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May 2017 Vol. 54 No. 9


Harvard Business Review Press


The following review appeared in the May 2017 issue of CHOICE. The review is for your internal use only. Please review our Permission and Reprints Guidelines or email permissions@ala-choice.org.

Social & Behavioral Sciences
Business, Management & Labor

54-4332
HF5415
CIP
Yoon, Eddie. Superconsumers: a simple, speedy, and sustainable path to superior growth. Harvard Business Review Press, 2016. 225p index ISBN 9781633692077, $30.00.

Yoon (Cambridge Group) examines a curious, intriguing marketing phenomenon. Superconsumers make up a subgroup of extremely knowledgeable, highly fixated customers. Though they are a small segment of a product's market, they account for a large percentage of its sales. They share a passion for the product and offer a valuable resource to marketers, providing sharp insight that the company may lack. The author aptly illustrates the concept through countless case studies, personal anecdotes, and relevant data. Superconsumers may shape product success in numerous ways. One grocery chain found them critical to growing its private brand. In another instance, superconsumers helped a major manufacturer push past the boundaries of an industry stereotype. Bud Light Lime seemed like a mistake for Anheuser-Busch, as it went against the macho persona the company had cultivated. The lime variant was very well received, however, as superconsumers sought a sweeter beer, image notwithstanding. The book is concise and easy to read, rather resembling a self-help book for marketers. To pursue a specific brand strategy, a typical company might require more solid research. Nonetheless, the volume affords an enjoyable, quick read for practitioners or advanced marketing students seeking an interesting supplementary text.

--S. D. Clark, St. John's University (NY)

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.