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About The Book

Advertising can be great. Great advertising, that is. Brands live or die on the power of their advertising and the advertiser's role is to build better mousetraps. But why do we love certain brands and passionately or indifferently reject the rest? What do our brands say about us? And why do we feel so compelled to use digital brands to say even more? Advertising has always been the hard sell and subtle hustle that piques our interest and gets us thinking I WANT that, but in a world that now moves with binary speed, the Brand Game is taking ever-new and remarkable turns in its pursuit of better and faster mice.

A provocative and insightful look at the chase, The Better Mousetrap lifts the lid on the brand and advertising strategies of leading companies who, in a world redefined by digital media, are setting the best traps for these ever quicker mice.

Press Quotes

Gloriously smart. Some of the sharpest thinking I've read for a while; immensely enjoyable

From brands past to present, and with a firm eye on their digital future, Pont takes readers behind the curtain of brand-land. Today's Mad Men will either toast him or hate him for it.

On all things advertising, The Better Mousetrap is some of the best writing in the blogosphere. One of my regular go-to destinations on the web

Pont tackles media and advertising themes with pace and passion. The ideas come fast; the thoughts are vivid and accessible. The Better Mousetrap might just do for brands what Gladwell did for Social Sciences and Levitt did for Economics.

Simon can grab complex ideas by the scruff of the neck and shake them until they explain themselves simply

Simon has achieved the near impossible, opening up the Ad world's evolving complexity, taking aim at this fast moving target and hitting dead centre, with smart, perceptive and holistic observation and comment. A must read!

The Better Mousetrap does what the best non-fiction is capable of - providing insight into the world around us, and by extension, the feelings inside us. The articulation is impressive.

The Better Mousetrap is a scalpel-sharp examination of our relationship towards brands, why we love them, hate them, or possibly feeling nothing at all.

The Better Mousetrap is an astute and gripping critique on brand and cultural anthropology. Page by page your inner voice will be saying 'fascinating', and by the end you'll be reminded of why you chose the brand-business in the first place. A truly compelling read.

Simon has somehow managed to write two books in one: an entertaining page-turner about the inner lives of brands, and a thought-provoking set text for professionals.

With the cunning more akin to a wild cat than a mousetrap, Simon takes on crowd sourcing, sandwich bars and Spotify as he explains why consumers need to be offered more than antiquated promotional messages in the digital age.

The Better Mousetrap is, as the title implies, sneaky in a good way...while Pont's prose entertains, his insights steal up behind you. This reader came away learning more than he'd planned.

It's easy for modern-day marketers to get distracted by new technologies, fads and fripperies, in this ever-evolving, complex, digital world. 'The Better Mousetrap' is an elegant reminder of the danger of such distractions and that while focus and discipline are key to success, business and brands cannot stand still and must be willing to innovate and do something new to attract the consumer.

Simon has deconstructed the complex subject of what a brand is in an insightful and entertaining way, bringing his own experience in the advertising business to bear and giving a unique viewpoint on communication challenges in a digital age. A must read.

About The Author