Advertising Books

Hub Culture is a book in Marketing that describes the 21st century young urban professionals. They are much more globalized than their previous generation in the eighties. They travel the world either for work or for fun. As a result, large cities, such as New York, London, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, etc. have become the hubs of the world. This book describes the characteristics of this consumer group. Detailed topics include various aspects of their lives: travel, relationships, work, leisure, and their mobile nature with all kinds of electronic gadgets. Then the book talks about the most effective technique for marketing to them, which is mainly word-of-mouth.

This book gives a good description of this consumer group and it is well-written.

This book is a few years old so there are many changes that have taken place, but I still found it useful as I had not read much about this culture. One can use it as the next 'installment' in tracking a particular generation and others who will be adopting this lifestyle. It shows where this culture emerged and the direction in which it is moving through expounding upon different aspects of these peoples' lives. I am relatively new to reading up on random subcultures and this book has prompted me to further my knowledge in this area.

I adopted this book in an undergrad class I taught on cultural globalization. Stalnaker kindly offered to upload my students' comments on his website, but I didn't get the minimal number of reviews I had set. Nonetheless, I edited below some of their comments about "Hub Culture" - with their permission. They are bright students, with a critical look on the hub. All I am going to say is that, even if we do not like aspects of this mobile lifestyle, this book deserves five stars for providing an introduction to this emerging yet largely unknown phenomenon of upscale cultural globalization. AD'

R.C.:
One of the reasons I took this class was because the book was on the reading list. As someone who has spent a good part of his formative years studying at an international school in Manila and traveling around Asia, Europe and the US, Hub Culture immediately grabbed my interest as it spoke of an experience I could only talk about with people who had grown up in a similar environment. While Mr. Stalnaker focuses mainly on today's globetrotting yuppies, people are already experiencing this new culture at a younger age (...).

C.K.:
Some of the problems with Hub Culture will prove to be major issues. It seems that the majority of these people are unable to create and maintain successful and healthy relationships. Although Stalnaker argues that some members become married and live happy lives, this is not true for a majority of this population. In reality, as Stalnaker describes it, Hub Culture leaves little or no room for substantial relationships, let alone having a family. Perhaps it is through these issues that the new spiritual element of Hub Culture will emerge.

L.P:
Hub culture may seem very alluring and it is. Jetting around the world, meeting exciting and attractive people, buying trendy, expensive things seems so fascinating and fresh. This seems to be a fulfilling existence and experience, one that is laudably supported by those who are less nomadic because of the allure of the unknown. Most people leave their familiar surrounding to find something that fulfills them, not realizing that a permanent passport in the world of hub is not a solution but rather just a pretty cover-up in the form of the newest line of Louis Vuitton luggage en route to Hong Kong. While hub culture is not disapproved off by the majority of the world because it seemingly has no consequences on the people, it can almost be compared to a drug addiction. It has very similar traits, but not the same reactions. (...) With all this traveling, one loses contact with reality of life, abandons former friends and habits, doesn't establish deep connections with other people and prefers impersonal ways of communication. One is essentially never there to have some kind of natural interaction. (...) But with hub culture you get praised for this glamorous life, not realizing that in the process one is being fooled by the quickness and fake closeness that is exhibited by their peers. But even if one doesn't see this as a problem, one question remains: What happens when one is not physically or financially capable to keep up with this lifestyle, what happens when the Hotel Costes soundtracks just don't do it for you anymore and you realize that you missed doing some gardening now and then? At this point, if you settle down permanently in one place, will your needs still be met by the hub culture or will you be kicked out, regarded just as one of those who couldn't handle it any more while laughing at your last season Gucci shoes?

C.E.:
The question I ask about "hub culture" is simple: is it really a culture unto itself? Perhaps "hub people" are a distinct group, but are the systems of meaning defined within this group really all that unique? Over and over again, in the book, Mr. Stalnaker refers to them as consumers: of fashion, music, art, the things we associate with "culture." Indeed, they are the consumers, not the creators, of this culture. (...) I would say that hub "culture" is simply the set of people who live the work-hard/play-hard lives that have become available through technological innovations and marketing strategies which have made them believe that they can afford it. This leads, then, to another question: is there any difference between "culture" and "marketing demographic?"

I found this book very useful in understanding the role a special kind of transnational elite is playing in early 21st century globalization. As shallow and superficial as their lives may seem, these young globetrotters are in fact important players in quietly, in the shadows, building a new planetary civilization and monoculture.

