andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

BadMen: How Advertising Went From a Minor Inconvenience to a Major Menace

BadMen: How Advertising Went From a Minor Inconvenience to a Major Menace

by Bob Hoffman

In this concise, informative, hilariously irreverent, and brutally honest book, former advertising agency CEO Bob Hoffman explains why ad tech is bad for advertisers, publishers, and consumers. He also calls on advertisers to stop enabling this menace.

“Surveillance marketing is powered largely by advertisers through the tracking of our movements on the web. This is called ‘ad tech.’”

Continue reading “BadMen: How Advertising Went From a Minor Inconvenience to a Major Menace” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

101 Things I Learned in Advertising School

101 Things I Learned in Advertising School

by Tracy Arrington with Matthew Frederick

“To some, advertising has no soul, no center… It’s the art of lying.” Advertising executive Tracy Arrington writes, “I would argue the opposite. Advertising is the art of telling the truth. An ad campaign succeeds when it brings forward an embedded truth—about the product or service, our needs or idiosyncrasies as consumers, our daily foibles, or the fixations and biases of our culture. An ad campaign resonates when it shows us, at some level, who we are.”

Here’s a sampling of the expertise shared by the author.  Continue reading “101 Things I Learned in Advertising School” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Creativity

A Technique for Producing Ideas

a-technique-for-producing-ideas

A Technique for Producing Ideas

by James Webb Young

This concise booklet was first published in the 1940s by James Webb Young, who became vice president of the advertising firm J. Walter Thompson and the first chairman of The Advertising Council. He wrote it in response to the question, “How do you get ideas?”

Before explaining the process, Young presents two principles. Continue reading “A Technique for Producing Ideas” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Marketing Insights from A to Z

marketing-insights-a-to-z

Marketing Insights from A to Z: 80 Concepts Every Manager Needs to Know

by Philip Kotler

Professor Kotler covers a lot of ground quickly as he reflects on 80 marketing-related topics—the average chapter length is 2.3 pages. “My 40-year career in marketing has produced some knowledge and even a little wisdom…  Zen emphasizes learning by means of meditation and direct, intuitive insights. The thoughts in this book are a result of my meditations on these fundamental marketing concepts and principles.”

In the chapter on customer satisfaction, Kotler comments on the impact of customer retention on profitability. Continue reading “Marketing Insights from A to Z” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

The Unpublished David Ogilvy

the-unpublished-david-ogilvy-2

The Unpublished David Ogilvy: His secrets of management, creativity, and success—from private papers and public fulminations

This collection of David Ogilvy’s memos, letters, speech excerpts, and other documents was compiled by an Ogilvy & Mather executive to commemorate the founder’s 75th birthday. The writings span a 50-year period from 1935-1986. The cool thing about this book is that most of the contents were not written with the intent to be published, so it feels like a behind-the-scenes look at his management style as well as his thoughts on various subjects. Continue reading “The Unpublished David Ogilvy” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief

how-to-write-an-inspired-creative-brief

How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief

by Howard Ibach

In an advertising agency, a creative brief is a set of instructions for the creative team, providing a clear understanding of the communication objectives and expected deliverables.  “If you get the brief wrong, the creative work you see at the end of the process, when your team presents it, will also be wrong.” Garbage in, garbage out. Continue reading “How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR

the-fall-of-advertising-rise-of-pr

The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR

by Al Ries and Laura Ries

The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR is about the role of PR versus the role of advertising in brand marketing. The thesis is that PR is needed to launch a brand and establish its identity; advertising is for maintaining an existing brand’s position.  The reason is that advertising has no credibility, so it can only remind people of what they already believe. Continue reading “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR” →