with my guide on writing landing page copy that sells.

Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing by Drayton Bird

Drayton Bird is one of the biggest names in direct marketing, with an engaging, no-nonsense writing style. This classic, now in its fifth edition, shows you how to plan and run profitable direct marketing campaigns across direct mail, digital, copywriting and design. Anyone involved in marketing campaigns, from juniors to seniors, will get something from it.

Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

Don't start email marketing before you've read this book. Published in 1999, Permission Marketing shows how to start a dialogue with your ideal customer, build a relationship over time and sell to them more effectively. Godin's idea that marketing should be "anticipated, personal and relevant" is a good test for every email you send.

Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby

From Sabri Suby, founder of Australian agency King Kong, this book sets out the step-by-step selling system the agency uses for its clients. Some find the style a bit clickbait-y, but I found it a book that cuts through the noise. It's a deep dive into customer research and psychology, copywriting and sales techniques, and it was released in 2019.

"The buyers are the ones who read it. They are the ones who have all the burning questions, the ones who are looking for answers." Sabri Suby, Sell Like Crazy

Buyer psychology and running your business

The Illusion of Choice by Richard Shotton (new addition)

Published in 2023, this is the most practical behavioural science book for marketers I've come across. Shotton covers 16½ psychological biases that influence what we buy, explains the research behind each one and then gives numbered ideas for applying it. A QRCA review highlights chapters such as precision bias, where specific numbers feel more credible than round ones. It's a sequel to The Choice Factory, but you can read it on its own.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

A must-read if you want to work less in your own business (or leave a corporate job). Even if you never want to work only four hours a week, it teaches useful skills such as delegating, outsourcing, time management, pricing and negotiation. Its focus on doing the important things, not just doing things efficiently, applies directly to marketing: cut the activity that doesn't bring in customers.

How to get the most from these marketing books

• Read with a problem in mind. Pick the book that matches your biggest challenge right now: positioning, copy, brand or psychology.
• Apply one idea a week. Rewrite a headline, test a new offer or update your homepage with what you learned.
• Re-read the classics. Ogilvy suggested reading Scientific Advertising seven times. Each read lands differently once you've run more campaigns.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best book to learn marketing?

For a business owner, I'd start with Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins. It's short, cheap and teaches the core idea that advertising exists to sell, which still applies to every channel today.

What are the best books on branding?

Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout and Building Strong Brands by David Aaker are the classics. For a practical, modern method, add Obviously Awesome by April Dunford.

Are old marketing books still relevant?

Yes. Platforms change, but people don't. The principles in books from the 1920s to the 1980s, such as testing, clear offers and positioning, are exactly what makes Google and Meta campaigns work today.

Don't have time to read? I've read these books and use their ideas every day in my clients' campaigns. If you'd like help turning them into a plan for your business, see my digital marketing strategy service or book a free call.