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Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads
In this second edition of the irreverent, celebrated Hey Whipple, Squeeze This , master copywriter Luke Sullivan looks at the history of advertising, from the good to the bad to the ugly. Updated to include two extended final chapters with in-depth prescriptions for building a career in advertising, this edition also features a real-world look at the day-to-day operations of today's ad agencies. Among the most disparaged campaigns in advertising history, the Mr. Whipple ads for Charmin toilet paper were also wildly successful. Sullivan explores the Whipple phenomenon, examining why bad ads sometimes work, why great ads sometimes fail, and how advertisers can learn to balance creative work with the mandate to sell products.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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August 11, 2016
Now that I'm reading another book on how to break into the ad copy business, I appreciate this one all the more. The one I'm reading now is called The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less, and it reads like a hyped-up get-rich-quick book for writers. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This was much more informative, and it was funny. The author illustrates his points about good advertising with concrete examples from print ads, radio scripts, etc., explaining precisely why they are so effective. Then he explains the creative techniques that go into creating a good ad. And he also has advice about the challenges of dealing with clients and co-workers (the funniest part), how to build a portfolio, and even how to negotiate salary. His conclusion about social interactions - "Here I am" versus "Ah, there you are" - is something I hope to carry beyond my professional life.
I received this book from one of my freelance bosses, and he said it would be better that I fully absorb the principles here than try to learn more from other books. But as the author himself recommends other books, I'll be looking into those, especially the ones on technique. This book may not be the be-all-and-end-all of ad writing books, but it sure is an excellent springboard. No wonder it's assigned to college students; it's instructive and entertaining, just the way a good ad should be.
I received this book from one of my freelance bosses, and he said it would be better that I fully absorb the principles here than try to learn more from other books. But as the author himself recommends other books, I'll be looking into those, especially the ones on technique. This book may not be the be-all-and-end-all of ad writing books, but it sure is an excellent springboard. No wonder it's assigned to college students; it's instructive and entertaining, just the way a good ad should be.
March 23, 2015
I love this book! It was assigned as the textbook for my Writing for Broadcasting class, and even though we haven't touched the book in class (and I doubt we ever will), I can say every penny I spent on this book was worth it. Sullivan talks about all kinds of media, gives examples of great campaigns (I keep my phone handy while reading so I can look them up as I go, and I recommend you do the same--it makes all the difference to see exactly what he's talking about) and tosses in plenty of useful and interesting tidbits for anyone in or trying to get in the advertising business. If you're a creative in a related field, like me (in graphic design), reading this book will give you all sorts of resources and ideas to make your own work better.
I very much foresee this book having a place of honor on my professional bookshelf, and become very worn and ragged in the end. I couldn't recommend it any higher.
I very much foresee this book having a place of honor on my professional bookshelf, and become very worn and ragged in the end. I couldn't recommend it any higher.
July 25, 2018
Brilliant!
December 12, 2021
By far the best book about advertising. Insightful and well written with jokes in brackets that actually work.
April 12, 2011
Yes, I know its an advertising book and you may not have any interest in reading it if you are not in this field, BUT I loved it! You might be surprised at what you learn about the most popular ad campaigns from the 20th century. Luke Sullivan is an exceptional advertiser and writer who writes the way he speaks. I'd recommend this book to anyone in advertising, marketing and business or just looking for a good read. Reads almost like a novel, except it's a How-to mixed with memoir and it's full of truth! There were some clever ads analyzed, but my favorite part of the book was in the beginning with the author reminiscing how much he was irritated by certain tv spots. I found this to be a really absorbing (no pun intended) book on avoiding the cliches of advertising copywriting. Great anecdotes, great writing style.
There are really two ways to look at this book. You can say it's outdated because the advertising landscape has drastically changed in the past 12 years. Or you can say that it doesn't matter because an art form's foundation never changes. I lean towards the latter. Here's a perfect example:
"I don't think people read body copy. I think we've entered a frenzied era of coffee-guzzling, fax sending channel surfers who honk the microsecond the light turns green and have the attention span of a flashcube."
I can't even begin to tell you how I loved this sentence because everyone's always ringing the fire bell about how no one has an attention span anymore. Apparently, they never did!
There are really two ways to look at this book. You can say it's outdated because the advertising landscape has drastically changed in the past 12 years. Or you can say that it doesn't matter because an art form's foundation never changes. I lean towards the latter. Here's a perfect example:
"I don't think people read body copy. I think we've entered a frenzied era of coffee-guzzling, fax sending channel surfers who honk the microsecond the light turns green and have the attention span of a flashcube."
I can't even begin to tell you how I loved this sentence because everyone's always ringing the fire bell about how no one has an attention span anymore. Apparently, they never did!
April 13, 2010
This is one of these books that's supposed to be one of the best for its field, but it's a total dud. Written by a pompous jackass.
March 3, 2017
Hey Whipple Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan and Edward Boches is simply put a lengthy detailed guide to creating great ads and being a great advertiser. They start by introducing the concept behind the title of the book: Mr. Whipple the starring character of a famous Charmin commercial, who squeezed the Charmin pack after telling a group of women not to squeeze it. So, the title is a bit of a stab at the commercial and character by essentially saying “read this” it’s going to make better ads than you made, which introduces the whole concept of their book, making good ads. Sullivan and Boches have two main arguments: advertising is hated by most but it can be overcome, simple ads can be more effective than detailed or fancy ones, and that each type of advertising differ in the way they need to be executed.