I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 only because I would have liked to have seen a more detailed and impartial sociological treatment. Stalnaker is clearly writing for a marketing audience, probably as a hub player himself, rather than for a more general readership. This is currently the only such book I am aware of that deals with the hub elite, but I hope more studies (with a few more pages) follow this work.

Interesting for students of globalization, this is also a useful book for people considering going expatriate, and developing an overseas life and work strategy.

I enjoyed this book a lot - Stan Stalnaker has written a great profile of some of the most influential yet difficult-to-reach consumers on the planet. His pace and style are good and chatty - with plenty of anecdotes and real-life examples.
While it rather runs out of steam towards the end, it is (as far as I know) the first and only book to examine this interesting and growing group of people - a group that Stalnaker neither over-romaticises nor patronises.

When I read the blurb I thought that maybe Stalnaker had just rediscoverd cultural imerialism - but his knowledge and understanding soon convinced me that it really is is much more complex than that. These people are the conduits of cool, they know more than anyone about what is happening around the planet in terms lifestyle and fashion.

If I have one criticism it is that he skips over the less glamourous side of this culture - drugs and alcoholism are not mentioned very much nor are the rootless sometimes lonely aspects of being a foreigner in a strange city. He doen't do much to investigate the parallel group of younger, less well educated "Hub Culturists" from Eastern Europe as well as Latin America and Asia that work in service industries in the "Hub Cities" while learning languages and developing international work skills and outlook - they too are very much world citizens and I suspect just as influential in their own way as the North Americans and Western Europeans mostly covered in the book.

I'll be looking out for his next book. Stan is a good thinker, an entertaining writer and certainly "one to watch".

Jessica is so sick and tired of Aaron,because he wears Donald Duck t-shirts,and Slurps his soda and calls Jessica Jess-Wess. Jessica Askes Elizabeth to put in a dating ad in the Sixers. Janet's guy Danny saves her Brownies at lunch. She wants to be put in the paper as well as do other Unicorns.

Jessica is so sick of her boyfriend Aaron.He is so immature.He wears Donald Duck t shirts,and calls her weird little names like Jess-Wess.He slurps his ice cream.He EMBARASSES her!!!!Soon she breaks up with him and then places a personal ad in the school's newspaper.A totally cool guy answers it.Even though a reader can guess exactly who the guy is,it is still a coool book.

Another great Sweet Valley Twins book!Jessica gets so angry and fed up with her"immature"boyfriend Aaron that she puts out a personal ad,only to come full circle..

I loved this book it was cute and fun to read. I admit sixth graders dating that intesly is a little hard to grasp, but still this is my favorite SV twins book!

I wish there had been a dating service when I was in 6th grade! As the other reviewers have pointed out, it's very unlikely a school would sponsor a dating service, or that 6th graders would have such meaningful relationships. But hey, use your imagination. In Sweet Valley, everything is perfect, and all 6th graders are mature enough to handle dating. The story is pretty fun to read. Jessica "meets" someone through the dating service, and falls madly in love with him. However, she finds out the person she "met" was not who she expected. While it is very predictable who that "someone" is, it's still a fun and romantic book. You should go ahead and give it a try!

Great Book!
The author has a great understanding of the need for the Brands of the new millenium to be alive, to morph according to new trends. This way they will evolve and may never die. He presents interesting cases and interviews executives from Trendspotting agencies.
What the author misses is a more complete approach to Branding: he doesn't develop the holistic concept of it.

Throw away your old marketing books! Raymond Nadeau has brought marketing into the 21st century. It is simply marketing with a soul, connecting with real human beings. And that's what the 21st century is about...listening and connecting. Raymond will show you how.

Raymond Nadeau articulates the sociological frame of reference necessary for marketing a brand. He puts into words the web of information and analysis that is integral to developing and executing a brand strategy. He makes clear that marketers must employ both sociological and, anthropological reality checks to achieve a brand's success and sustain its cultural connection and relevance over time. Those of us in the business of building brands and brand extensions, appreciate seeing, perhaps for the very first time, something in black and white that confirms what we know intuitively and what is in our heads and hearts. He affirms that for great marketers, seeing and listening to the consumer is the best consumer market research. Bravo to Raymond for un-muddling a process that is both academic and intuitive, something simple that business is often guilty of having made overly complex.

A must read for anyone in brand management, advertising or general marketing. Today's culture is all about brands, what they mean to consumers and how they must be nutured by marketers. The book captures this dynamic in a thought provoking manner. Simply powerful.

