Advertising Age - Book Reviews

Publicis Alums Share Their 'History of Advertising'

In 2006, members of Publicis Groupe drafted a timeline of famous ad campaigns in honor of the 100th birthday of Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, Publicis' late founder. Now on commercial shelves via Taschen -- and featuring a foreword by Publicis Chairman-CEO Maurice Levy -- the expanded edition offers more than 300 glossy pages of work documenting the dramatic leap of consumerism into the 21st century.

Finding 'The She Spot' More Important Than You Thought

"The She Spot" is a combination of research findings and soapbox rallying that aims to show women aren't just a niche group of commercial targets who feed on pink websites and references to Carrie Bradshaw -- they are the group behind this country's most important consumer and voter decisions.

Back to the Future: Laermer Revisits 'Trendspotting' Territory in '2011'

We took a trip through Richard Laermer's "2011" earlier this spring, following its March release, and can attest the content is 100% classic Laermer -- that is, a mix of dry humor, self-aggrandizement and social commentary diced into bite-sized chapters that don't rely on academic research as much as his own partisan feelings and personal dislikes. But it does make for some great debate. Here, Laermer laments the dull fate of the 2000s, which he sees as the first decade in history to have been "about nothing."

'Groundswell' Gains a Following

While Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li introduce the groundswell as an unstoppable force and one that today's companies must understand and embrace, they acknowledge it can be hard for companies to change. Practical advice is what sets this book above the raft of other tomes pontificating on social media.

What Breaks -- or Makes -- a Presentation

When he isn't jet-setting across the globe to throw an Effies bash or develop new partnerships on behalf of DDB Worldwide, Cleve Langton is writing down everything he knows about making friends in the ad world. He just released "New Business Lessons from Madison Avenue," a no-frills guide to drafting the perfect pitch, from start to finish. With 20 years of pitching new business behind him, Langton is chock-full of juicy tips. Here's an excerpt. Let us know what you think, or even just share your own best new business tip.

In the Career-Guides Aisle, a Hit and a Miss

Two fresh takes on the standard business-practice guide landed in Bookstore's lap this week, a welcome break from the steady influx of dense biz titles we watch pile up day after day.

Baskin Strays From Herd, Asks Brand Marketers to Rethink Strategy

Jonathan Salem Baskin's "Branding Only Works on Cattle" is the anti-"Hidden Persuaders." A book that not only raises serious questions about many of the methods used by today's marketers, but actually argues that branding as most people think of it is bullshit and that its proponents couldn't get us to tie our shoelaces, much less reprogram our subconscious to buy their stuff.

Not 'Buying In': Rob Walker's First Marketing Book Falls Short

For the past few years, Rob Walker has been one of the most original observers of how brands emerge out of the noise of culture. It only goes to follow that the publication of his first book-length treatment of the marketing business would be an occasion of Gladwell-ian proportions, the sort of thing that's read by everyone from the brand manager or junior account executive right up to the CEO and that's inescapable in conferences or PowerPoint presentations. I'm disappointed to report that "Buying In" is not that.

And Miles to Go Before He Sleeps

Rarely have I felt more empathy for an author than I do for the aptly-named Jonathan Miles, with his new 180-page epistle "Dear American Airlines" penned by the fictional but rightly disgruntled Benjamin R. Ford. With just over 30,000 miles endured so far this year on American (and nearly a million in the last decade), I like to think I know where Ford's coming from, albeit one of the few things American hasn't cost me is the chance to see my daughter get married.

Why the Greatest Brand Ambassadors are 'Punching In'

Our uniforms say a lot about us. They indicate where we work, and often hint at what company culture is like behind closed doors. I wondered how much could be said of biz journalist Alex Frankel after hearing he eagerly donned five uniforms in just two years as an experiment to figure out what drives brand loyalty, from consumers and employees alike.

Shilling for 'The Man,' for Your Art

Anne Elizabeth Moore sheds light on the artist as marketing medium in "Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity." It's a cri de couer against the varied tactics of modern marketing -- word of mouth, guerilla street campaigns, underground collaboration -- and the complicity of alternative culture in the whole endeavor.

Adding Up Corporate Costs of 'The China Price'

In the two years Alexandra Harney spent investigating Chinese factories for her book, "The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage," she learned that Chinese factories use an impressive arsenal of tools to fool Western buyers into thinking they aren't buying from a sweatshop.

The CE-'Yo': Gary Hirshberg on Stonyfield's Green History

Gary Hirshberg could have devoted an entire book to the history of organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm. But development insights aside, this is no ego-driven treatise or self-aggrandizing autobiography by a C-suiter seeking to cement his legacy.

Of Meatballs and Millennials: Seth Godin Returns

Imagine Procter & Gamble as a maker of meatballs instead of diapers. Think of MySpace as a cherry. Combine the two -- P&G and social-networking sites, meatballs and cherries -- and you get the unpalatable results that Seth Godin warns against in his latest book, "Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?"