With their first main argument that advertising is hated by most people but it can be overcome is valid because it’s true that most people do hate advertising. It’s usually an inconvenient thing that interferes with everyday life, whether it’s interrupting your playlist, cutting in at a good point in your favorite show, filling your favorite magazine, or the annoying popup on your favorite blog. Everyone hates advertising, but they have to deal with it. The issue for advertisers is to overcome this hatred and have people look at their ads and have the idea stick to potential consumers. To do this Sullivan and Boches state that it can be overcome quite simply through catchy slogans, or short taglines. One example of a catchy slogan given in the text was a KitKat ad (page 113) where the ad wasn’t even finished, showing only part of the slogan “Have a break have a KitKat” but leaving out “break” and “KitKat”, where the slogan will still be able to be identified because it’s so common. While the ad itself was creative because it showed the ad in the process of being put on a billboard, with a ladder and a bucket leaning against it, implying that the worker putting the ad up left to go get a KitKat. Where other ads can be effective because they have short memorable tag lines such as the ad for Chick-fil-A (page 116) where “ Eat Mor Chikin” is being painted by two cows standing on the billboard platform, or the ad for Kuhn & Kuhn divorce attorneys (pg 118) where the tagline was just “OOPS” with the o’s being spelled as an engagement ring and wedding band. They supported their arguments of catchy slogans, and short taglines being memorable by explaining that these ads being simple are easier to remember, and essentially simple ads break through the clutter of everyday life.
They also argue that a simple ad could contain no to few words just a picture and the brand name somewhere on the ad or incorporated in. Two prime examples of this are the Jeep ad (page 107), where the car isn’t even shown but a boat and trailer coated in mud are, with the Jeep logo in the corner implying that a Jeep had the power to tow the boat through mud like that. The other ad being the Volkswagen ad (page 150) with an empty parking spot between a cop car and a row of motorcycles, to advertise for the new park assist feature. Throughout the book the authors support their argument by providing real life example of effective ads like the ones mentioned, and explaining how their simplicity made them effective.
Their second argument is that for ads to be effective and successful. The type of ads being used need to be taken into account, because each needs to be executed differently, but digital ads are especially unique. Therefore, it is important to learn what kind of advertising works best for each type of media. For outdoor ads, most are in the form of billboards so the need to be short, yet eye-catching and memorable or the driver and passengers of cars are not going to find the ad worthwhile because it is too hard to understand when you drive by at fast speeds, this is why simple one-word ads work best as outdoor ads. On the other hand, magazine and newspaper ads can have more words explaining the ad because the viewer has more time and opportunity and will to read the ads. While digital ads are especially unique because as they explain “digital isn’t simply a technology, or a platform, or a medium. Digital is a way of life. People live digitally. It’s an entirely new behavior, a way in which people find, watch, share and even produce the content we now call advertising”, which is entirely true, people are more likely to share the video advertisements with friends and family, that even just advertisements online can become shockingly popular to view. For example, the authors mention two video advertisements released online by Red Bull and Dove. The companies simply made a video advertisement and shared it online not even in the form of a commercial over TV. Red Bull dropped a daredevil out of a weather balloon, where all he did was sky dive not even hold up a can of the energy drink when he landed, and their video has garnered 38 million views. Dove produced a mini-documentary on how women see themselves as beautiful or not, and didn’t talk about the products Dove offers at all, only included the logo and the voiceover of “you are more beautiful than you think” and they have over 65 million views. In both of these cases the authors prove that with digital advertising you don’t need to show, or talk up your product, just show what the brand stands for and release it to the public and see how they accept and share it with the world, because like they said “Digital is a way of life”
Social Media advertisements are another unique advertising method. Since social media is where infinite connections happen, it’s important for companies to be a part of these connections. As Sullivan and Bosches explain, it’s important to “talk like a person not a corporation” and “involve users and let people cocreate”. Starbucks did this by inspiring their fans to doodle on their plain white cups and then turned them into art. They got 4,000 entries for the contest in just three weeks and earned coverage not just on the cups but the brand just because they involved their customers. They explain that it’s important to understand social media, understand urls, and hashtags learning how each individual platform works so it can appeal to the viewers and fit in with the concept of the site. They give the example of “snapchat and other new platforms, display only vertical video” so a horizontal video isn’t going to go over well on these platforms. They also support that these sites should do this because “vertical video generate nine times the views that horizontal video delivers”. They emphasizing that it’s important to know how the platform works so your ad fits without being cut off or awkward to watch. The authors supported the argument of social media ads being unique and having to know the way social media sites work by providing examples of ads that worked and the proper way to advertise on these sites. Therefore, by doing this, they effectively supported this argument.
They support these two main arguments throughout the book by continually bringing up these ideas within each chapter and each chapter differs. By showing that these ideas stay constant, it shows that these two arguments are well supported across different categories. They provide good evidence by giving examples of effective ads and explain how following the main rules of advertising helped make the ad effective. They show pictures of some of the ads that they found most effective so there is visual representation of what they are talking about; giving even more support to show that the ads actually exist and are memorable and effective.
