Advertising Books

This is a great book for understanding all aspects of creating a Direct Marketing company or a direct marketing program within your company. The basics and then some are in this book. Well written in that it kept my attention from new ideas and way it was written.

If you want to read only one book on the catalog business, make sure you pick this one.

I've read more than 5 books in English and German on the catalog subject and Schmid's book is in a class of its own.

It promises to cover the entire catalog process, including strategic planning, merchandising, creative, marketing (circulation), fulfillment, testing, and measuring response and ROI. And it delivers on the promise to an extend that I've never seen before. I spend this summer in Cannes, France, and enjoyed Schmid's book in the hot sun. Just couldn't put it aside...

His 11 pages long spreadsheet model in appendix includes everything for a new catalog start-up feasibility study ... and provides insight for the budgeting process to more experienced catalogers. [Why doesn't he provide a downloadable version in Excel on his homepage?]

The only competitor to this book is probably Katie Muldoon's 1995-publication, which is out of print (her home page says that a new book on the strategic aspects of catalogs is forthcoming).

One weakness that all books on cataloging have so far is their unserious treatment of the Internet. Schmid's book is from 2000 and it shows. It doesn't contain solid work on dynamic publishing, which is exploding via the Internet these years. It's not that Schmid doesn't accept that the Internet will be a phenomenal factor, but in this area so much of the catalog processes have been digitized since 2000. Thus, on this promise it doesn't deliver.

I still recommend this book as the best source so far to understanding all the catalog processes and hints to improving the bottom-line.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

This is such a great book for a company that is starting a Catalog business or thinking about it. It covers all aspects of the Catalog business and gives you a checklist of all the necessary tasks to launching a successful catalog. Great book...

Virtually every company that makes things has to ahve a catalog. It's the thing that tells your customers what you do and gives them the detailed information that they need to make a decision.

Catalogs began with the mail order industry where the technology grew to measure sales return per square inch of paper. Over time, the professionals learned what worked and what didn't. Then when everything was working pretty well, the Internet came along and changed all the rules. All of a sudden space was endless, no more big checks to the printers. Communications was essentially free, no more big checks to the post office. The rules changed because the option to thumb through the catalog was no longer there. Instead sophisticated search and discover techniques needed to be worked out.

Jack Schmid has been in the catalog business, both print and electronic for many years. In this book he passes along dozens, if not hundreds of points. The book covers quite a lot of ground. Much of the book is on the functions that have to be performed whether the catalog is printed, electronic or both. This includs things like product selection, fullfillment, customer service and finance. There is a goodly amount of material on the printed version of the catalog, as these are still required by most companies. There are several points interspersed throughout the book and finally chapters on things like database marketing, the Internet, and more.

This is one of the most all inclusive books available on catalog marketing and includes just about everything there is to know.

A wonderful overview of the catalog world with plenty of real-world examples including: ROI calculations, promotions, customer segmentation.....
Worth its wieght in gold!

generally, it's a well taught and expounded book that very few books explain so very clearly in detail. as someone involved in raising money and promoting our non-profit, social work I am tremenously blessed and have my mind renewed and informed with fresh perspectives.

The material in this book is as invaluable as the style in which it is written. I found this book incredibly motivating, informative, stimulating, and fun to read. Thanks Tom! I feel utterly refreshed and excited to write now, instead of dreading it.

This book is easy to read, makes you laugh, teaches you how to write better and helps you raise more money. It just doesn't get any better any this. If you write anything to donors or prospective donors you should stop and read this first. You won't regret it.

I could not put Tom's book down and read it in a night. There are some many great tips and insights -- I will not write another thing without this book at my side!

For research purposes, I have more than 30,000 direct mail samples, countless annual reports, and hundreds of newsletters in my business library. And I'd say probably anywhere from 2 to 3% of them are really good (that means they raise a lot of money). They practice what Tom Ahern teaches you in his new book.

If you've ever had the opportunity to see Tom present - and he presents at many conferences around North America - then you'll know why you need this book. His way of thinking about donors, and what they want, will enable you to improve almost any donor-directed publication that you produce.

I strongly encourage anyone working for a nonprofit to buy this book - almost certainly it will improve the quality of the information you give to your donors, and the amount of money they give to you.

