What do Nike, Dove soap, Burger King and the Partnership all have in common? They’re all mentioned as examples of companies on the cutting edge of “Marketing with Meaning.”

In the new book “The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with Your Customers by Marketing with Meaning,” marketing strategist Bob Gilbreath outlines how this concept, represents the next evolutionary step in a progression following direct marketing and permission marketing.

“The best way to illustrate the value of meaningful marketing is to look deeply within pioneering brands that are charting a unique but consistent course. Dove, Nike, Burger King and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America are but four examples of major brands that are executing this new approach in truly significant ways. They have abandoned interruption, created marketing that people choose to engage with, connected with them in a variety of innovative new forums, and successfully launched meaningful campaigns that have proactively affected both their numbers and the quality of life of the people they’re targeting.”

The Partnership’s TimetoTalk.org award-winning program, is an example of this very marketing approach. Here’s what Bob has to say about the Partnership and Time To Talk…

“The meaningful new path that the Partnership is taking is epitomized by its most recent work, an initiative called “Time To Talk” (www.timetotalk.org). In contrast to an interruptive scare tactic, Time To Talk is a "resource for parents seeking to understand drug and alcohol abuse with their children.” Today’s Gen X parents grew up with that very brain-frying daily dose of anti-drug messages, and they saw the results (or lack thereof) on their streets, in their friends, and in themselves. Now, as parents, they are proactively seeking real solutions, and they are open to engaging with an entity like the Partnership if it’s offering genuine value-added features such as its Parent Talk Kit: “Top 10 Ways Teens Trick Their Parents,” “How to Tell If Your Teen Is Drinking or Using Drugs,” and “Answering the Question: ‘Did You Do Drugs?’”).”

Here are some excerpts from the book, about what you’ll find inside…

“Marketing strategist Bob Gilbreath’s concept, Marketing with Meaning, represents the next evolutionary step in a progression following direct marketing and permission marketing. This groundbreaking methodology engages customers and wins their business by adding value to their lives. Rather than pushing a product or service, Marketing with Meaning woos customers by offering them something of value independent of purchase.

This comprehensive model for creating and managing a meaningful marketing campaign uses in-depth case studies of successful campaigns and explains how to develop and execute a solid strategy for meeting customers’ needs. It also arms you with an original set of metrics for precisely measuring the effectiveness of your initiatives.

Marketing with Meaning is how your customers demand business be done today and tomorrow. “The Next Evolution of Marketing” is your guide to surviving and thriving in this marketing revolution.”

Please click on the title to purchase Gilbreath's book: "The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with Your Customers by Marketing with Meaning." A portion of the sales, from online purchases made at Amazon.com, will go to support the Partnership.

To find out how your company can benefit from a sponsorship or cause-marketing relationship with the Partnership, please visit http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/Partners.