Books Every Marketer Should Read in 2025

gabrielakvisionfac
Oct 29
4 min read

Updated: Nov 4

In 2025, we live in the era of the online world. Everything around us is digital, and information can be found instantly; just a few clicks on Google or chatting with AI assistants will provide us with answers to everything. If you don't know the recipe, you Google it. If you need help with your homework, you can ask ChatGPT, or you can even ask an AI to create a marketing strategy or campaign. Artificial intelligence can now analyze data, predict consumer behavior, or even write content and design campaigns. Tools such as Chat GPT, Perplexity, or Notion AI have become an essential part of everyone’s lives. But even in a world oversaturated with information and data, real creativity and understanding of marketing strategies do not come from quick answers. The most crucial skills that every marketer should have come from reflection, experience, and continuous learning. And that’s exactly why books still remain essential. They offer a wide context, theory, depth, and especially timeless wisdom that no algorithm can replicate. In this article, we will look closely at 5 marketing books every marketer should read in 2025.

Stack of open books with fanned pages, set against a bright background. Books are in varied colors, creating a visually dynamic scene.

1. This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin

This is Marketing by Seth Godin is considered an accessible and timeless package of the author’s wisdom in the marketing field. One of his main ideas is that great marketing is no longer about selling and pushing products or manipulating emotions, but it's about understanding people and solving their problems. The book teaches you how to build trust, find your “smallest viable audience”, and create essential changes that last beyond metrics. This is Marketing redefines what it means to be a marketer nowadays, it teaches them how to build communities and explore the why behind their work.

2. Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

Donald Miller, in the book, introduces a powerful clarification that helps businesses to aim their message, resulting in immediate customer understanding of what they offer and why it is essential. He highlights that every brand should position its customer as the hero of the story. In the world of overloaded information, clarity is crucial. The book helps marketers to create a clear, simple, emotional message that will cut through the noise. Every brand tells a story, but not all of them do it correctly and well. If you want to turn complex ideas into compelling narratives, you should definitely read the book.

3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

Written by Robert B. Cialdini, New York Times bestselling author, explains the psychology of why people say yes by using memorable stories and examples. Apart from that, he explains how to apply these insights in business and everyday life. Cialdini reveals his universal principles of influence, such as reciprocation, commitment and consistency, and social proof. By understanding and applying these principles it demonstrates how you can transform the way you communicate. The essential part is to understand the psychological triggers. By reading the book, you will understand what triggers drive decisions and how to craft messages that resonate deeply.

4. Atomic Habits by James Clear

James Clear, in Atomic Habits, instead of focusing on big goals, motivates readers to make small improvements, which he calls Atomic Habits. He thinks that those small changes will change into significant transformations. Apart from that, in the book you can find out how habits work, how they are formed, how they can be changed, and how they shape us over time. In contrast to other books mentioned, Atomic Habits focuses more on personal growth rather than on marketing. By many people, it’s called a masterclass in decision-making, motivation, and understanding behavior.

5. Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age by Johan Berger

The author Jonah Berger is a professor of marketing at a university. In the book, he uncovers the reality of the behind-the-scenes process of how some products go viral while others just fade away. He explores six key principles, such as emotion, public triggers, through real-life examples. The author demonstrates that these principles drive word of mouth and shape consumer behavior. In the book, you will not only read boring theory, but you will also learn a practical framework useful for creating campaigns and content that goes viral. Remember, virality is not just good luck, but it is mainly because of a good strategy.

If you are interested in marketing, here are other books:

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout
The Digital Experience Company by Alfonso De La Nuez
Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break Through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less by Joe Pullizi
Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Hand holding coffee near books, a laptop with a phone on top, and glasses. Blue phone case with a cat, yellow book titled "HOCKED."

Conclusion

In the digital world that we live in these days, technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve and they become part of our daily tasks. However, the essentials of marketing remain the same: communicating with clarity, understanding the audience, and creating real value. Even though AI tools can generate texts, answer our questions, they cannot replace the process of learning, human creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking that come from experience and learning. Books provide people, and especially marketers perspective, critical thinking, understanding the why behind the scenes, something that algorithms will not. Therefore, it is still crucial to open a book and reconnect with great ideas and learn something new.