The End of Advertising as We Know It
by Sergio Zyman, Armin Brott
“Back in the 80s, I saw a full page spread for Coca-Cola in which they proudly state that through advertising they were able to conquer the world, using pictures of others that failed at the attempt, like Hitler and Alexander. Something tells me Sergio Zyman, author of "The End of Advertising as We Know It" was behind that particular ad.
This book breaks a lot of cardinal rules for me when deciding if I should read a book. First, his picture is on the cover, that's a big no-no. Second, a title about "the end of anything" usually is all hype and no substance. Finally, this guy has an ego. A big one. You'll literally have to shift the book around as you read it, just to make room for his ego and how often he mentions his godlike advertising agency, which is surprisingly named after himself.
And marketing is more of an art than a science, I don't care what he says. I can go on for days as to why. The simple reason, no matter how much research one does, it is nearly impossible to guarantee a particular reaction to an advertising campaign.
So why read it after I bitched about it the entire time? Because it's a great beginners book from a guy that ran Coca-Cola's advertising for 20 years. He obviously knows his game, although you won't find anything revolutionary. Just the details on how to be a successful bread & butter marketing guy, and it helps lay a foundation for all of the other innovative marketing and advertising books you'll read afterwards.”
-Michael Foster
