University of Minnesota - (CEMBA) UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Killing Giants
Book

Killing Giants

10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry

Stephen Denny
Portfolio, 2013
Buy the book

Read Offline or Discuss

Amazon Kindle  Discuss

Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Stephen Denny’s guide for smaller companies seeking to challenge the giants in their industries is filled with useful advice. The numerous case studies – all entertaining on their own – provide worthy real-world examples and lessons that small companies can immediately apply. The book is also a blast: The writing is lively and the advice bold (though Denny’s advice to play dirty, isn’t really dirty – just clever). getAbstract recommends his idiosyncratic, pragmatic tactics to anyone starting a company, building a small company or running a mature company that wants to fight like a start-up.

Summary

Why You Should Kill Giants

The American economy has experienced three “major shifts” since World War II. In the “Era of New Frontiers,” the economy grew, but people’s mind-sets still bore the marks of the Great Depression. Then came “the Era of Indulgences,” when expectations expanded, and powerful “true brands” emerged. People overspent. In 2007, the recession brought that to a halt. Now business is working in the “Era of Consequences,” a period defined by being intelligent about how your company works and by “smart consumerism.” This isn’t a frugal age, because no one wants to go without. But people recognize that purchasing choices involve trade-offs and they weigh their decisions deliberately.

People will buy thoughtfully from now on. To flourish, your business must do more with less. Businesses are hiring more generalists to avoid paying expensive specialists. Marketers must reach customers who spend anxiously, not freely, and sometimes delay even necessary purchases. Business has become a game of constraints. You have to work smarter, think like an “underdog” and be more creative to challenge the giants who dominate your field. These giants are the actual, recognized...

About the Author

Stephen Denny spent decades in marketing for major firms and now consults on strategy.

Comment on this summary