Atul Minocha's Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing Paid for Itself in Six Months and Hit Forbes' Top Books of 2021
"it was the best decision I made as far as book publishing is concerned."
Atul Minocha, author of Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing
Atul Minocha is a partner at Chief Outsiders, a national fractional-CMO firm, and a self-described data guy who got tired of watching CEOs burned by bad marketing. He wrote Lies, Damn Lies, and Marketing to set the record straight. He budgeted about $60,000 and expected a three-to-five year payback. He recovered it in six months, and the book landed on Forbes and Inc's lists of the top business books of 2021.
A Marketer Who Got Tired of the Lies
Trained as an engineer, Minocha loves what marketing can do and could not understand why so many leaders had been burned by it. The book grew out of one chapter in particular, on what he calls fake ROI: the idea that demanding a hard return on every marketing dollar quietly pushes good marketers into inventing numbers.
"unless you give me an ROI, I won't fund your project, that actually forces people like me to come up with lies."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
His larger framework separates big-M marketing, the strategy and positioning that should come first, from the small-M tactics most companies rush into. And in an era of automated content, he argues the opportunity is obvious.
"quality always trumps quantity."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
The Book Paid for Itself in Six Months
Minocha did the math before he ever signed on. If the book brought in enough new business to cover its roughly $60,000 cost within three to five years, it would be worth it. Then the book came out, his project load jumped, and the timeline collapsed.
"I actually recovered my $60,000 in six months."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
The recognition compounded the effect. Within two months of each other, three outlets named it a top business book of the year.
"they all put my book as one of the top seven books to read that were published in 2021."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
The Bigger Surprise
Minocha went into 2020 bracing for his business to shrink. Instead it grew, and the book was part of why. What began as a hedge against a downturn became a credibility engine that kept sending CEOs his way.
"COVID was good for our company."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
Years and several printings later, his verdict on the decision is unequivocal.
"it was the best decision I made as far as book publishing is concerned."
- Atul Minocha, Partner, Chief Outsiders
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