"Using the invaluable information inside George
McKenzie's suite of excellent products, I took a
bit different path. I incorporated George's great
advice with what I learned from Trout & Ries in
their excellent books, and here's what I did...

I took what's inside George's excellent resource
and adapted it to a specific need I had ...

Rather than send out a bazillion PR releases to
lots of folks who might not want my news, I
concentrated just on folks in my target market.

Using George's stellar advice, I attracted 42
international business people and marketers to a
project I was doing, instead of trying to attract just
strictly reporters. Why did I do that? To also gain
access to their knowledge, reputation, (and their
customer lists.)

So I "killed two birds with one stone' by following
this path. My recommendation to you is that you
actually LEARN why George's strategies are so
powerful. Spend some time on your strategy,
and then use George's excellent and proven
techniques to differentiate yourself from all of the
crazy noise in the marketplace, and then you'll
best serve your own desires as you grow.

All the best to you -
Chip Tarver
Author, "First Contact Secrets" ... How to Meet
Anyone for Any Reason at Any Time"

This, like a couple other products of George McKenzie's that I have purchased, was very useful and provided me with more information that I hoped for. It saved me a lot of time and a lot of money, had I just learned from trial and error, which I would have done if I didn't come across this. I've been recommending it to friends as well as other students in the MBA program I'm currently enrolled in. (Yes, I'm in an MBA program, but this was more practical and useful than my marketing classes!)

That's George McKenzie's promise, and with this series of cassettes, he shows anyone how to use the mass media to do it.

This is the only "free publicity" program I know of that takes you inside the nation's newsrooms -- and inside the heads of the people who actually decide what gets on the air and in print.

You get a perspective of how people in the media think, and you learn the most effective ways to present your story in a way that will appeal to them -- ways that will result in thousands of dollars worth of free advertising.

His interviews are conversational and easy to listen to, but packed with dozens of tips that anyone can use. This series is definitely worth five stars if you ask me. Anything George does is going to help you, and this one is no exception!

George has covered all the bases in this awesome four hour audio seminar. His guests are all experts from different media such as radio, television, newspaper, public speaking and the Internet.

Each interview was just fascinating. Each person revealed the inside workings of their respective media. Normally, when you read a publicity book its all about how to get in the newspapers. But this seminar series went into depth about all the major media.

I got the most out of the section about news releases. For example, the tip on about how to find a local angle has helped me in writing my first news release.

I specifically used the "piggybacking" technique, which allowed me to write a dynamic and interesting release WITHOUT having to come up with any "news" of my own. That was genius! (By the way, now I watch the local news and read the local paper with a totally different mindset)

I had been spending a lot of money (thousands of dollars) using all kinds of different paid media and in 30 minutes I got the same results for FREE using the press release strategy that was revealed in the audio seminar series.

I give this product an enthusiastic five stars. You will too!

David Frey, Author,
Make Straight A's in School

I've got a majority of George's information and cassette products including Inside Stuff and once I started listening I didn't want to stop because you picked up many tips and "angles" without a lot of fluff and filler. The Public Relations campaigns shouldn't be as intimidating or expensive as some firms want you to believe. If you are a self-starter, then you should be able to take this information and capture the publicity that you need for your product or service on a more economical basis. And you can do it without looking like a beginner or making silly mistakes. Get it and use it.

The book arrived early and in great shape - US edition, hardcover, and no surprises.

An Introduction to acconting, Assets, The time value of money, Liabilities and equities, financial Investment, Analysis, Role of accounting and Debits and credits

I'm CEO of a medium size business and wanted a resource to teach me accounting. This is a great book, with plenty of assignments which fully reinforce the lessons. The only disappointment is that there are no solutions and the publisher only gives them to you if you are a registered teacher.

NYU's Stern School Of Business uses this book and its a well-crafted introduction to financial accounting. While taking accounting at the other New York business school, I deep sixed my assigned accounting book and instead borrowed my wife's. It coverage of topics and pedagogical flow are quite approachable and manageable. Struggling friends begain to purchase it for themselves. An excellent book. An interesting book as well. Case examples and references keep things interesting. Not just dry rules.

An Introduction to acconting, Assets, The time value of money, Liabilities and equities, financial Investment, Analysis, Role of accounting and Debits and credits

This book is perfect for the person who does not even know where to start. It takes you through each stage of distribution, and how to evaluate what is best for your situation. An excellent buy when you need REAL answers.