Raymond Nadeau's Living Brands really opened my eyes. I'm a professional environmentalist: before reading this book, I assumed that environmentalists stood in opposition to marketers: regarding consumption, we're trying to stem the outbreak, and they're driving the monkey to the airport. I was wrong
Living Brands describes "participatory branding" as the future of marketing: people who use and love a product help create the brand, in some cases directly (homemade ads on YouTube), in others by incorporating the product into their lifestyle and value system (choosing products because their makers donate money to breast-cancer care and research).
What most shook my preconceptions is the way Nadeau advocates "ethical branding," equal parts interactivity, good design, uncompromising craftsmanship, fascinating marketing and products that create positive social change on scales from local to global.
The book benefits as much from Nadeau's writing style as from its content. Some examples of his elegant, provocative prose:
"Just as brands will be cocreated by consumers, so too will consumer ethics become, not a marketing point of differentiation, but an absolute minimum cost of doing business." (176).
"Today we are increasingly equipped with nothing less than the potential for nearly complete, permission-based, two-way consumer interaction. However, as we hurl head first toward this thrilling, seemingly limitless technology-enabled world, we must remember that knowledge and wisdom are different." (129)
"However, if you want a true marriage between your customer and your brand, one with enduring respect, you will have to choose between a relationship and an affair. An ethical marriage of equals may be intimidating at first. Meaningful commitments usually are." (210)
"You often may find yourself a lone voice raging against an infrastructure based on last century's marketing models and morals. You may get fired a few times. But I implore you to have courage." (211)
Two recent books are good companion reads for Living Brands, providing fuller context and alternate perspectives. One, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, by Dana Thomas, looks at the globalization, democratization and inevitable commodification of formerly exclusive goods. The other, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, by James Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II (), posits a "Polonius test" of whether a business is true to itself and true to what it says it is. Under that test, Nadeau's book is an object lesson in "real-real" marketing that meets both standards.
For all that I respect Raymond A. Nadeau and Living Brands, I must quibble on a couple points. Fabio is a style icon? I haven't even seen the man in the new millennium, so I think not. And, I'm sorry, quoting Nikki Sixx changes nothing: Iggy Pop's selling "Lust for Life" to Carnival Cruises was not art "staying true to itself." For Carnival, it was deeply cynical; for Iggy, it was just pathetic.

Lots of pictures of different logos and the book is arranged in a very orderly manner. Excellent book!

Well printed, well edited and an excellent resource for designers and creative individuals.

I'm very impressed with the wide array and organization of this book (and the others in the series). Such great colors, and layout... everything just makes me want to study every last detail on every last page. I've bought the first two... and have added the third one to my wish list. If you want to be a good logo designer but experience "designer's block," this should get you over that hump. Thanks, Bill Gardner, and all the fabulous designers who were featured in the book!

Logo Lounge 1 is a must-have in my design library - I refer to it often. Unfortunately Logo Lounge 2 seems lackluster, uninspired, and disappointing. While it contains the same quantity of logos as the first book, the solutions are much less imaginative and the profile section at the beginning is too long and the designers profiled, and their work, are difficult to relate to.

Great for idea gathering and inspiration. It keeps you up to date with the newest logo designs.

There are some gems in here for those looking for help to market their podcast. If you don't know how to start a podcast, this may not cover all you want, but that isn't the purpose of the book.

Ordering this book through Amazon is awesome!!! Quick delivery, very satisfied with service and the book!!!

Jason gives you the whole game on promoting your podcast. You should also listen to this podcast for even more information. I'm a podcast and I use the tips from this book for my customers.

This book takes you step by step through the process of promoting your podcast. Imagine that, it does what it says! It explained everyting in a way even a techonophobe could understand, thanks for that by the way. No techie babble. My podcast was ranked in google within 24 hours of following Jason's advice. This is the book to read if you actually want people to every come to and listen to your podcast. Jason Van Orden is the podcasting KING! The only downside is I bought 3 of the other top podcasting BEFORE books buying this one, what a waste the others are...

If you are a podcaster, or even thinking about being a podcaster, get this book. Also, subscribe to Jason Van Orden's blog and podcast, "The Podcasting Underground". You'll thank me later for this sound advice. Why? Because this tome is chock full of explicit, practical, hands-on, darned useful advice for how to publicize your podcast effectively, and build a growing community of real fans for your show. This stuff really works. I've been using Jason's recommendations for a few months now on several corporate podcasts that I produce, and we've seen an immediate and marked increase in the number of listeners and subscribers, as well as those that want to contribute back to the ongoing success of the show -- a solid base of participating fans, not just passive listeners. What I love best about this book is that Jason isn't afraid to tell you precisely what kinds of tools you should use, and how to best use them. He puts many generally held beliefs about podcast promotion into proper perspective, and helps you focus on those specific actions that can produce real results. I've read almost a dozen books on podcasting over the last few months, but this is the one that I find myself pulling off the bookshelf over and over. It *is* that good. Highly recommended.

