I am not in any way connected to advertising, marketing or the business world. In fact, I'm a warehouse worker. However, I'm an avid reader and wanted to find out more about the advertising industry - my curiosity having been aroused by all those documentaries on BBC4.
I found this book really interesting. About how research can be flawed and how to conduct proper research. Then how the results from that research are used to form the advertising. What I most enjoyed reading about were, among other things, how to advertise an SUV vehicle that isn't that distinctive from it's rivals, or how to sell cycle helmets to kids who think that cycle helmets aren't cool - and to their parents. The most important thing that this book did for me was to describe the process of creating great advertising from it's initial inception right through to the finished product. And, as I touched on earlier, there are some great examples of very successful advertising campaigns being executed, seemingly, against great odds. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about the 'got milk?' campaign - which was responsible for increasing milk consumption in California when it had been in decline. I laughed out loud quite afew times. Infact, all of this book is written with great wit and humour. It's a joy to read and flows very easily.
Advertising is part of our culture. It's up there with art, music, the theatre and television. Whatever your views are about Western Capitalism you can't escape the fact that people like adverts, and are influenced by them despite what they say - I know that I am. So if you like culture you should read this book.