With their first main argument that advertising is hated by most people but it can be overcome is valid because it’s true that most people do hate advertising. It’s usually an inconvenient thing that interferes with everyday life, whether it’s interrupting your playlist, cutting in at a good point in your favorite show, filling your favorite magazine, or the annoying popup on your favorite blog. Everyone hates advertising, but they have to deal with it. The issue for advertisers is to overcome this hatred and have people look at their ads and have the idea stick to potential consumers. To do this Sullivan and Boches state that it can be overcome quite simply through catchy slogans, or short taglines. One example of a catchy slogan given in the text was a KitKat ad (page 113) where the ad wasn’t even finished, showing only part of the slogan “Have a break have a KitKat” but leaving out “break” and “KitKat”, where the slogan will still be able to be identified because it’s so common. While the ad itself was creative because it showed the ad in the process of being put on a billboard, with a ladder and a bucket leaning against it, implying that the worker putting the ad up left to go get a KitKat. Where other ads can be effective because they have short memorable tag lines such as the ad for Chick-fil-A (page 116) where “ Eat Mor Chikin” is being painted by two cows standing on the billboard platform, or the ad for Kuhn & Kuhn divorce attorneys (pg 118) where the tagline was just “OOPS” with the o’s being spelled as an engagement ring and wedding band. They supported their arguments of catchy slogans, and short taglines being memorable by explaining that these ads being simple are easier to remember, and essentially simple ads break through the clutter of everyday life.
They also argue that a simple ad could contain no to few words just a picture and the brand name somewhere on the ad or incorporated in. Two prime examples of this are the Jeep ad (page 107), where the car isn’t even shown but a boat and trailer coated in mud are, with the Jeep logo in the corner implying that a Jeep had the power to tow the boat through mud like that. The other ad being the Volkswagen ad (page 150) with an empty parking spot between a cop car and a row of motorcycles, to advertise for the new park assist feature. Throughout the book the authors support their argument by providing real life example of effective ads like the ones mentioned, and explaining how their simplicity made them effective.
Their second argument is that for ads to be effective and successful. The type of ads being used need to be taken into account, because each needs to be executed differently, but digital ads are especially unique. Therefore, it is important to learn what kind of advertising works best for each type of media. For outdoor ads, most are in the form of billboards so the need to be short, yet eye-catching and memorable or the driver and passengers of cars are not going to find the ad worthwhile because it is too hard to understand when you drive by at fast speeds, this is why simple one-word ads work best as outdoor ads. On the other hand, magazine and newspaper ads can have more words explaining the ad because the viewer has more time and opportunity and will to read the ads. While digital ads are especially unique because as they explain “digital isn’t simply a technology, or a platform, or a medium. Digital is a way of life. People live digitally. It’s an entirely new behavior, a way in which people find, watch, share and even produce the content we now call advertising”, which is entirely true, people are more likely to share the video advertisements with friends and family, that even just advertisements online can become shockingly popular to view. For example, the authors mention two video advertisements released online by Red Bull and Dove. The companies simply made a video advertisement and shared it online not even in the form of a commercial over TV. Red Bull dropped a daredevil out of a weather balloon, where all he did was sky dive not even hold up a can of the energy drink when he landed, and their video has garnered 38 million views. Dove produced a mini-documentary on how women see themselves as beautiful or not, and didn’t talk about the products Dove offers at all, only included the logo and the voiceover of “you are more beautiful than you think” and they have over 65 million views. In both of these cases the authors prove that with digital advertising you don’t need to show, or talk up your product, just show what the brand stands for and release it to the public and see how they accept and share it with the world, because like they said “Digital is a way of life”
Social Media advertisements are another unique advertising method. Since social media is where infinite connections happen, it’s important for companies to be a part of these connections. As Sullivan and Bosches explain, it’s important to “talk like a person not a corporation” and “involve users and let people cocreate”. Starbucks did this by inspiring their fans to doodle on their plain white cups and then turned them into art. They got 4,000 entries for the contest in just three weeks and earned coverage not just on the cups but the brand just because they involved their customers. They explain that it’s important to understand social media, understand urls, and hashtags learning how each individual platform works so it can appeal to the viewers and fit in with the concept of the site. They give the example of “snapchat and other new platforms, display only vertical video” so a horizontal video isn’t going to go over well on these platforms. They also support that these sites should do this because “vertical video generate nine times the views that horizontal video delivers”. They emphasizing that it’s important to know how the platform works so your ad fits without being cut off or awkward to watch. The authors supported the argument of social media ads being unique and having to know the way social media sites work by providing examples of ads that worked and the proper way to advertise on these sites. Therefore, by doing this, they effectively supported this argument.
They support these two main arguments throughout the book by continually bringing up these ideas within each chapter and each chapter differs. By showing that these ideas stay constant, it shows that these two arguments are well supported across different categories. They provide good evidence by giving examples of effective ads and explain how following the main rules of advertising helped make the ad effective. They show pictures of some of the ads that they found most effective so there is visual representation of what they are talking about; giving even more support to show that the ads actually exist and are memorable and effective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2023
I had to read this for class but I actually loved it??? Like I think I would recommend this book to anyone in advertising.
February 10, 2016
I know this is a classic, but it did get pretty repetitive (like a lot of this type of non-fiction). I hoped it would be helpful for work (I work in market research), but I'm not sure how much of it will be useful since I'm not the person actually writing the ad campaign.
August 5, 2018
A gripping book on creativity (read ad tactics). Relevant, even to digital marketers; remember, “Digital isn’t a medium. It’s a way of life”.
Great advices for an advertiser.
Must read for any marketer.
Great advices for an advertiser.
Must read for any marketer.
March 8, 2009
The copywriter's bible. The best how-to book on making ads ever written. By the guy who understands connecting a simple thought to a human truth in a headline better than anyone.
