Bookstrapping: Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art Of War’ by James Clavell
This festive season, Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta draws sharp marketing insights from James Clavell’s edition of The Art of War. Just like great generals, winning brands prepare meticulously, act with precision, and adapt swiftly—securing victory even before the campaign begins.
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‘Victorious warriors win first and then go to war’: Sun Tzu
This festive season, we cherry picked marketing lessons from James Clavell’s celebrated edition of Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art Of War.’ His pithy sayings remind us that marketing battles must be won even before the brand campaign is launched.
Contemporary marketing is no less than the ancient fields of war described in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
The energy a brand brings to its market, its vital force, is as Sun Tzu describes: “Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.” A brand’s internal vigor—its readiness and clarity—precedes outward action. Great marketers, like wise generals, do not exhaust their strengths recklessly. They simulate calm while readying the hidden springs of innovation, releasing their “trigger” only when the moment promises maximum effect.
Here are our five #BookStrapping insights.
1. “All warfare is based on deception,” Sun Tzu declares. Likewise, in the war of brands, successful campaigns often turn on illusions—perceived value, curated narratives, the artful suggestion of exclusivity—that pierce the customer’s subconscious.
2. When it comes to consumer preferences, the ability to shift tactics—pivoting from one social platform to another, reinventing messaging on demand, adapting to new technologies—is the marketer’s shield and sword. “Opportunities multiply as they are seized”; the nimblest brands exploit openings, ever wary of stagnation.
3. Variation of tactics, Sun Tzu insists, is the soul of victory: “In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.” Brands succeed not by mirroring competitors, but by finding the niche, the unguarded flank in the market’s attention—a new narrative, a different channel, a fresh emotional appeal—where the competition’s resources are least entrenched. Every campaign must consider the enemy’s strengths, but thrive amid their weaknesses.
4. Perhaps most potent is the lesson of the sheathed sword. “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” The most memorable brands are not those that wage direct assault, but those that envelop the consumer in a persuasion so subtle, the loyalty springs unbidden. A gentle touch—empathy, utility, anticipation—wins hearts more lastingly than the brash spectacle of open conflict.
5. Finally, Sun Tzu’s wisdom on the use of terrain finds its echo in the marketer’s command of the digital, physical, or psychological landscape. “Know the ground; know the weather; and your victory will be complete.” Understanding the customer’s world—their needs, routines, aspirations—is the new terrain mastery. The astute brand settles where others falter, making the unfamiliar familiar, and thus, owning the ground upon which loyalty is built.
Summing up, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war,” Sun Tzu wisely observed. In marketing, victory comes not after a campaign, but in the meticulous preparation—the insight, the adaptability, the nuance—that secures the customer’s favor, even before the first ad is launched.
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ Asia's first reading coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta.
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