When I was at art school, I was taking an American Literature course on the side. In the first lecture, the tutor put up on the board a big list: "100 books you should have read by the time you're 21". I hadn't read any of them. I was 23. This brings us neatly to our much shorter version. If you work in advertising, especially if you are a creative, or if you are trying to into advertising, you'll be much better off if you have read these three books. We're not saying they're going to instantly make you into a creative genius or anything - but they'll give you a really good base of knowledge. They are all quite old, especially the Ogilvy one, and people will tell you 'it's all out of date', but the basic principles in these books still hold true - how to talk to people, how to sell, how find something interesting about a product. They're all quite different in their approach eg Ogilvy's is a thoughtful, almost scientific approach, whereas Mr Lois shoots from the hip (and the lip). I don't think it would be helpful to anyone to treat these as serious 'how-to' books and follow them religiously - but having the combined knowledge of these three people in the back of your mind will certainly help. Find them here: Ogilvy Lois Whipple. No, we are not being sponsored by Amazon.
3 Books You Should Have Read If You're In Advertising
When I was at art school, I was taking an American Literature course on the side. In the first lecture, the tutor put up on the board a big list: "100 books you should have read by the time you're 21". I hadn't read any of them. I was 23. This brings us neatly to our much shorter version. If you work in advertising, especially if you are a creative, or if you are trying to into advertising, you'll be much better off if you have read these three books. We're not saying they're going to instantly make you into a creative genius or anything - but they'll give you a really good base of knowledge. They are all quite old, especially the Ogilvy one, and people will tell you 'it's all out of date', but the basic principles in these books still hold true - how to talk to people, how to sell, how find something interesting about a product. They're all quite different in their approach eg Ogilvy's is a thoughtful, almost scientific approach, whereas Mr Lois shoots from the hip (and the lip). I don't think it would be helpful to anyone to treat these as serious 'how-to' books and follow them religiously - but having the combined knowledge of these three people in the back of your mind will certainly help. Find them here: Ogilvy Lois Whipple. No, we are not being sponsored by Amazon.
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Just discovered this post and your blog through the Brand Republic most influential bloggers list - I love posts like this recommending books and resources. Thanks for the tips - still relevant 3 years later!
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