The 3 Most Influential Marketing Books of 2024

The 3 Most Influential Marketing Books of 2024: Sustainability, Empathy, and Artificial Intelligence

Hello, I’m Dr. Carlos Valdez, founder and director of MercadotecniayVentas.com. This is our video-audio blog for March 1, 2025, titled "The 3 Most Influential Marketing Books of 2024."

Marketing is a constantly evolving field, where trends shift alongside technological advancements and consumer expectations. In 2024, three books have been recognized for their impact on the industry, addressing crucial topics such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, and the rise of conversational marketing.

The award was presented at the AMAF Awards Luncheon during the AMA Winter Academic Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, from February 14-16.

🏆 Winner: Sustainable Marketing: Integrating Sustainability into Business Strategy – Paul Randle & Alexis Eyre
📖 Finalist: The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy – Roland T. Rust & Ming-Hui Huang
🎙 Finalist: Voice Marketing: Harnessing the Power of Conversational AI to Drive Customer Engagement – Laurence Minsky, Susan Westwater, Scot Westwater & Colleen Fahey

These books provide a clear vision of where marketing is headed and how businesses must adapt to stay competitive. Below, we explore their key ideas and relevance in today’s landscape.

A Quick Note Before We Begin

This post is not a summary of each of the three books because that wouldn’t do justice to the authors. Each book is filled with valuable insights, and the goal of this post is to recognize the work of these colleagues and highlight some of their key ideas.

I encourage the Mercadotecnia y Ventas community to pick up a copy of any book that sparks their interest from their favorite bookstore. At the end of this post, you’ll find full references for all three books.

Now, let’s get started!

1. Sustainable Marketing: Integrating Sustainability into Business Strategy

📖 Authors: Paul Randle & Alexis Eyre
🏆 Winner of the 2024 AMA Foundation Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award

Sustainability has become a central issue in business strategy. However, Sustainable Marketing argues that most current initiatives are superficial and fail to address the root problem. The authors propose a deep transformation in how brands understand their impact on the world.

Key Ideas:

✅ The Problem with Traditional Marketing
Marketing has historically focused on business growth and short-term ROI. This has led to overexploitation of resources and a disconnect between what brands claim and what they actually do.

✅ The Dark Side of Digital Marketing
The book highlights critical issues such as advertising fraud in programmatic advertising and the lack of transparency in digital metrics. Many brands are investing in campaigns with uncertain impact and, in some cases, unknowingly funding unethical activities.

✅ Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage
Beyond "greenwashing," brands must integrate sustainability into their business model and demonstrate their commitment through tangible actions. Well-executed sustainable marketing not only has a positive societal impact but also strengthens brand reputation and customer loyalty.

💡 Why Does It Matter?
Consumers are increasingly aware of business practices and expect brands to be genuine in their commitments. Implementing sustainable marketing strategies is both an ethical responsibility and a necessity for long-term competitiveness.

2. The Feeling Economy: AI and the Rise of Empathy

📖 Authors: Roland T. Rust & Ming-Hui Huang

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized many industries, but The Feeling Economy argues that its impact goes beyond just task automation. As AI takes on more analytical functions, humans must focus on what makes us unique: empathy and emotional connection.

Key Ideas:

✅ The Three Phases of Economic Evolution
The authors outline three major economic stages:

1. Physical Economy: Dominated by manual labor and physical strength.
2. Thinking Economy: Characterized by the rise of information and data analysis.
3. Feeling Economy: AI now handles analytical thinking, leaving humans to manage relationships and emotions.

✅ Empathy as the New Competitive Advantage
As AI processes data and makes logic-based decisions, businesses must focus on developing experiences that prioritize empathy, personalization, and human relationships.

✅ Implications for the Future of Work
The book suggests that the most successful professionals will be those who develop emotional intelligence and communication skills. Education and training should focus on enhancing these areas to ensure relevance in the job market.

💡 Why Does It Matter?
AI is already changing the way we work and interact with customers. Adapting to the Feeling Economy will be essential for success in the future.

3. Voice Marketing: The Future of Customer Interaction

📖 Authors: Laurence Minsky, Susan Westwater, Scot Westwater & Colleen Fahey

"We defined Marketing 5.0 as 'the application of technologies to create, communicate, deliver, and enhance value through the customer journey.' In focusing on the new tools, platforms, and thinking strategies available to marketers since 2021, it was inevitable that we would note the emerging world of voice-enabled interactions." — Philip Kotler.

Voice-enabled devices have become an essential part of consumers’ daily lives. Voice Marketing explores how brands can optimize their presence in this ecosystem to enhance user experience and strengthen brand identity.

Key Ideas:

✅ Optimizing for Voice Search
Traditional SEO is not enough in a world where voice searches are becoming more frequent. Brands must adapt their strategies to ensure their products and services are the first mentioned by assistants like Alexa and Siri.

✅ Brand Identity in a Screenless World
In an audio-dominated environment, building a sonic identity is crucial. From tone of voice to sound effects, brands must develop a recognizable and differentiated presence.

✅ The Growth of Voice Commerce
More consumers are making purchases through voice assistants. Brands that optimize their presence on these devices will be able to capture customers at key moments in the buying process.

💡 Why Does It Matter?
Voice marketing is not a passing trend but a natural evolution in how people interact with technology. Brands that embrace this strategy will improve accessibility and personalization.

Conclusion: Where Is Marketing Headed in 2024?

The three books highlighted this year reflect the major transformations happening in marketing:

🌿 Sustainability – Brands must demonstrate real commitment to environmental and social impact.
🤖 AI & Emotions – Automation requires professionals to focus on emotional intelligence and creativity.
🎙 Conversational Marketing – Voice is redefining how consumers interact with brands.

For marketing professionals, these concepts are not just trends—they are key strategies to stay competitive in the future.

A Special Announcement

Since we’re talking about books, I’d also like to introduce our own publication:

📕 The Red Manual for the Marketing and Sales Coordinator

This is a practical book designed as a guide for new marketing coordinators. It serves as an updated reference, addressing real industry challenges that traditional textbooks fail to cover.

💡 If you're not using AI in marketing and sales, you're stuck in 2023. Stay ahead of the curve!

📢 Also, don’t miss our FREE AI course for everyone. We’re witnessing a major shift in the job market, and this course is a great opportunity for professionals to learn how to integrate AI into their work.

If you don’t update your skills, you’ll be left behind.

If you enjoyed this content, give it a like and share it. The Marketing and Sales community continues to grow every day with more subscribers and visits to our site.

I’ll leave you with this reminder: in Marketing and Sales, we must always create value!

Thank you, and see you next time! 🚀

References

• Randle, P., & Eyre, A. (2024). Sustainable Marketing: The Industry’s Role in a Sustainable Future.
• Rust, R. T., & Huang, M. H. (2024). The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy.
• Minsky, L., Westwater, S., Westwater, S., & Fahey, C. (2024). Voice Marketing: Harnessing the Power of Conversational AI to Drive Customer Engagement.