Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars, and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game [Hardcover]

Allen Rosenshine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

A famous ad for Levy's Jewish Rye Bread showed an African-American kid, smiling after biting a deli sandwich obviously made with their product. The headline read: "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's." And you don't have to be in advertising (or even in business) to love these laugh-out-loud stories, a result of Allen Rosenshine's nearly 45 years in advertising.The moguls he's known -- many of America's most recognizable captains of industry -- appear in scenes uncustomary to any corporate boardroom. The mobsters he's dealt with come off as characters far more comic than threatening. The megastars he's met, from presidents to pop artists to pro athletes, are captured here as no camera has ever seen them. When these crowds mixed with the madcap world of Madison Avenue, it was never business "as usual."Funny Business is funny, it's about business, but more than that, it's about being human. It's about all of us-- the only creatures on earth that can really laugh, most meaningfully at ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Taking a journey that begins in the 1960s, Rosenshine regales readers with more than 60 stories of the movers, shakers and madmen of the advertising industry. The longtime CEO of ad agency BBDO and architect of parent Omnicom Group, the world's largest marketing communications company, Rosenshine recounts early days as a nervous account man and his transformation into respected company head, treated with fawning deference by many, yet all the time at the mercy of his unpredictable clients. Included are an audition where Bob Newhart was deemed not funny, the night Frank Sinatra ogled Rosenshine's wife, the time Michael Jackson's hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial, and a number of hairy (and scary) presentations that succeed or fail based on his clients' inscrutable whims. Dilemmas abound: How do you choose the right men's scents for shaving cream? How do you come up with a winning slogan minutes away from presentation time? How do you negotiate with star power that wants to break your bank? And how embarrassing is it to be caught with an American Airlines luggage tag on your attaché case as you meet with your client, Delta Airlines? Rosenshine is a slick purveyor of humor and wisdom, and his portrait of the ad game is crafted with wit and confidence.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

"After 9/11, Allen Rosenshine's agency created a wonderfully funny campaign to give New York City a lift when we needed it. It was a perfect example of the idea behind this book, that we can find humor and humanity even in serious situations."
- Rudy Giuliani

"Allen Rosenshine is one of the best leaders of a creative enterprise I've ever known. His new book shows him to be a masterful storyteller as well. Funny Business is witty, engaging, and more than lives up to its title. Prepare to be charmed."
Bob Wright, vice chairman, GE; chairman/CEO, NBC Universal

"I've known Allen Rosenshine as one of advertising's sharpest thinkers. And as you can see in this book, he's also a very funny guy. Even in the stories where I knew what was coming, he had me laughing."
Roger Enrico, chairman, DreamWorks Animation SKG; former chairman/CEO, PepsiCo

"I've shared many laughs for many years with Allen Rosenshine, but none more than these stories. Beyond that, they're insightful, well written, and totally enjoyable even if you're not in advertising or business."
Bruce Crawford, chairman, Omnicom Group; chairman, executive committee, the Metropolitan Opera

"This is a wonderful collection of laugh-out-loud stories, which we don't have enough of these days. And between the laughs, you can also learn a few things. I loved it."
Judith McHale, president/CEO, Discovery Communications

"Allen Rosenshine captures the sense and nonsense of the ad game. It really is `funny business.'"
Jerry Bruckheimer, producer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Beaufort Books; First Edition edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082530539X
• ISBN-13: 978-0825305399
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Puts a new spin on the advertising industry, July 9, 2006

By 

George Lawless - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars, and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game (Hardcover)

Allen Rosenshine has managed to present in a very humorous and insightful way the inner workings of the advertising industry. I had difficulty putting the book down and found myself laughing out loud at his many unusual experiences in his dealings with his clients and high profile list of stars and sports figures. It's a must read

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Ad Book for Non-Ad People, July 28, 2006

By 

Nina Goodall (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars, and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game (Hardcover)

Mr. Rosenshine writes a witty, endearing host of stories about the most misunderstood industry in business: the ad biz. You don't have to understand the ins and outs of the ad agency business to enjoy this book. All you need is a keen sense of the ridiculous and an enjoyment of good story-telling. He writes for all of us with short attention spans and each story is short and punchy. Don't read this book on a plane because some of the stories will have you laughing out loud and you will look like a lunatic.

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredibly entertaining memoir from cover to cover, January 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars, and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game (Hardcover)

Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars, and the Mad, Mad World of the Ad Game is an uproarious anthology of stranger-than-fiction anecdotes from life in the creative world of the advertising business. Author Allen Rosenshine, who worked his way up to CEO of a major advertising corporation, tells of gently breaking bad news to mobsters, schmoozing with stars, warding off attempts to take him for a sucker, and many more madcap adventures. Funny Business is not a "how-to" book for would-be advertisers in the traditional sense; it's a slice-of-life with extra irony on top from an insider's point of view. An incredibly entertaining memoir from cover to cover, Funny Business is sure to delight readers of all walks of life with their recommended daily allowance of wit, wisdom, and mirthful laughter!