April 28, 2023
Absolutely loved this book. I picked it up as a bit of “homework”, and I knew I’d get a few good nuggets. But I ended up learning more about storytelling, ideation, focus, and creativity than I ever expected. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one for inspiration. A new favourite on my professional book shelf.
March 21, 2023
Great frameworks, insights, and examples on how to approach advertising in this day and age. Comes from the agency POV so clients or brand managers can learn to empathize with their agency partners!
August 27, 2019
Legendary guide for copywriters (and all advertising folks...and all writers). A must-read!
March 18, 2017
One of those books that you need to read so you know how to write.
August 29, 2021
This book is genius. Luke Sullivan in 4oo pages perfectly outlines the best techniques and creative ambition needed to make it in the advertising industry. The overall quipiness of the book is infectious and I found myself transfixed while Sullivan explored agency secrets and tips. I found my favorite chapter to be the penultimate one where Sullivan goes over how to enter into the business full of tips on interviews, portfolio setup, and job hunting.
Throughout the book, there are print ads showcasing a point that Sullivan was talking about. I loved the added layers of depth this provided and I look forward to using it as a creative tool in the future.
Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone going into the creative field that is the idea industry.
Throughout the book, there are print ads showcasing a point that Sullivan was talking about. I loved the added layers of depth this provided and I look forward to using it as a creative tool in the future.
Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone going into the creative field that is the idea industry.
August 12, 2019
Call me crazy, but I've always sort of enjoyed ads. Yes, I recognize that the vast majority of them are ploys by companies to persuade me and other potential customers to buy something that we probably don't need, and that perhaps I've been brainwashed by the constant bombardment of commercials I've been subject to over my lifetime. But I still can't help but get a kick out of an inspired marketing campaign.
An angry Joe Pesci magically transforms into a mild-mannered party-goer with one bite of a candy bar, yielding the tagline "You're not you when you're hungry" under a prominently displayed Snickers bar; A group of chickens arguing over the merits of being a french fry in order to promote Burger King's Chicken Fries; and the various antics of the Lebron family always donning their cool, Nike apparel. These creative, attention-grabbing pitches -among others - have stuck with me over the years. And though I've never had a so-called Chicken Fry, I can't remember the last time I ate a Snickers, and I wear Asics on my feet, I have certainly talked about ads like these with friends and colleagues, spreading the word for the companies and their products in the process.
As ad-man Luke Sullivan shows in "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This," It's hard to say the exact effect that an ad campaign has on a given product's sales performance; this is, after all, largely a subjective business. Nonetheless, with all of his experience in the advertising industry, Sullivan has plenty of ideas on what makes a good ad - which he highlights with plenty of examples taken from companies like Volkswagen and the Economist - as well as those on some of his most-despised ads, exemplified primarily by the series of Charmin spots featuring their notorious spokesman, Mr. Whipple.
Interestingly enough, as Sullivan points out, the Whipple ads that he rails against were actually seen as a success, with Charmin product sales growth steadily growing following commercial spots. Taking that into account, it becomes clear early on that Sullivan's main purpose for writing this book is not just to lay down the rules for how ad-men and ad-women can make their clients oodles of money through their marketing - and just to be clear, it's not not about this exactly - but more of an appreciation of advertising as a sort of art-form. A large part of this book is devoted to work that Sullivan admires, work that transcends mere salesmanship, and the kind that a copywriter could be proud to show to their friends and family.
Along with his entertaining examinations of some of the best and worst examples of what the industry has to offer, Sullivan also goes into greater depth on the best strategies with which to approach different forms of media, gives readers some sense of the culture one might expect at an ad agency and the various characters that inhabit such places, and even offers some advice for those interested in breaking into the industry. To use a cliche that would probably make a seasoned ad-man like Sullivan roll his eyes, this is one of those books that "shows how the sausage is made," so to speak.
With that in mind, I would say that this text is a vital resource for anyone in the advertising business, anyone interested in the possibility of working in this field one day, or anyone - such as myself - who just plain admires a creative ad campaign. For those who don't count themselves among these classes of people, I would still not hesitate to recommend this book anyways. I think that nearly anyone can find value in the enthusiasm and - especially - humor to be found in Sullivan's writing. This book is seriously funny!
An angry Joe Pesci magically transforms into a mild-mannered party-goer with one bite of a candy bar, yielding the tagline "You're not you when you're hungry" under a prominently displayed Snickers bar; A group of chickens arguing over the merits of being a french fry in order to promote Burger King's Chicken Fries; and the various antics of the Lebron family always donning their cool, Nike apparel. These creative, attention-grabbing pitches -among others - have stuck with me over the years. And though I've never had a so-called Chicken Fry, I can't remember the last time I ate a Snickers, and I wear Asics on my feet, I have certainly talked about ads like these with friends and colleagues, spreading the word for the companies and their products in the process.
As ad-man Luke Sullivan shows in "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This," It's hard to say the exact effect that an ad campaign has on a given product's sales performance; this is, after all, largely a subjective business. Nonetheless, with all of his experience in the advertising industry, Sullivan has plenty of ideas on what makes a good ad - which he highlights with plenty of examples taken from companies like Volkswagen and the Economist - as well as those on some of his most-despised ads, exemplified primarily by the series of Charmin spots featuring their notorious spokesman, Mr. Whipple.
