Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For A Living [Paperback]

Stanley S. Cotton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1997

Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For a Living uses a common sense approach to illustrate how anybody can get a piece of the $112 billion local advertising business.

The book is a product of the author's challenges, victories and defeats. It provides lessons that only experience - not college - can provide. Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It beats Working For a Living clearly proves the ad industry is neither complicated nor as magical as some would have you think. Best of all, proof that you don't have to be creative to build your own ad business.

Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For a Living combines case histories with 12 Easy Steps to show the reader how to build his or her own ad business with all the traditional elements of advertisingpositioning, PR, media, premiums, showmanship, testing, use of symbolism, where to find clients, how to get clients, tricks of the trade, how to charge, a starter kit, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Stan Cotton speaks from experience: he never had a job nor spent a day in college. Cotton is a freelance veteran adman boasting 35 years of success with both small and major world-wide clients. (Client list and more information available at author's web site.) He is proof positive that Anybody Can Be In Advertising. PURPOSE To educate and give practical tips on how to enter the advertising work force as an independent contractor. AUDIENCE Entrepreneurs, college students, home-based workers, marketing and advertising professionals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 173 pages
• Publisher: S. Cotton; 1 edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966041100
• ISBN-13: 978-0966041101
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,886,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Please keep negative reviews, too., February 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For A Living (Paperback)

I placed a negative review against this book and it was deleted after a few months. The positive review, over a year old, still remains. I did not skewer the author or suggest alternative books, but I did make a case against this type of advertising trickery. This book does not represent honest approaches to advertising as a profession and holds the public in contempt. There. I said it. Anything to let the people know we are all not Hucksters.

Besides that, it's out-of-date examples does not hold relevance to the businesses and industries and trade practices and morals and creative movements that came about after the business-as-usual noon martini lunches of the early 70's.

I Love Lucy is funny, but dated. This book is just plain dated.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destined to be a classic among advertising books!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For A Living (Paperback)

Years ago, I had the privilege of working briefly with Stan Cotton, and bought the book immediately when I saw it advertised here at Amazon...

Stan is truly an advertising original--he does an EXCELLENT job of laying out the basics of his honest, straight-shooting approach to advertising.

His humor and honesty is a devastating attack on the pomposity and pretentiousness of modern advertising, and at the same time, it truly is a practical blueprint for ANYONE who wants to be in the advertising business.

I consider his book to be in the top five advertising books of all time--right up there with books by such great admen like Ogilvy, Caples, Reeves, Hopkins--and it truly is an inspiration to anyone who wants to enter the field.

I am so glad that Stan has decided to share his many years of wisdom and experience in his book--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Eric Gagnon Internet Media Corp.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Diamond in the Rough, March 3, 2000

By 

CTGal "CTGal" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anybody Can Be In Advertising...It Beats Working For A Living (Paperback)

At first glance, one might be quick to discount this book...we're all so used to slick pages, color photos and other facades created to imply "worth" in a book...so much so that often we do judge a book by it's cover and not it's content. So, putting first impressions aside, there truly is a diamond in the rough here in this book. Once you take the basic techniques and buff away the messages only relevant to the specific clients and times, you have a brilliant advertising method appropriate for putting to use in any advertising situation...honesty...honesty without gimmicks and computer generated imagery...in your fact honesty. Of course, in today's ultra-politically-correct environment, some of the headlines used probably wouldn't be tolerated, but honesty, no matter how it's delivered should always be expected.

I challenge any reader to REALLY READ this book, read the body copy to the ads...the real story after the "shake 'em up" headline...and you'll see there's nothing but honesty, free and clear of any modern-day techniques to wow us with computer wizardry.

It's an interesting thought now isn't it...honest in advertising. And to think, some of us out there are actually buying shampoo because of a women's orgasmic cry of "yes! yes!" while she's washing her hair...all in the cozy space of a bathroom on an airplace. Pu-leeeeeze....

I'll take honesty in advertising any day. Read it for yourself.