I read this short book within a space of an hour. It is straight to the point, and is written in the style of a story. The author is a Physical Therapist and tells the story of when he was a student and he visited a senior Physical Therapist in a hospital as part of his training. He learned how to motivate someone within 60 seconds to undertake therapy by increasing importance + confidence in the patient. Although this book was essentially about how someone was able to increase his patients' motivation, this can also be applied to other areas of your life - for any goal. It is an easily understandable read and if you are looking for a way to increase motivation quick then look no further than this book.

This is a great book for anyone to learn about how to motivate yourself or others. It's in a very simple story format without a lot of exercises like other self-help books. Very good book - I highly recommend it to anyone that needs to know more about motivation.

This is a great little book. It is written in a light style that makes it easy to read and digest the principles that Jim spells out. If you have ever tried to make a change and been unsuccessful in accomplishing your goal this little book will help you to understand why you failed and how you can increase your chance of success. I found it to be helpful both with my own personal goals and in better understanding what may help to motivate my clients to achieve their stated goals.

Like any book in this genre this book will not actually help you unless your "motivated" to change your own behavior. It's simple, easy to read, and practical. It shows you the keys to changing your perspective on on how motivation actually works in yourself and others. I enjoyed it.

Being a cardiac rehab nurse and spending a lot of time each day trying to get people to change their lifestyles to create better health, this book caught my eye. After reading it, I found the principles instantly useful for me to use at work. They can help anyone get motivated to get past the barriers that keep them from making changes to improve their health. Additionally, the book is short and to the point which is good for a busy Mom like myself.

I really enjoyed Ron's personal stories and experiences and how they relate to "real world" situations.

The book has become a resource that I can refer to before and after an appointment and immediately benefit from.

I would highly reccommend it to anyone in sales !

This is a great book to re-shape the sales professionals' profile. It is an excellent guide for my business

Very readable. This book reiterates the elements all good sales people use but more importantly it offers new techniques to turn them (us) into great sale people....Titans in fact. Well worth seeking out this book.

Ron Karr has brought together a wide range of sales tools focused around getting results. This is not a book about sales philosophy, but "in the trenches and on the street" type of sales strategies and techniques to close deals. I especially like chapter six on the customer interview process. It is really more about the discovery process thru what I call "power questioning" and I share these ideas with sales reps whenever I have the opportunity. Karr's ability to teach the customer interview process is excellent and his sales tools are bound to get results!

Applying the simple, yet ingenius methods that Ron Karr describes in this book will elevate your sales career to new heights. This book has helped me in so many ways. Why have we been just getting by? We keep making the calls, booking the appointments, but our sales numbers aren't where we want them to be? Why? Because we need the focus, determination and most of all the tools to become Titans! Ron Karr gives you the tools. The Titan Principle will help you get there. It has helped me become more focused, more determined, and has helped me get through to the right people who can use my services. Ron Karr teaches you how to become a valuable resource, how to get to the descision maker, and once there, help your clients and prospects get to where they want to go! Ron's ground breaking ideas on issue based questioning and the Resource Proclamtion alone will help you get infront of more qualified and intersted prospects! What this means, is more sales in a shorter sales cycle, larger cases and seen as a valuable resource in the eyes of your clients. The best book period on selling! Thank you Ron, for your wonderful, insightful book!

This book has a nice variety of vintage signs. It is great to see the original color of the neon since I am restoring an old Pegasus that came off a Mobil gas station.

The author appears knowledgeable and it is difficult to find books on this subject. It is fun to read the short discriptions of the histories of the signs and anecdotes from other collectors.

Anyone who grew up with neon signs would enjoy this book.

I just recieved this book as a gift and I love it. The book is filled with color photos of neon from around the country, and includes a fair amount of info on each sign. I was unaware this book exsisted until i recieved it, but it was a pleasant surprise. This book is a must have for vintage enthusiests, and fans of neon in general.

Properly titled VINTAGE NEON (as shown on the cover) this book contains incredible photos and narrative of these beautiful works of art. Fans of "Americana" will especially enjoy this fading slice of American Roadside Life.