Interestingly enough, as Sullivan points out, the Whipple ads that he rails against were actually seen as a success, with Charmin product sales growth steadily growing following commercial spots. Taking that into account, it becomes clear early on that Sullivan's main purpose for writing this book is not just to lay down the rules for how ad-men and ad-women can make their clients oodles of money through their marketing - and just to be clear, it's not not about this exactly - but more of an appreciation of advertising as a sort of art-form. A large part of this book is devoted to work that Sullivan admires, work that transcends mere salesmanship, and the kind that a copywriter could be proud to show to their friends and family.
Along with his entertaining examinations of some of the best and worst examples of what the industry has to offer, Sullivan also goes into greater depth on the best strategies with which to approach different forms of media, gives readers some sense of the culture one might expect at an ad agency and the various characters that inhabit such places, and even offers some advice for those interested in breaking into the industry. To use a cliche that would probably make a seasoned ad-man like Sullivan roll his eyes, this is one of those books that "shows how the sausage is made," so to speak.
With that in mind, I would say that this text is a vital resource for anyone in the advertising business, anyone interested in the possibility of working in this field one day, or anyone - such as myself - who just plain admires a creative ad campaign. For those who don't count themselves among these classes of people, I would still not hesitate to recommend this book anyways. I think that nearly anyone can find value in the enthusiasm and - especially - humor to be found in Sullivan's writing. This book is seriously funny!
October 9, 2009
Maybe I've been watching too much "Mad Men" lately, but I decided to take a copywriting class, and our teacher chose this as our primary textbook. I'm so glad she did. "Hey Whipple" is a brilliant resource for anyone with an interest in breaking into the advertising industry.
Sullivan's a man with a mission: to teach writers how to craft ads that are effective and benefit-driven, while also creative, witty, and elegant. His humor and humanity shine through constantly, and he provides lots of examples of classic ad campaigns, especially from print magazines (those 1960s VW ads are still drool-worthy, even today).
"Hey Whipple" was published in 1998, so there isn't much discussion of the impact of the Internet on ad culture. But Sullivan's principles for making excellent ads feel like they were true 50 years ago and will still be true 50 years from now.
Highly recommended for anyone studying copywriting, advertising, or marketing.
Sullivan's a man with a mission: to teach writers how to craft ads that are effective and benefit-driven, while also creative, witty, and elegant. His humor and humanity shine through constantly, and he provides lots of examples of classic ad campaigns, especially from print magazines (those 1960s VW ads are still drool-worthy, even today).
"Hey Whipple" was published in 1998, so there isn't much discussion of the impact of the Internet on ad culture. But Sullivan's principles for making excellent ads feel like they were true 50 years ago and will still be true 50 years from now.
Highly recommended for anyone studying copywriting, advertising, or marketing.
February 2, 2016
Easily one of the best books I've read on advertising. I'll keep this one in my library for some time.
Some of the reasons is that it speaks to you in the same way a good advertisement does--you'll have to read this book to figure out what I mean!
The title might not interest younger people as it refers to a TV spot from the Author's childhood. Hopefully they can change the title if there is a future reprint. I am sure there must be a new ad that's angered the Luke Sullivan in the present Ad World. "Hey Old Spice guy, smell this"
Some of the reasons is that it speaks to you in the same way a good advertisement does--you'll have to read this book to figure out what I mean!
The title might not interest younger people as it refers to a TV spot from the Author's childhood. Hopefully they can change the title if there is a future reprint. I am sure there must be a new ad that's angered the Luke Sullivan in the present Ad World. "Hey Old Spice guy, smell this"
August 16, 2019
I loved the first half of the book, where I could find some really interesting campaigns and useful tips to create such ads. The writing style is engaging throughout the book.
It got a bit dry towards the final quarter of the book, with the repeated examples and content being more skewed to copywriters.
I would have enjoyed more if Luke could have also explored the advertising from the consumer perspective, (Like how 2 different ads can influence up the perception of the product in the consumers mind).
Overall it's a insightful read for advertisers and marketers (First half).
It got a bit dry towards the final quarter of the book, with the repeated examples and content being more skewed to copywriters.
I would have enjoyed more if Luke could have also explored the advertising from the consumer perspective, (Like how 2 different ads can influence up the perception of the product in the consumers mind).
Overall it's a insightful read for advertisers and marketers (First half).
July 21, 2011
Some interesting insights and humor but largely nothing too cohesive. The book contradicted itself multiple times and read more like a collection of vignettes loosely stitched together more than a cohesive whole. Also didn't have as much relevance as I thought. The third edition barely mentioned interactive which was disappointing.
Currently reading
April 26, 2012I've been reading this for a copywriting class, so I'm skipping around to different chapters, but I'm really enjoying it. Sullivan's writing is clever and sometimes genuinely funny. There's great advice in here for writers and creative professionals of any stripe who want to stop procrastinating or need to take themselves less (or more) seriously.
September 7, 2016
با وجود اینکه کتاب ساختار خیلی منظم و سازماندهی شده ای نداشت ولی مملو از نکات جذاب، مثال های متنوع و آموزه های مبتنی بر تجربیات حرفه ای نویسنده و نه صرفا مباحث آکادمیک بود.
ازاین لحاظ کتاب بیشتر شبیه مجموعه ای از نکات و آموزه ها بود تا یک راهکار و راه حل قابل اجرا برای اعمال خلاقیت در حوزه تبلیغات. قطعا این آموزه ها و نکات ارزش مطالعه یکبار این کتاب و تامل درباره اونها رو داره.
