I picked up this book as a preparation for the CLEP marketing exam. While it is easy to read, the layout is cluttered and distracting. The authors give a rah-rah treatment to e-commerce, presenting multiple .com case studies throughout the book (each chapter begins with an internet site and description).

It is clear that the authors were infatuated with the so-called "new economy," and the book suffers a lot as a result. Using it as a primer is tiring, as you have to separate the essentials of marketing from the e-commerce cheerleading.

The publisher's website does have quizzes to test on the material, which I like, but overall, I was still somewhat disappointed.

I purchased this book as a primer on Marketing, as a preparatory resource for the CLEP Principles of Marketing exam (3 semester hours). The book effectively presents the basic terms and ideas in an airy, easy to read manner. Also, the book's website contains quizzes that help reinforce the information, which is greatly appreciated.

However, I was somewhat disenchanted with the content which reaches for a "futuristic" flavor and misses something in the process. In my opinion, the book concentrates too heavily on .com companies (some of which are now bankrupt and defunct) and gives an overall rah-rah treatment towards e-commerce. Anecdotes abound and are used as filler in the main text, instead of informational sidebars. Every chapter is introduced with another website URL emblazoned across the top of the page in a putrid yellow color.

Thankfully, the authors did include a paragraph or two dissuading the reader from using SPAM (unsolicited email marketing), but it was a footnote in an otherwise verbose volume. I was somewhat offended that from the context of those paragraphs, and an anecdote about one company's 12% response rate (versus 1% for direct mail) which is misleading and would probably leave marketing students thinking that spam was effective.

For what I purchased the book for, it accomplishes the goals, albeit in a verbose manner.

I used this book as an introduction to marketing at the School of Management at Syracuse University. I found the to be thought out well, layed out in a logical format and it was current with all information. It was more interesting than most text books.