A very sound, practical guide to channel management. It's one of maybe a half dozen books on the subject that should be part of the "core curriculum". -Larry Friedman author, "The Channel Advantage"

Brilliant! I've been involved with industrial distribution for well over twenty years. Rolnicki has proven there is still much to be learned, considered and applied. Must reading for anyone that has anything to do with any channel of distribution.

It's an easy, quick read and sticks to all the pertinent information without adding unnecessary complexities. The author speaks from experience of the ins and outs of designing and managing the channel. He is able to cover strategy, tactics and theory as well as get down to the nitty gritty personal relationships and politics of being a "channel master".

If you are designing a channel program, this books is an excellent place to start.

This book is a rare example on how it is easy to teach the concepts, show practical examples, and summarize everything in 250 pages without relying on unnecessary phrases and words that just repeat the same idea again and again and increase the size of the book to 1000 pages. The author provides detailed explanations on the structure and functioning of distribution channels and depicts a way to effectively build a succesful channel from scratch. He goes beyond the basic concepts to show additional and important information on antitrust laws and international distribution and competition.

I would recommend reading this book and keeping it as one of your reference books to consult whenever you're up to consider changes in the distribution system that arise because of competitive pressures, changes in customer behavior, or new product launches.

This book is exactly what I needed. I bought through Amazon because the shipping was free and it ended up being cheaper than my University bookstore. Recommend for any hospitality students that have to have this book.

Great book. The classic for anyone entering the industry. Complete and comprehensive. Great textbook for students and novices. Good for non marketing people. Good examples and highlights. I also recommend a new release: Heads In Beds. More practical than this one. With both you'd really know your stuff and make your boss happy.

The layout and format of this book was very easy to follow!

Kotler's Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism helps marketing beginners and people that are getting into the hospitality business. It demonstrates basic knowledge that can be applied to the business, great tool for working!

This is the texbook I had in college. It was and still is great, but for one...being a textbook ...it is more theoretical and two, it lacks certain areas. Nevertheless, it is very usefull. I would complement it with a book that I have recently read: Heads In Beds - hospitality and tourism Marketig by Ivo Raza. This is very practical and covers the areas that are missing from Kotler's textbook like Loyalty marketing, COOP with Touroperators, targeting travel agents, creating promotional materials, development, etc. Combined, both books truly give a complete overview of the complex travel indutry and should be the foundation for people studying or working in travel and tourism.

With "how to" books, I have a relevancy quiz: Does the book quickly tell me something new worth knowing, as I flip through its pages? This book did. So I bought it and put it aside without a second look. Recently I was struggling with a major ad campaign. I pulled this book off the shelf and began reading the plain, direct, revealing advice that each of these hugely talented and amazingly humble copywriting stars offers. And presto: I found my way again. I began writing above my level, too. I can't recommend the book enough, but you have to read it: it is not a coffee-table book, despite its looks.

Wow! There are over 200 ads in this book and I could spend hours just cruising through each of them. But this is more than just a book with top advertising pictured in it. It is also a primer on idea generation, perfect for anyone writing ad copy and feeling blocked.

The writers in this book are some of the industry's best and each has their own stand alone section that discusses their approach to the art and science of copywriting. They are essentially asked "How do you write your copy?", and then turned loose to answer. Amazingly, each seems to come up with a different answer and approach to their craft.

The book also appears under the the title "The Copywriter's Bible," but either edition is equally great. Different cover, same great content.

Brutal! I opened the book and cut my fragile fingers. Now they sting. How can I write copy with gravely injured fingers? I'd pay for tips on that!

While this is a very good book, you may be interested to know that it's merely a paperback version of the original book originally published in 1995. The trick here is the new paperback version doesn't contain any new material, yet it has a different title. The original book was titled "The Copy Book." If you already own this book, don't buy "The Copywriter's Bible." Same book, different name. I found out the hard way.

Yeah ... I'll jump on this wagon. It's a great book. And it's already done wonders for my daily idea-generation duties. Get it.

My wife and I had fun laughing at some of the characters in this book. Apparently there was NOTHING you couldn't make fun of back in the 1950s.

