---
title: "5 books every marketer should read in 2019 | Inside Intercom"
description: "The Intercom marketing team, a group of lifelong learners, compiled a reading guide of five books that have influenced their careers and thinking. Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable categorizes 12 technological forces like AI and streaming, offering an optimistic view of future change. Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow argues that brand growth depends on reaching new customers through broad reach, not on increasing loyalty from superfans, using Harley-Davidson as an example. James Twitchell’s 20 Ads That Shook the World explores historic campaigns such as De Beers’ creation of diamond engagement rings, providing context for modern advertising. William Zinsser’s On Writing Well and Jake Knapp’s Make Time round out the list with advice on clear writing and focusing on a single daily highlight for better productivity."
---

# 5 books every marketer should read in 2019 | Inside Intercom

[Intercom](https://yomu.fyi/company/intercom) · Oct 12, 2026

**Type:** Announcement

## Summary

The Intercom marketing team, a group of lifelong learners, compiled a reading guide of five books that have influenced their careers and thinking. Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable categorizes 12 technological forces like AI and streaming, offering an optimistic view of future change. Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow argues that brand growth depends on reaching new customers through broad reach, not on increasing loyalty from superfans, using Harley-Davidson as an example. James Twitchell’s 20 Ads That Shook the World explores historic campaigns such as De Beers’ creation of diamond engagement rings, providing context for modern advertising. William Zinsser’s On Writing Well and Jake Knapp’s Make Time round out the list with advice on clear writing and focusing on a single daily highlight for better productivity.

## Context

The Intercom marketing team, known for intellectual curiosity and a staff book club, created their first reading guide to share books that shaped their professional and personal perspectives.

## Takeaways

- Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable examines 12 technological forces, including AI, sharing, streaming, remixing, and becoming, to frame future change optimistically.
- Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow argues that winning brands grow primarily through broad reach to gain new users, not by increasing loyalty among existing customers, as illustrated by Harley-Davidson.
- William Zinsser’s On Writing Well offers timeless principles for clear writing applicable to business and other fields, despite outdated references to VCRs and Blackberries.

## FAQ

### What technological forces does The Inevitable cover?

Kevin Kelly's The Inevitable organizes its content around 12 technological forces, including AI, sharing, streaming, remixing, questioning, and becoming, which are shaping future technology and daily life.

### What is the core argument of How Brands Grow?

Byron Sharp's core argument is that brand growth comes primarily from gaining new users through broad reach (penetration), not from driving increased loyalty among a few superfans. He notes Harley-Davidson gets less than 10% of sales from its brand community.

### Who should read On Writing Well according to the article?

The book is recommended for anyone who writes, including marketers writing taglines or emails. It provides warm, tangible takeaways and advice for specific fields like business, sports, and interviews.

**Tags:** [Marketing](https://yomu.fyi/topic/marketing)

- Source: [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/blog/5-books-every-marketer-should-read-in-2019)
- Source URL: https://www.intercom.com/blog/5-books-every-marketer-should-read-in-2019
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-10-12T18:00:24.507Z

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