Mr. Davidson's expertise in both the technical and artistic creation of neon is more spectacular than the lights themselves. Although expensive, this book is by far the most authoritative glimpse the craft and its appreciation than any other volume ever written. In the vernacular of the modern generation, it is 'tubular'. Almost every conceivable manner of neon is included; businesses include car showrooms, shoe stores, butcher shops, bakeries, motels, drive-ins (both theatrical and eatery), and in abundance, restaurants. Locations include many havens of neon distribution, such as the author's beloved Philadelphia, Route 66, California, and a much overlooked plethora of vivid glamour, Vancouver British Columbia (Canada). This volume is absolutely enchanting for anyone who has ever spent a night in a lodging illuminated on the exterior by a tint of pink, green, yellow, or blue. Of the 200 books in my personal 'Roadside Library', this is my favorite. Anyone who treasures illumination will consider "VINTAGE NEON" enlightening.

A tribute to the forgotten signmakers of the 1920's through the present. Lots of color pictures contributed by neon sign enthusiasts from around the country. Expensive, but if you like old signs, this book will make you happy.

if you've ever considered starting a web business, this books presents many examples and thought provoking questions keep you in the right direction.

Relying on case studies ranging from Flickr and Facebook to Netflix and LinkedIn, "Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide" provides entrepreneurs, corporations and business administration students equally with a resource to make sense of the business side of all things Web 2.0.

The book doesn't go into technicalities or spend time on design matters as they typically appear in Web 2.0 applications today: as a matter of fact, it abstracts itself from look and feel of the sites analyzed, focusing on how the different sites make money.

The result is a five step action plan that starts with building on collective user value (users no longer are mere consumers of content, but rather active contributors and creators); activating network effects (seeking the ways in which a business can leverage the multiple connections between the layers, places and groups and how they can grow your offering); working through social networks (the fundamental building block of the Web 2.0 economy); dynamically syndicating competence (picking your battles and doing what you do best faster, making it accessible to more people); and recombining innovations (looking for ways to connect the online with the offline, the new with the old).

The result is a book that is highly recommended if you are looking to take your business to the next level of the social web: a place where being social is not merely an option but a requirement.

The book is impressive in its clarity. Shuen's concise, clear language presents the marketing and business aspects of Web 2.0 without the typical hype. If you are new to Web 2.0, social networks and curious about the rise of Facebook, Youtube, and similar outlets, then give this book a thorough read. You will come away understanding the core business principles driving the success of these online behemoths.

One example of user-contributed value Shuen highlights is the tag cloud on Flickr. The tag cloud is a categorization of popular items on the site derived from user input. The tag cloud allows people to explore through concepts rather than just finding specific. Shuen reports that 85% of the photos in Flickr have human-added metadata. This data is used to better organize search and categorize the images. The interaction with the customer is a key item Shuen points out as critical to Flickr's success. This user contribution to the site generates value for all users. A key she says to successful Web 2.0 operations.

Shuen also highlights LinkedIn and Facebook. She describes positive network effects at work in these companies. On LinkedIn the value of the site is determined by the network it can offer you. When you join the network, you add a positive impact, your presence may lead to others to join or you may linked up previously separated groups. By joining the network you increase its utility to all users while simultaneously making it more attractive to non-users. These positive network effects as Shuen calls them are critical to Web 2.0 success.

A nice feature of the book, is that at the end of each chapter, Shuen presents Strategic and Tactical Questions. These are excellent bullet list to help you think about enabling Web 2.0 on your business or expanding your Web 2.0 up-start. For example, she encourages you to "think about positive network effects" taking place in your business. How have you actively considered and worked with positive network effects to grown your company?

Shuen break downs Web 2.0 into some key areas: collective user value, network effects, competence syndication, and recombinant innovation areas she documents as core to Web 2.0 business. If these you want to learn more about these concepts and Web 2.0 in general, this is the book to start.

I found this book mildly irritating, until I realized that it was in fact perfect for what it sets out to be, an introduction of Web 2.0 concepts for those who know nothing about the Web, i.e. executives who still dictate memoranda, still budget for print advertising, etcetera. O'Reilly has a superb model for leveraging conferences and publishing books, but O'Reilly should have known better than to publish this book in 2008 without reference to Web 3.0. Wikipedia has a fine overview of Web 3.0, start there, I have put the URL in the comment below.

