Advertising Books

Ok. I admit it. I am one of the contributing authors. However, I had not read the other entries before and found the breadth of opinion covering several political cycles very helpful. I lived through most of this and even I learned things I didn't know before. Everyone interested in the topic of online politics and government from hard core academic interest to mere passing curiosity will find something to interest them in this book. My only thought might have been to order the chapters from earliest to current electoral cycles -- although it was interesting to peel away the layers going back to each previous electoral cycle to see which predictions stood the time test. The predictions of online voting and widespread campaign ads on the Internet did not really happen yet. I'm happy to report that my predictions about acts of drive by democracy seem to have held up pretty well. But that's for you to decide. Buy the book.

An all-in-one reference manual for those involved in customer relationship management. The topics covered are wide in scope and are really after enabling the development of effective customer focus.

Written in a refreshingly easy and readable format, the book begins with an introduction to the concept of customer care, and the changing nature of customer service. The book then goes on to discuss management's role in developing strategy geared towards effective customer service. What follows is a chapter devoted to developing tools geared towards generating and monitoring customer feedback and satisfaction - my favorite chapter, as this area is the usual point of slack in assessing an organization's quality of service. Pieces of advice are given in various areas including (but not limited to): appropriateness research methods to be used, questionnaire development, involvement of top management in the monitoring of action points taken from customers' feedback.

Empowerment, training and development, communications, and implementation of a customer-care strategy - concepts that are all indispensable to the customer care practitioner - are also covered in detail in this book. Real-life examples of concept applications are also incorporated so that the reader does not feel inundated with theories alone. Each section ends with a checklist of practical and applicable activities that can be used in evaluating the service that your company currently provides, and in assessing areas for possible improvement.

Adam & Jay Curry break old ground in The Customer Marketing Method, but it's territory that has been long unoccupied. Their approach is a crisp, refreshing return to some fundamental concepts of marketing.

Businesses, they argue, spend far too little time knowing and understanding the relatively small number of customers who, year in and year out, provide a disproportionately large share of the revenue. Typically, these customers at the tip of the "customer pyramid" -- often as little as 15% of the total number of customers -- will contribute anywhere from 65% to 85% of the revenue. Jay and Adam Curry urge businesses to define, in considerable detail, the specific factors by which these significant few clients make their buying decisions.

The second forgotten basic advanced in The Customer Marketing Method is the systematic evaluation of customer behavior over time. How many of the large customers two years ago are relatively minor ones today? Which ones have become completely inactive? Customer migration into, as well as up and down, the customer pyramid, is an invaluable piece of information, but one which many businesses only guess at or ignore altogether.

The Customer Marketing Method provides simple, step-by-step guidance for implementing the Currys' recommendations, without expensive, labor intensive CRM systems.

This highly readable, informative book should NOT be on every marketing director's bookshelf. Instead, it should be by his or her bedside, reminding that the greatest returns often come from simple, elegant fundamentals like the Customer Marketing Method.

One of the biggest problems I run across as a Marketing Communications Manager is how people define their marketing and advertising goals. Often they mix marketing and advertising objectives and strategies. This book not only helps clarify these but gives excellent examples. In addition, it shows why setting specific goals is paramount to your success. How many times have you received a brief from marketing with the goal of increasing sales? Or decreasing churn? This book will help you prove your successes (and failures).

This is a beautiful full color collection of 108 posters by one of the masters of contempory poster design. The posters are from 1970-1994 and were designed for a great wide of clients. Goines style is bold with simplified line, color & design with strong influences from the Art Nouve & Art Deco movements. There is really not one bad poster in this collection & anyone interested in great posters & design should grab this one before it goes out of print.

Having worked in the Boston advertising community for many years, I found David's book to bring back fantastic memories of advertising in the good ol' days--when it was a creative guy's domain. Reading these stories reminds me that there are many more untold! I couldn't put the book down. You won't believe some of it, but I must say--it's all true!
Thanks for putting it in writing David!

A great book -- I couldn't put it down until I placed it upon a stationary surface!

But seriously, this collection of short stories is both hilarious and thoughtful. A treasure-trove of anecdotes from life in the mad-man world of an ad agency in the 60s-90s. Filled with laugh-out-loud stuff you never knew about advertising -- what's it really all about? You'll find out here, and you'll never look at an advertisement in the same way again!

"The Retail Slut" is my favorite entry in Random's collection, but it wasn't an easy choice -- the 22 other essays equally match that wonderful story. If David releases his 2nd book tomorrow, it won't be soon enough!

This book undertakes a major technology area of the cosmetic business, previously thought to be too large for one book. The book is well thought out, well laid out and an outstanding addition for anyone in the industry. If you are interested in looking up one specific topic, or in an in depth review of a subject, the book is great.

It is not easy to find books written by or about Fortunato Depero,
the Italian Futurist that, in my belief, has not been given more
credit for his full-on push to bring Futurism into America.
He came to America, not knowing English and he spoke with the perfection
of his work. He also did something many artists at that time were
afraid to do and that was to lend his work to advertising. In the
early twenties, his work was used by Vanity Fair,Vogue,Campari and others.
He set up shop in New York and with enthusiasm and belief in his style
of Futurism hit the New York advertising community and was accepted.
This book shows several black and white drawings and the underbelly
construction it took to make his designs. There are also color reproductions in
other fields he worked in, like theatre and his large whimsical Futuristic
paintings. I have found three books on his style, which hold ideas for me
in the 21st century. His color is invigorating and his characters are so
well thought -out, they bring joy and when I first saw his work, I knew I
had a teacher. Lots of B & W reproductions, and some color, but the work
he did until his death in 1960 is as fresh in 2008. I use this book often.
It is worth it,especially if you are an illustrator. Italian and English.

Professionally and enjoyably done by the authors. Even if you are not used to the subject, you will find this book well worth the effort - and you will have learned something about the subject, and how to present subjects. Done by pros!

Advertisements say more about the society they are created for than they do about the products they advertise. As a class of information, advertisements are visual, evocative, and abstract. Analyzing ads can be a tricky exercise, particularly if you are looking to them for the story they tell, rather than trying to prove a point. Advertising analysis contributes a lot to any discussion that involves consumer issues or cultural studies.

This book is a rare example of how to go about doing an advertising analysis, and a rare example of what might be considered an intermediate phase of work (for super-scholarly analysts). Poltarnees is content to leave his work as "an appreciation," which means it doesn't have a big, over-arching thesis. I think this makes the book both simple to understand and useful as an example to follow: these ads can be classified in these ways whether you think they are negative for women, or are looking for tactics to help sell your new face cream.

Not to mention that it's a beautiful book, unlike many of the ones which serve up advertising analysis in the service of a Big Point. Its appearance also makes it really accessible--who doesn't like to look at pretty pictures?

Bonus: the book comes with stickers that reproduce early 20th century beauty product labels!