Weaponized Marketing

Book excerpt: Islamic jihadists win with marketing. Terrorism is a form of marketing; an act of communication as much as it is an act of violence. While much has been written about the growing sophistication of marketing by Islamic jihadists, what is missing is a solution. Today, the Middle East is going through tectonic change with a promising new generation hungry for a different world. We need a better approach. We must fight back with a marketing battle plan. Weaponized Marketing: Defeating Islamic Jihad with Marketing That Built the World's Top Brands offers a blueprint for success in the marketplace of ideas. This book breaks new ground by applying proven business methods to intractable military and diplomatic problems. It provides a comprehensive understanding of how marketing works and how terrorists use it. Most importantly, it presents an effective alternative to the failing efforts to argue through a “counter-narrative” and spread through social media. Where bullets, bombs, policy papers, and press releases have failed, a marketing approach—radical for government—has a solid track record for businesses that built the world’s most successful brands.