Summer Reading List, Part 2

Thanks to a well-received recommendation list from the other week’s newsletter, I decided to compile another list, with more deep cuts. Here’s what to read, part two, and in case you missed the original list, you can find it here.

All recommended reads below are part of my global journey on what consumers value today and what they want to pay for, and how this transforms business and brand growth. What consumers value and what they decide is worth paying for makes the modern aspiration economy. In contrast to traditional economy, where consumers collect commodities, Instagram followers, airline miles, and busy back-to-back schedules, in the modern aspiration economy consumers collect knowledge, taste, communities, and influence.

Companies are also really good at creating business models and brand strategies around economic value. They have a lofty goal of building a brand so strong that everyone would want to wear a t-shirt with its logo on it, yet are still trapped in the manufacturing mindset, focused on monetization, efficiency, and productivity growth. There’s a disconnect in the value they aspire to create and the value they’re actually creating.

This disconnect changes the way businesses and entire markets operate, yet the modern aspirational economy is still an understudied area in business and culture. My book, The Business of…