Even if you're not interested in advertising this is still an enjoyable little book, fun to look at while sipping tea on a rainy afternoon. Well worth the money.

My brother is a commercial artist and his personal artistic style is kind of "retro". I got this book for him for his birthday because I though he might like to have it around for inspiration just in case he needed some someday. I was right! He loved it. I was surprised at the size of the book. It's kind of small, but it gets it's point across just fine. Being a fan of nostalgia, I wouldn't mind having it for myself.

A fascinating foray into the sometimes clever, sometimes idiotic, occasionally just plain bizarre (Mr. TV Tube? Dunkie Donut-Head? Phillips Screw Man??) world of advertising characters. Anybody obsessed with kitschy pop culture, especially that of the 50's and 60's, will want this one. You get all the cartoon mascots you've ever seen on "retro" t-shirts at your local Hot Topics, plus hundreds more of varying degrees of obscurity. Indeed there was a period when designers would simply draw a smiley face on a cog and call it "Mr. Cog," and you see a lot of that here, often in hilariously weird contexts - lawn spinkler heads, pistons, the state of Nevada, a sock, all grinning amiably at you as they pitch themselves. You've got your cartoon pigs voraciously devouring pork rinds, your cigarette boxes with showgirl legs, your anthropomorphic donuts, and robots robots robots. A book like this not only takes you through a wide range of illustration styles, it hints at what life was like in those days, those "simpler times" (though it's arguable how much we've really changed). What better window into American psychology in the 20th century than the commercial devices by which we've been beguiled into consuming? Aunt Jemima has stories to tell on you.

The compilers have done a wonderful job; the layouts are absolutely marvelous, a real pleasure to flip through, great retro colors used, and should be an essential addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys 50s & 60s graphics.

Tons of product logos here, with the bulk of them from the 30s to the 70s. These are reproduced very well, and each of them is dated and carries a two-line description of their purpose and company origin. There are a few pages of introductory front matter that summarize the history of product logos, but the meat of the book is taken up by the graphics, with anywhere from one to four logos per page. I didn't know there were so many anthropomorphic logos, among them Mr. Coffee Nerves, Mr. Dee-Lish, Mr. TV Tube, Phillips Screw Man, Johnny-One-Note, Miss My-T-Fine, Miss Fluffy Rice and Mr. Weatherball. Many of them you'll recognize, and some of them you won't, but all of them will delight you.

I've read a lot of these types of books, being a reformed "I went to law school so I WOULDN'T have to do sales" type. This is one of the most useful practical books on the subject I've ever come across. In fact, I liked it so much that I'm back to buy two additional copies to use as loaners to some other folks in my firm.

The Chapters are all very short, no more than 5 or 6 pages with each addressing a particular real life situation such as "Avoid Random Acts of Lunch (or How to Make Your Business Development Pay Off): How Can I Avoid Wasting My marketing Efforts in Random, Unplanned Actions?" What I liked about this book was that it acknoweldged a deepseated fear many of us have as lawyers when it comes to marketing and suggested alternative ways of looking at the task in a more positive light. Then, in addition to the attitude switch, Maraia dispenses concrete easy suggestions in every chapter that I can definitely see myself implementing immediately and getting results very quickly.

This book is especially good for someone just starting out on the marketing path, but even experienced professionals will find something new they can use.

Maraia is a recognized expert in the field of rainmaking for professionals, and this book is a compilation of tips and advice from his years of consulting with hundreds and hundreds of attorneys and other professionals who hate the thought of asking for business. Maraia disarms the reader's objections and recharacterizes the task of rainmaking in a manner that is both fresh and appealing to professionals. Why ask for business directly when you can simply reconnect with a dormant client or an old college friend? Maraia teaches that rainmaking is all about making relationships, about connecting and reconnecting in ways that demonstrate that you truly care about and want to help others. As Zig Ziglar has said, "You can get anything you want if you just help enough other people get what they want".

There are no platitudes here - only practical and immediately useable advice, organized for easy reference. I'm recommending this book to every professional that I know. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a referral.