When Evangelism Is the Ad Model

If you're looking for a little context on the evangelical movement's brand life cycle, "Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age" is a particularly timely read. In exploring the symbiotic relationship between religion and marketing, Ms. Einstein highlights the irony that "marketers have learned their craft from religion -- turning diehard product users into evangelists, for example."

Mother New York: 'I Date a Hooker' and Other Stories

"The Holy Bibel" is one of eight mini coffee-table books just out from the folks at Mother, in collaboration with Blue Q Books. The leather-bound parody, complete with red satin placeholder, is one of eight coaster-size tomes packed with more wit and cynicism than you can shake a stick at. Titles such as "I Date a Hooker" and "18 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With a Small Stone" represent an ad agency pet project more than half a year in the making.

Nina DiSesa Can Fix Those Mad Men

"Seducing the Boys Club" is a welcome sight on bookshelves for a group that has little in the way of guiding lights. An ad woman at the top of the pyramid sharing wisdom on thriving among men is, well, unprecedented. From her chairman's seat at McCann, New York, flagship of the largest advertising agency in the world, Nina DiSesa tells us just how much bravery it takes to master the art of rising up.

Spotting a 'Microtrend'? Easier Than You Think

Despite former President Bill Clinton's praise that "Microtrends" will "help you see the world in a new way," an extensive read begs the contrary. The book's format -- 75 encyclopedic summaries of a niche social or consumer group in America, e.g., Impressionable Elites, Pampering Parents; the list goes on -- offers few morsels we haven't read before.

Before Lonelygirl15, There Was William Gibson

Gibson's sharp observation of the intersection of technology and marketing in a post-9/11 world and the resulting interaction between consumers and brands make this, the author's ninth novel, one of the better marketing books of recent years.

David Novak's Book Promises to Be Pretty Candid, and It Is -- Well, Sort Of

While a lot of business-book authors write in the hypothetical, to his credit, Yum Brands CEO David Novak lays out some real-life examples and has the guts to talk about not just his successes but also his mistakes.

What You Can Learn From Dru's 'Disruption' (Part 3)

Every agency needs a shtick to hit its clients with. Few agencies have wielded one as effectively as TBWA with its concept of "Disruption." In case you still haven't grasped the theory, TBWA Worldwide President-CEO Jean-Marie Dru has just released his third book on the subject, "How Disruption Brought Order: The Story of a Winning Strategy in the World of Advertising."

Not so Much 'Latinization' as Generalization

First-time author Cristina Benitez, a U.S.-born ad vet and president of branding shop Lazos Latinos, set out to help Latinos and non-Latinos alike better understand the community's contributions to the arts, politics, entertainment and business arenas stateside -- a tall order for a book only 128 pages in length.

Take It From Cathie -- It's Not So Black and White

Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines, is one experienced working woman. Her first job as a fresh-faced college graduate was advertising sales assistant for now-defunct Holiday magazine. Along the way from that sales assistant job to her current president post, she often found herself the first woman in jobs that had long been only done by men.

Yearn to Learn from the Mad Men? Take a Trip to 'Adland'

Writing an entire history of advertising around the world is clearly an ambitious project. Tungate pulls it off and has published a rare beast: a highly readable yarn that would also make a good textbook for aspiring ad folk.

'Chasing Cool'? Take a Look in the Mirror

Brand (self-)awareness lies at the heart of "Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace," a very enlightening conversation of insights into why company mission, moreso than strategy, is the key to finding relevance with your desired consumer.

When Is a Blog Not a Blog? When It's a Book

The book has a definite gravitation toward blogs as today's purveyor of conversation. Below each author's entry title and byline is the URL for his or her space in the blogosphere. McLellan says the drive to showcase the blogging community directly relates to how the book was conceived -- as a dialogue.

We're Talking a Whole New 'Playbook' Here

A sexy title it's not. But "The Online Advertising Playbook: Proven Strategies and Tested Tactics from the Advertising Research Foundation," written by the ARF's Steve Rappaport, Joe Plummer, Taddy Hall and Bob Barocci, is getting raves in the marketing world. The authors combed through thousands of case studies and culled hundreds of interviews to compile the best recommendations on tackling the web. The authors sat down with Ad Age to discuss the book in greater detail.

'Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here' Lives Up to the Hype

A look at the media world's fast-approaching future lives up to the hype.

Quit While You're Ahead and Leave Godin's Latest on the Shelf

This slim volume of faux-guru advice is supposed to teach you when to quit. When it comes to this book, don't even start.

Riding Starbucks' Stock Wave with 'Grande Expectations'

No, sifting through two-year-old coffee grinds will not make you any better at divining the whims of Wall Street. But Karen Blumenthal's "Grande Expectations: A Year in the Life of Starbucks' Stock" will provide some guidance for those who've read the phrase "same-store sales" 6,000 times but still have trouble explaining its meaning -- and, more importantly, its significance to the ups and downs of stock prices.