ازاین لحاظ کتاب بیشتر شبیه مجموعه ای از نکات و آموزه ها بود تا یک راهکار و راه حل قابل اجرا برای اعمال خلاقیت در حوزه تبلیغات. قطعا این آموزه ها و نکات ارزش مطالعه یکبار این کتاب و تامل درباره اونها رو داره.
September 16, 2014
Some interesting, informative, and fun anecdotes about advertising, but you can tell from the writing style that Sullivan is an ad man. He seems to be allergic to sentences that use more than a dozen or so words. Somewhat off-putting after a while.
October 2, 2012
The short cut to Mad Men! Love it!
December 3, 2014
Outstanding read for anyone in or looking to be in the advertising industry. Entertaining and informative!
November 25, 2015
A fantastic breakdown of advertising, written in a witty and refreshing way from one of the best copywriters to ever work in the industry.
February 7, 2019
I've been enjoying this book, but life got in the way and I ran out of library renewals. I will finish this!
September 3, 2020
Very solid and engaging read. Highly recommended to all my friends that are in the advertising business or manage commercial communication (either for their own companies or as marketing professionals). I can undoubtedly say this was the best book on creative advertising I've ever read and it could easily be a 5 stars if it wasn't for some minor flaws.
Why is it this good? Simply put: it treats creativity as a servant to strategy and a result of a process, rather than inspiration.
I usually think books on advertising spend too much explaining the creative process as “the magical moment during shower when everything makes sense”. This one was different. Although Luke Sullivan clearly states that creativity can't be learnt and indeed some AHA moments happen, he also values the techniques and processes that creative people apply to get to a big idea. Incessant writing, reference hunting, studying the client... everything adds up to generate a good idea.
He also puts a lot of weight on strategy, which is the fundamental piece for a good and effective creative. At the end, advertising is art in service of business, and a lot of other advertising books tend to forget the work only exists to help someone solve a business issue.
For those 2 points alone I could praise this book for a long time. Add on top the amazing examples from award winning campaigns and the clever analogies (the one that compares advertising to give a pill to a dog is by far the best I've seen on this business) and this read is a time very well spent.
I'd say the book only fails to wrap up earlier. The last 3 chapters seem important, but are too long and trying to summarize something that is learnt by experience rather than by study. One can read 10 classics on "How to present creative work" and still fail to do it for lack of practice. So, although it makes sense to cover them, I personally would have been much shorter on the recommendations to avoid repetition and boring the reader.
Overall, that's a very good experience. Whoever enjoys advertising will have a delightful time and surely will put this up in the ranks of good advertising books. Even for those that don't, it is a fun read to understand how the messages we see everyday are crafted.
Why is it this good? Simply put: it treats creativity as a servant to strategy and a result of a process, rather than inspiration.
I usually think books on advertising spend too much explaining the creative process as “the magical moment during shower when everything makes sense”. This one was different. Although Luke Sullivan clearly states that creativity can't be learnt and indeed some AHA moments happen, he also values the techniques and processes that creative people apply to get to a big idea. Incessant writing, reference hunting, studying the client... everything adds up to generate a good idea.
He also puts a lot of weight on strategy, which is the fundamental piece for a good and effective creative. At the end, advertising is art in service of business, and a lot of other advertising books tend to forget the work only exists to help someone solve a business issue.
For those 2 points alone I could praise this book for a long time. Add on top the amazing examples from award winning campaigns and the clever analogies (the one that compares advertising to give a pill to a dog is by far the best I've seen on this business) and this read is a time very well spent.
I'd say the book only fails to wrap up earlier. The last 3 chapters seem important, but are too long and trying to summarize something that is learnt by experience rather than by study. One can read 10 classics on "How to present creative work" and still fail to do it for lack of practice. So, although it makes sense to cover them, I personally would have been much shorter on the recommendations to avoid repetition and boring the reader.
Overall, that's a very good experience. Whoever enjoys advertising will have a delightful time and surely will put this up in the ranks of good advertising books. Even for those that don't, it is a fun read to understand how the messages we see everyday are crafted.
July 5, 2019
(The English review is placed beneath Russian one)
Крайне неоднозначная книга, особенно на фоне Огилви, Хопкинса, Шугермана, Кейплза и пр. А неоднозначность её состоит в том, что автор большую часть уделяет социальным медиа, а не классической рекламе на ТВ, в журналах, газетах и пр.
Первая часть книги повторят многое из того, что можно найти в классических книгах по маркетингу, к примеру, у Ф. Котлера в его «Маркетинг. Менеджмент», а также у Дэвида Огилви в его книге «Огилви о рекламе»: анализ продукции, поиск разнообразных идей и позиционирование. Что интересно, автор особо нажимает на вопрос позиционирования. Не знаю почему, но возникает какое-то странное и трудноуловимое ощущение чего-то недостающего, когда с одной стороны Огилви, а с другой – Траут. Что-то отсутствует между или вокруг них…
Дальше идёт большая и основная часть, которую можно назвать «креатив в рекламе». Тут автор постарался посмотреть на использование креатива в рекламе со всех сторон. С одной стороны, читая его аргументы со многими соглашаешься, но вот с другой, постоянно помнишь напутствие - «у клоунов не покупают». Поэтому я бы свою позицию обозначил так: умеренный креатив с обязательной привязкой на продукт и не затеняя его. По сути-то и автор говорит то же самое. Так что, вопрос в границах. Для одного зрителя рекламы, креатива будет с избытком, тогда как для другого – в самый раз. Основной посыл в данном случаи у Салливана в том, что реклама без креатива слишком скучная и из-за этого её будут намеренно игнорировать. Правда, на первых же страницах книги он приводит пример рекламы, которую все ненавидели, но чей товар, в тоже время, все покупали. Вот такой вот поворот. С точки зрения маркетинга, разумеется, главное продажи, а не то, нравится ЦА реклама или нет, считают они её креативной или нет, элегантна она или нет и так далее. Это первый нерешённый вопрос, который остался после прочтения этой книги. Это очень важный вопрос. Возможно, самый важный для маркетинга, для маркетолога.
