Customer Reviews

Madscam

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As an advertising veteran and a small business owner I have an unique perspective of this book. For someone in advertising this book is a great refresher course. It seems to me that a lot of current advertising has forgotten about the basics and would be served well to go back and relearn the lessons that are covered in MadScam. As a small business owner this book forces you to think hard and focus on what your USP (unique selling proposition) is. How do I differentiate myself from my competitors? And once I do, how do I implement my strategy? MadScam is the "Art of War" for entrepeneurs' marketing/advertising campaigns.

If you are a marketer, or responsible for the sales and or service of a product, then you know that if you don't make sales, you don't make money. It is amazing how many advertisers and marketers forget that fact.

George Parker gets it. The ironic part is that he has far more in common with direct marketers than with the Madison Avenue types that he typically consorts with.

There is a large focus on really understanding the Unique Selling Point of your product. This is often glossed over in Business Schools, but it really is key. If you can't say what makes your product or service different than the competition then how can you expect your clients to get it?

12 well thought out chapters covering print, television, radio, Internet and much, much more.

Although not the final word, a solid read and well though out perspective.

Recommended!

Cheers!

I learned more about advertising laughing my way through George Parker's "MadScam" than I learned about England earning an entire Ph.D.! On his blogs, Parker can be rude, boistrous, outspoken, and downright sexist, but those are primarily the qualities by which I treasure his opinions. In this book he sobers up and presents the world of advertising for the small or medium-sized business owner who thinks it might be time to hire an agency. He psychoanalyzes the typical advertising executive's deepest motivations and the average business owner's needs and worries with a level of honesty that will save you -- his devoted reader -- an absolute fortune.

According to evidence on his Adscam blog, Parker's best stories have not yet been printed in a book, and in fact should probably never be printed anywhere. But if this book is the success it deserves to be, the public surely will drag those stories out of him. Meanwhile, I admire the Entrepreneur Press for having the vision to offer an industry veteran's clear-eyed observations to the world. It's as much fun getting to know George Parker as it is learning about advertising, and you'll be wealthier and happier for both.

At last - a useful book about advertising. From a client's point of view. George Parker exposes the big dumb agencies as what they are, which is big and dumb, and how a client can get better advertising with good freelancers or a small team. But then, it's also a good book for creatives too: read & learn! Highly recommended.

George Parker nails it, breaking down the advertising process step-by-step in a practical, nuts and bolts fashion while simultaneously mocking the mentality of many "BDA's" as he calls them (Big Dumb Agencies). His criticism of agencies adding layer upon layer of abstraction to justify their billings, their obsession with awards, and in his view overall lack of spine is classic for anybody involved in advertising. He does a great job of simplifying things and providing a manual of sorts for entrepreneurs. There were points in this book I laughed out loud and others where I nodded and thought, "Well put George." Check his blog if you want a more bombastic delivery of some of these ideas (if profanity offends you, go read some industry drivel instead).

OVERVIEW OF BOOK
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"MadScam" is a guide for small and medium sized businesses who need cost effective advertising. The book is well organized, with informative (if somewhat wordy) chapter and subchapter titles.

REVIEWERS BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE
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I am starting a new business, and read "MadScam" for pointers on how to handle the launch. "MadScam" contains a lot very practical ideas. On the down side, the book is cluttered with contradictions, unsubstantiated opinions, and a half dozen diatribes about the decadence and corruption of Madison Avenue (if you like that sort of thing, this is definitely the book for you). An example of unsubstantiated opinions is the author rejection of the use of telemarketing (pg. 31), newspaper inserts (pg. 86), and billboards (pg. 89). The only reason offered is that the authors finds them distasteful.

"MADSCAM" IN COMPARISON TO OTHER TITLES
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There is an entire library shelf devoted to insider guides to the world of advertising, including: "Confessions of an Advertising Man", "Where Suckers Moon", "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This", etc. All of these books, including "MadScam", are self-promotion for advertising businesspeople masquerading as exposes/memoirs. I rate "MadScam" the best of the pack in terms of usefulness, organization, and focus. It is near the back of the pack in terms of literary merit. I find it tiresome being regaled with how deep and informative European advertising is when compared to the dumbed down American versions (pg. 132, etc.) Did I mention the author is a native of Great Britain?

SUMMARY OF USEFUL IDEAS
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Since many ideas are repeated throughout the book, this list refers to where the idea first appears. Repetition is not a bad thing in this case, since "MadScam" covers important ideas in more than one context. I am including only the ideas that I consider to be unique or especially value adding, since there is a lot of information that could be considered "generic" to advertising. In other words, I am summarizing what I highlighted.

1) Mr. Parker is essentially a contrarian, who believes that advertisers travel in a pack and clients are best served by advertising that stand out from the pack. When everyone else is zigging, you zag (pg. 10).

2) Feature in ads "...unexpected features to dramatically demonstrate ...painstaking attention to the details other(s)...don't even think about". The example given is the Rolls Royce ad which featured the electric clock (pg. 10, 107).

3) Advertisements should provide lots of useful information, written in a way that grabs attention and stimulates interest. One of Mr. Parker's ads had 1,438 words (pg. 11). This approach works when you address readers who have a definite interest in what you are selling. On the other hand, be as brief and concise as possible when communicating to consumers who have little initial enthusiasm for your subject (pg. 117).

