If you’re interested in understanding the principles behind PR and marketing, here are ten books that will provide you with a solid introduction to those industries.
Public relations
Public Relations: An Introduction by Shirley Harrison – A simple introduction to the key concepts of PR, with a particularly useful section on crisis management.
Exploring Public Relations by Ralph Tench and Liz Yeomans – A comprehensive and clearly written account of major PR tools, theories and concepts.
PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences by Deirdre Breakenridge – A great introduction to the concept of PR2.0 with extensive case studies.
Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge – A bang up-to-date analysis of the integration of social media into modern PR practices.
Marketing
Principles and Practice of Marketing by David Jobber – An effective look through key marketing concepts with plenty of examples and case studies.
Principles of Direct and Database Marketing by Alan Tapp – An enlightening explanation of the sometimes baffling theory of database marketing.
Marketing Management and Strategy by Doyle and Stern – A great resource for understanding marketing strategy on an international level.
Marketing Myopia (Harvard Business Review Classics) by Theodore Levitt – A look at marketing and customer orientated markets from the former editor of the Harvard Business Review.
Branding
Lovemarks by Kevin Roberts – Interesting argument in favour of ‘loving a brand’ from the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi.
Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity by Kevin Lane Keller – A higher level text book on branding and strategic management.
You could also take a look at this guide to UK-based PR and marketing publications.