Что касается большей части книги, то, как уже было сказано, всё это пространство было заполнено идеей креатива. Да, с одной стороны всё верно (при условии соблюдения определённых границ). Однако с другой стороны, автор к социальным медиа относит, с моей точки зрения, не совсем рекламу. Так, он отнёс, например, мероприятия, которые очень сильно напоминают PR. Или создание дополнительных продуктов облегчающих приобретение или использование основных. Я имею ввиду создание программ для использования их в виртуальной реальности, в социальных медиа или в целом в интернете. Это не очень подходит к рекламе.
Последняя часть книги посвящена таким вопросам как защита созданных для заказчика рекламных материалов. Или типы рекламных заказчиков. Тема портфолио.
И последнее. Вся книга построена по принципу «1001 совет». Это, во-первых, а во-вторых, используя вот этот самый принцип написания книги, как сборник небольших советов по разным темам, Салливан, конечно же, осветил такие темы как реклама на ТВ, радио, составление печатной рекламы, поиск вдохновения, заголовок и пр.
Как итог: будет интересна непосредственно копирайтерам. Что касается маркетологов, то шансы поймать что-то стоящее, крайне малы. Хотя, прочесть серединку, ту самую, что про социальные медиа, в принципе, можно. Хотя опять же, не стоит надеяться, что из неё вы сможете узнать, как делать научную рекламу по Хопкинсу, т.е. такую, что была бы строго привязана к цифрам прибыли. Такого тут нет.
Very ambiguous book, especially against the background of David Ogilvy, Claude C. Hopkins, Joseph Sugarman, John Caples, etc. And its ambiguity lies in the fact that the author focuses on social media, rather than classical advertising on TV, in magazines, newspapers, etc.
The first part of the book will repeat much of what can be found in classical marketing books, for example, in Kotler's book "Marketing. Management", as well as David Ogilvy in his book "Ogilvy on Advertising", i.e. product analysis, search for various ideas and positioning. Interestingly, the author pays special attention to the issue of positioning. I don't know why, but there is a strange and elusive feeling of something missing when on the one hand David Ogilvy and on the other hand Jack Trout. Something is missing between or around them...
Next comes a large and major part, which can be called "creative in advertising". Here the author has tried to look at the use of creativity in advertising from all sides. On the one hand, I wish to agree with many of the author's arguments, but on the other hand, I always remember the message - "people do not buy from clowns". Therefore, I would define my position as follows: a moderate creative with a mandatory binding to the product and not shading it. In fact, the author says the same thing. So, the question is within the bounds. For one viewer of advertising, the creativity will be with an excess, while for the other - perfectly. The main message in this case from Sullivan is that advertising without creativity is too boring and because of this it will be deliberately ignored. However, on the first pages of the book he gives an example of advertising, which everyone hated, but whose product, at the same time, everyone bought. This is such a twist. From a marketing point of view, the main thing is the sale, and not whether the target audience likes advertising or not, whether they think it is creative or not, whether it is elegant or not, and so on. This is the first unresolved issue that remained after reading this book. This is a very important question. Probably the most important one for marketing, for a marketer.
As for most of the book, it was all filled with the idea of creativity. Yes, on the one hand, everything is correct. However, on the other hand, the author refers to social media, from my point of view, not exactly advertising. So, he referred to advertising, for example, the events that are closer to PR. Or the creation of additional products that facilitate the acquisition or use of basic products. I mean creating tools to use them in virtual reality, in social media or on the Internet in general. This is not very suitable for advertising.
The last part of the book is devoted to such issues as protection of advertising materials created for the client. Or types of advertising clients. The theme of the portfolio.
And lastly. The whole book is built on the principle of "1001 advice". And using this very principle of writing the book, as a collection of small tips on different topics, Sullivan, of course, highlighted such topics as advertising on TV, radio, making a print ad, search for inspiration, title, etc.
As a result: it will be interesting directly to copywriters. As for marketers, the chances of catching something worthwhile are extremely low. Although, to read the middle that about social media, in principle, you can. Although again, do not hope that you can learn from it how to make scientific advertising on Hopkins, i.e., one that would be strictly tied to the figures of profit. This is not the case here.
Крайне неоднозначная книга, особенно на фоне Огилви, Хопкинса, Шугермана, Кейплза и пр. А неоднозначность её состоит в том, что автор большую часть уделяет социальным медиа, а не классической рекламе на ТВ, в журналах, газетах и пр.