There are several excellent marketing books that are specifically aimed at lawyers and professional service firms. I think this is the best. From "Twenty Ideas for Increasing Client Satisfaction" (Chapter 9) to "Using Speaking to Win New Clients" (Chapter 34), and "Avoid Random Acts of Lunch" (Chapter 16) the advice is specific, detailed, and exteremly useful. The 48 short, practical chapters are especially helpful as job aids - read only what you need, exactly when you need it. And if you have any doubts about whether it works, just read the 67 testimonials in the front of the book.

Can rainmaking for lawyers be simple? According to Mark Maraia, it can be--and his book tells attorneys how.

This is one of the best books around on rainmaking for lawyers. It suggests many actions that lawyers can take to develop clients, and breaks down these actions into easily understood steps.

As a coach to lawyers, I particularly appreciate how Maraia stresses this simple maxim: every client communication is a client development opportunity. How true! Every client communication--whether a legal bill, an email or a conversation--should be used to enhance the attorney-client relationship by building trust and communicating value. This can't be emphasized enough.

Maraia also explores topics like cross selling and developing associates' marketing skills. These techniques are too often ignored by lawyers, and Maraia clearly explains why they are effective.

One caveat: my lawyer clients who handle international matters and deal with foreign clients have had to modify some of these rainmaking tactics. Effective cross-cultural communication means communicating with cultural sensitivity and awareness. In a global economy this is critical. A few of Maraia's suggested techniques--while effective with American clients--can be too direct and off-putting for those foreign clients used to an "indirect" communication style. However, Maraia's basic principles are sound and can be easily tweaked for multicultural rainmaking.

Maraia also emphasizes that rainmaking training (through this book or in person) is much more effective with follow-on coaching. In fact, recognizing that lawyers will become more effective rainmakers if they customize and implement the rainmaking techniques with the help of a trained lawyer coach, Maraia explains that he only offers in person training with follow-on coaching. Regardless, this book is a great, straightforward and practical resource.

I started reading Rainmaking Made Simple as just a book and couldn't help jumping around to different topics. It is really more like a desktop reference guide. I bet I've read different sections of it 3 or 4 times. I've found this to be a handbook that you can go back to time and again. I know that's what I've been doing.

Also, I noted right away Maraia has done lots of work with professional service firms that bill themselves or their organization hourly. It took me about one minute to start translating some of his examples into what I do with my company.

Did I like it? Yes! It's a great, down-to-earth reference guide that makes sense to own.

My wife and I purchased this book nearly 10 years ago, while living in Gadsden, AL. With the top down on my Jeep, we hit the road and spent many enjoyable weekends, this book and notebook in hand, tracking down many of the barns listed.

When we found a Rock City barn, we took a picture, then logged in the directions. With the obvious help of this book, we've seen most of the ones in the Southeast. In the book, Mr. Jenkins was graceful in acknowledging Clark Byers, the southern gentleman who, along with his crew, painted the barns many years ago. Around 1999, we had the privilege of meeting and spending time with Mr. Byers and his wife at their home in Rising Fawn, GA one evening.

Mr Jenkins is to be commended for helping to preserve the memories of a true Southern landmark, the Rock City Barn. My wife Jeanne and I would heartily recommend this book.

While not a complete collection of Rock City Barn photographs (I doubt that this would be possible,) David Jenkins has captured quite a few of them in all of their shoddy, historic glory. New finds pop up all the time, but it's safe to say that no new ones are being painted. While this is a shame on one hand, it also makes the ones that remain that much more special.
(See www.ohiobarns.com for an ever growing section of Rock City Barns from across the south and midwest.)

This is the best coffee-table book for anyone who has ever driven through the South and experienced the "See Rock City" phenomenon! I have lived in Tennessee and Georgia and seen many fading Rock City Barns. With this book, I can show my children someday these beautiful, creative advertisements that are familiar to anyone from around here!

An artistic, historial look at rustic barns throughout the United States with a slightly different hand-painted message on each of them urging all within sight to see Rock City,"a ten-acre tract of massive stone formations overlooking Chattanooga, Tennessee and the North Georgia countryside". Mr. Jenkin's photography is truly inspiring, a delight to the eye. This book can easily transport the viewer to simplier times via a subtle palette of colors and lighting. Highly recommended.

A beautiful, thoughtful, and sensitive documentary of a too rapidly disappearing part of Americana. Anyone who has ever seen a "See Rock City" barn will appreciate the photography and written details of this bygone era. This book should be in the reference section of every library in the USA.