I found the book bland and disappointing, and found--when discussing Amazon, for example, the book reads more like an advertisement and has no clue on all the stuff Amazon is not doing (see the comment for two URLs), such as microtext for micro-cash, creating global intelligence councils on poverty and every other topic using top authors, and creating local citizen intelligence minutemen who can do real-time observation in the context of Amazon's excellent S3 cloud, which is in my view operating at less than 10% of its potential because Bezos has two things on his mind: outerspace and Kindle.

The end notes and the bibliography are the best part of the book. The index stinks. 7 pages for a 214 page book, should have been at least 14--it was an afterthought and done badly.

Better books on Web 2.0 and Generation 2.0 include:
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

Better books on the larger scheme of things:
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
New World New Mind Changing the Way We
Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge
The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

In Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide, author Amy Shuen demonstrates subject mastery from the first sentence. Steeped in her topic (she's taught it at Wharton, Haas School of Business, CEIBS and École Polytechnique), the reader gets detailed information on the meaning of Web 2.0. This isn't a book filled with hype -it provides theory, thoughtful detail and is practical. Chapters end with strategic and tactical questions. The illustrations and screen captures provide depth and clarity. Companies like Flickr, LinkedIn, and Facebook are used as case studies.

In the first chapter, Users Create Value, she tags Flickr as the poster child for freemium-based businesses. Shuen points out that this model was first developed in 2006-and that low marketing, investment and distribution costs allow revenue streams to cover costs quickly. She's ahead of another book on the topic that's expected at the end of 2008 -Free by Wired's Chris Anderson.

There's a great discussion on mash-ups in Chapter Four, Companies Capitalize Competencies. The final chapter of the book, Businesses Incorporate Strategies, contains Shuen's Five Steps to Web 2.0-thought-provoking reading for anyone in business. You'll have to read the book to fully understand her rationale, but here are the steps as she sees them:

+Build on collective user value
+Activate network effects
+Work through social networks
+Dynamically syndicate competence
+Build a Web 2.0 business plan

The publisher, O'Reilly, distributes Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide under their Safari imprint. This means that there is an online version of the book for quick access that allows a reader to put the material to work almost immediately. Other publishers should follow O'Reilly's lead--their organization clearly embraces multiple ways to provide value to readers.

I recommend this book for tech neophytes who know that they need to learn more about Web 2.0, and for seasoned experts who want to gain exposure to a rich set of cases-along with questions that will compel them to dig deeper on the topic.

As a producer/artist who is considering a move into the commercial production world, I wanted a book that explained, in a step-by-step fashion, the mundane work routines of a commercial director without glamorizing the business or condescending like an Idiot's guide. This book is exactly that. No frills, just the facts. It is so well-organized, informative, and concise--with tons of great advice that I know I will continue to reference for years to come. It will probably be some time before I can apply all the tools in this book to my professional career, but in the meantime, I feel so much more confident about my decision to move in this new direction. Thanks for writing this, Thomas. I would have been wondering for years if I should take the plunge or not.

Finally, a book about the process of making commercials! It's an easy, up to date read and has lots of funny examples. Really all aspects are there, even the politics of commercial business, how true. Enjoyable read on your flight to Cannes!

This was a superb book, one of the best I've read recently (I read hundreds).... because the author writes from a professional working director's standpoint, and his tips are carefully crafted and communicated.

The thought process behind the Ford/mountain spot, and revisions for example (pages 62-66) was superb, eg why not having the woman drive up, the visuals, framing etc.. very practical and well written.

The business end of it was extremely well put together as well, with advice for commercial directors and how to properly shop their spec reel and establish themselves.

As someone who primarily creates internet commercials for my company's products and seminars, I found a ton of solid content here, too - for all aspects of crafting the spot professionally. The author put a lot of work into writing this, it's extremely professional, hands-on, and should be considered a "seminar in book format" for commercial directors. It's just that powerful. Nice work - thanks!

Two thumbs up - this one's a winner.

- ken

What I liked about the book was the straightforward advice and insights into how things really get done in commercials. The author really gets into the nitty-gritty talking about his experiences so that you are left with an idea as to how these highly charged commercials are made. Do visit his website to see the actual commercial which was the main case study in the book.

Full disclosure: Thomas and I went to film school together.

I just bought this book to support Thomas. But after receiving it, I realized it is the book we all needed while in film school. I recommend this book for anyone that is thinking of working in commercials. Directors, Assistant Directors, Producers, Cinematographers, and anyone else that doesn't have a firm grasp of the way that commercials work.

I personally know some really creative directors that have given up on their dream, which might not have happened had they had some sort of guide like this book.

Congrats Thomas, it should be "REQUIRED READING" at Art Center.