Первая часть книги повторят многое из того, что можно найти в классических книгах по маркетингу, к примеру, у Ф. Котлера в его «Маркетинг. Менеджмент», а также у Дэвида Огилви в его книге «Огилви о рекламе»: анализ продукции, поиск разнообразных идей и позиционирование. Что интересно, автор особо нажимает на вопрос позиционирования. Не знаю почему, но возникает какое-то странное и трудноуловимое ощущение чего-то недостающего, когда с одной стороны Огилви, а с другой – Траут. Что-то отсутствует между или вокруг них…
Дальше идёт большая и основная часть, которую можно назвать «креатив в рекламе». Тут автор постарался посмотреть на использование креатива в рекламе со всех сторон. С одной стороны, читая его аргументы со многими соглашаешься, но вот с другой, постоянно помнишь напутствие - «у клоунов не покупают». Поэтому я бы свою позицию обозначил так: умеренный креатив с обязательной привязкой на продукт и не затеняя его. По сути-то и автор говорит то же самое. Так что, вопрос в границах. Для одного зрителя рекламы, креатива будет с избытком, тогда как для другого – в самый раз. Основной посыл в данном случаи у Салливана в том, что реклама без креатива слишком скучная и из-за этого её будут намеренно игнорировать. Правда, на первых же страницах книги он приводит пример рекламы, которую все ненавидели, но чей товар, в тоже время, все покупали. Вот такой вот поворот. С точки зрения маркетинга, разумеется, главное продажи, а не то, нравится ЦА реклама или нет, считают они её креативной или нет, элегантна она или нет и так далее. Это первый нерешённый вопрос, который остался после прочтения этой книги. Это очень важный вопрос. Возможно, самый важный для маркетинга, для маркетолога.
Что касается большей части книги, то, как уже было сказано, всё это пространство было заполнено идеей креатива. Да, с одной стороны всё верно (при условии соблюдения определённых границ). Однако с другой стороны, автор к социальным медиа относит, с моей точки зрения, не совсем рекламу. Так, он отнёс, например, мероприятия, которые очень сильно напоминают PR. Или создание дополнительных продуктов облегчающих приобретение или использование основных. Я имею ввиду создание программ для использования их в виртуальной реальности, в социальных медиа или в целом в интернете. Это не очень подходит к рекламе.
Последняя часть книги посвящена таким вопросам как защита созданных для заказчика рекламных материалов. Или типы рекламных заказчиков. Тема портфолио.
И последнее. Вся книга построена по принципу «1001 совет». Это, во-первых, а во-вторых, используя вот этот самый принцип написания книги, как сборник небольших советов по разным темам, Салливан, конечно же, осветил такие темы как реклама на ТВ, радио, составление печатной рекламы, поиск вдохновения, заголовок и пр.
Как итог: будет интересна непосредственно копирайтерам. Что касается маркетологов, то шансы поймать что-то стоящее, крайне малы. Хотя, прочесть серединку, ту самую, что про социальные медиа, в принципе, можно. Хотя опять же, не стоит надеяться, что из неё вы сможете узнать, как делать научную рекламу по Хопкинсу, т.е. такую, что была бы строго привязана к цифрам прибыли. Такого тут нет.
Very ambiguous book, especially against the background of David Ogilvy, Claude C. Hopkins, Joseph Sugarman, John Caples, etc. And its ambiguity lies in the fact that the author focuses on social media, rather than classical advertising on TV, in magazines, newspapers, etc.
The first part of the book will repeat much of what can be found in classical marketing books, for example, in Kotler's book "Marketing. Management", as well as David Ogilvy in his book "Ogilvy on Advertising", i.e. product analysis, search for various ideas and positioning. Interestingly, the author pays special attention to the issue of positioning. I don't know why, but there is a strange and elusive feeling of something missing when on the one hand David Ogilvy and on the other hand Jack Trout. Something is missing between or around them...
Next comes a large and major part, which can be called "creative in advertising". Here the author has tried to look at the use of creativity in advertising from all sides. On the one hand, I wish to agree with many of the author's arguments, but on the other hand, I always remember the message - "people do not buy from clowns". Therefore, I would define my position as follows: a moderate creative with a mandatory binding to the product and not shading it. In fact, the author says the same thing. So, the question is within the bounds. For one viewer of advertising, the creativity will be with an excess, while for the other - perfectly. The main message in this case from Sullivan is that advertising without creativity is too boring and because of this it will be deliberately ignored. However, on the first pages of the book he gives an example of advertising, which everyone hated, but whose product, at the same time, everyone bought. This is such a twist. From a marketing point of view, the main thing is the sale, and not whether the target audience likes advertising or not, whether they think it is creative or not, whether it is elegant or not, and so on. This is the first unresolved issue that remained after reading this book. This is a very important question. Probably the most important one for marketing, for a marketer.
As for most of the book, it was all filled with the idea of creativity. Yes, on the one hand, everything is correct. However, on the other hand, the author refers to social media, from my point of view, not exactly advertising. So, he referred to advertising, for example, the events that are closer to PR. Or the creation of additional products that facilitate the acquisition or use of basic products. I mean creating tools to use them in virtual reality, in social media or on the Internet in general. This is not very suitable for advertising.
The last part of the book is devoted to such issues as protection of advertising materials created for the client. Or types of advertising clients. The theme of the portfolio.
And lastly. The whole book is built on the principle of "1001 advice". And using this very principle of writing the book, as a collection of small tips on different topics, Sullivan, of course, highlighted such topics as advertising on TV, radio, making a print ad, search for inspiration, title, etc.
As a result: it will be interesting directly to copywriters. As for marketers, the chances of catching something worthwhile are extremely low. Although, to read the middle that about social media, in principle, you can. Although again, do not hope that you can learn from it how to make scientific advertising on Hopkins, i.e., one that would be strictly tied to the figures of profit. This is not the case here.
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