4) To create good ads, you should do a lot of research and get to know the product in all it's details (pg's. 12, 30-31).

5) The advertising must focus on the USP, Unique Selling Position. Step one is to figure out your USP (pg. 24). Your USP must inform every aspect of your market communications: business cards, logo, uniforms, etc. (pg. 55)

6) Researching the competition is a very high value added activity for planning advertising. Look at competition web sites, look at what promotions are being offered, talk to their customers, find out why people do business with them (pg. 43).

7) Define your target customers precisely, preferably as a number of small niches rather than a broad demographic, then target each niche individually (pg. 45).

8) It is not enough just to show up. You must communicate that "you are the best vendor in that market by offering not just a similar product or comparable service to everyone else, but one that's perceived as unique and exactly what the customer needs and wants right now." (pg. 49)

9) Budget your advertising with 20% kept in reserve for unexpected opportunities or crisis (pg. 73).

10) Use inexpensive weekly newspapers as a test bed for new ads. When you find one that works, then spend the bucks for a campaign in the dailies.

11) Customers don't care about you or your business. They want to know what's in it for them. This is generic, but bears repeating. (pg. 109)

SUMMARY OF LAST 6 CHAPTERS
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The above summary of ideas takes us to about halfway through the book. The next 60 pages (pg's 131-193) are about production of TV, Radio, and internet advertising. Most of it strikes me as superficial, but there could be gems here I don't recognize. The closing chapters deal with how to choose an agency/consultant and how to measure advertising effectiveness. These chapters are worth skimming, but contain no revelations.

SUMMATION
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When I finished reading this book, it had more post-it notes and scribbles on the margins than any other book on my shelf of Business books. I think that is high praise for any non-fiction book.

Loyal readers of George Parker's AdScam blog will be delighted with "MadScam." The book is funny, irreverent, and more importantly, full of solid advice about advertising. It is one of the required texts in my Principles of Advertising class.

Mr. Parker, where have you been?

After more years in the marketing business than I really want to think
about, I've read my fair share of business, marketing and advertising books. They usually fall into two categories: War stories from people who once had their name on an agencies front door before it was swallowed up by one of the multinational groups, and formulaic books full of check lists and "immutable" reasons why the author is an authority on something or other.

Refreshingly, MadScam, isn't like that at all. Yes there are amusing
stories, but these are used to cleverly illustrate a point, rather than as
an excuse for the author to toot his own horn.

There are also very specific instructions on how to go about creating great advertising. Not through the use of stilted formulas and clichés, but rather the application of logic and common sense.

But above all, George Parker has written a timely and important book,
because he stresses the importance of the content of what you do, as well as the style in which you do it. As he constantly reminds us, we are all in the communications business, so for heavens sake, let's start communicating.

To anyone who is at all interested in getting some advertising done for your
small (or medium, or large) business, please pick up Mr. Parkers new guide
"MadScam" and read it thoroughly first. Read it all the way through before
going anywhere near Madison Ave., the literal or the figurative local
version, and it should prove very helpful in guiding you around the pitfalls
and steering you clear of the snares put in place to confuse you about what
advertising is, how it works and how it's supposed to work for you and your
business.

Mr. Parker is an old hand at this, one look at his resume and you realize he
has been there and done that, many times over and in this book, he brings
all that to bear in lending a guiding hand to the novice entrepreneur (or
not so novice) to get the most out of what should be a collaborative effort
to advertise and market your business, but so often seems not to be the
case.

The Pros: A very well thought out, step by step guide to the process of
advertising without the agency spiel that has come to typify advertising. It
gives solid explanations of the basic functions, the how and why, of
advertising while taking the reader through the steps needed to get good ads
produced and placed. Mr. Parker uses his experience well in relating what
should and should not happen during the process being very careful to shed
light on little known practices that would intimidate the novice. It's well
written with a good dose of sarcasm and cycnism, and some very funny
anecdotes he's picked up along the way.

The Cons: Mr. Parker can be a bit redundant, maybe to the good, but
sometimes driving home the same point once too many times. The only other
negative comment I have would be regarding the design of the book. Sadly,
this leaves a lot to be desired. In talking about effective advertising, for
a book, the design is one of the main selling points and should have been
addressed here the same care and attention as laying out an effective ad.

That being said, the book was a great read and i would recommend it to even
practitioners of the art of advertising, not just (potential) clients.
There's a lot to learn here, enjoy.

Though primarily intended as a primer for entrepreneurs, MADSCAM is a must-read for anyone interested in or working in advertising. The reason is the author's unrivalled experience. George Parker has logged in nigh-on 40 years at the center of the advertising vortex. George was around on Mad. Ave. in the golden age of the 1960s creative revolution and he's still a vital force in the digital age. No mean feat in an industry that devours youthful vitality like potato chips.

In this book George tells it like it is. MADSCAM is the unvarnished truth. George is evidently allergic to BS. Which makes his tenure in our industry all the more remarkable.

MADSCAM tells you pretty much everything you'll need to know to create your own ad campaign. And it will put you wise to some of the tricks of big ad agencies, or BDAs (Big Dumb Agencies) as George calls them. Reading this will potentially save advertisers and marketers a lot of time, money and grief.

George is as engaging to read here as he is on his many blogs and, perhaps astonishingly, I couldn't find a single swear word!