Customer Reviews

Up the Agency: The Funny Business of Advertising

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I was flattered while working in my first ad agency position when the accountant - a veteran of New York ad agencies - told me I would do very well on Madison Avenue. That lifestyle never appealed to me but I was intrigued enough to buy Up The Agency at the local Barnes & Noble. In a hilarious account from the author's own experiences and observations as a star advertising executive, Peter Mayle reveals the sordid inner workings, dysfunctionalities and shameless greed of the world's most mammoth ad agencies. Detailing the base instincts, typical thought processes and hidden agendas of account executives, art directors, copywriters, assistants and other agency personnel, as well as those of the clients, Mr. Mayle exposes with dire sarcasm how the quest for money, status and ego corrupt the agency-client relationship. The result is bland, ineffective, conservative advertising. But that's what the client wanted and the tradeoff is a second house in the Hamptons and a Porsche in the garage. Add Mr. Mayle's English heritage and it would be easy for those on the outside of the industry to miss much of the dry yet irresistibly funny humor.

In fact, I must confess that it was only last night that I dusted it off the shelf to send it to a friend considering a career in advertising that I realized how funny this book is. After flipping through a few pages describing how industry awards are judged (think Salt Lake City Olympics Pairs Figure Skating), and laughing heartily, I reread the entire book. Apparently, I missed most of the humor when I first read it ten years ago.

Up The Agency is a quick, fun and worthwhile read for anyone involved in advertising. From elaborate new business pitches and bloated entertainment expenses to excessive awards banquets and inflated egos, agency personnel, clients and vendors alike will enjoy dozens of all too true stories that will in all likelihood mirror many of their own experiences.

Peter Mayle has a hilarious style all his own. He leads you through the advertising business with his witty anecdotes and quirky analogies. When you reach the last page, you'll wish there were more!

It took me a little while to get warmed up to this book, but then I just couldn't put it down. As I read it I felt like a very insightful fly on the wall, as years of experience and experiences were downloaded in a very entertaining and boiled down manner. For people who like an insider view into various industries, or anyone trying to navigate the advertising world specifically, this is a must read.

I have Angela to thank for referring this to me at a Cocktail party at Ad:Tech San Francisco 2009 after I had mentioned my other favorite, Confessions of an Advertising Man.

Confessions of an Advertising Man

You might know that advertising agencies are in charge of ad campaigns but do you know the nuts and bolts of how they work? Then this book is for you. Written in a funny vein this book discusses the different jobs in advertising, the kind of people you normally find filling them and how agencies evolve. The only problem I find with this book is that it is a bit dated, having been written in early 1990s. The author mentions the new term 'globalization' and of course this doesn't discuss advertising on the internet or the effects deregulation has had on cable TV advertising. However, the basic principles are the same and if you HAVE to learn about advertising this book's style makes it relatively painless..

Mr. Mayle's disillusionment after working over a decade in advertising and then deconstructing the profession in this tightly written, little book makes for a hilarious read. When combining artistically bent personalities with other employees whom are more anal-retentive pencil pushers to run the advertising agency and this is what you will invariably get. This book could be applied to describe other creative industries such as moviemaking. Funny, sarcastic, insightful and right on the money in describing this field. Who thought educational material like this could be so much fun to read. I ate this one up. Bon appetit.

A wonderfully quick read and a peek behind the curtain into the world of advertising agencies. Having worked in a variety of technical and management capacities at Interactive Agencies of one form or another since the mid 90s, it doesn't take much imagination to see how the business has changed little in structure or form since when Mayle was involved with the likes of David Ogilvy and others.

The book is very short and sweet (isn't that what copywriters are for?), and I'd highly recommend to anyone currently involved in an agency or looking to get there. If you're not already somehow involved with an agency, it may be difficult to catch the beauty of his sharp wit, but you should still find it entertaining.

Mr. Mayle gives us a sneek peek from the ad world. Even though he is from an older genre of ad people, his ideas and experiences are still valid. He identifies ad people as a special race with special traits and funny habbits that anthropologists should investigate. I especially reccomend this book to beginners who whould like know what to expect from their carriers and to veterans who need a mirror or a good laugh. He is witty and his language is easy going. I enjoyed the book and couldn't keep myself from nodding time to time.

I'll be honest, I haven't finished it yet. I've read 3 other books in the week since I started it since it is so boring. I would not buy it again, recommend it or even start it if I saw it. I'll probably finish it as a point of honor, but stick to the author's other works.

So many people want the glamour of the agency business. So few people understand what it's all about. This book gives us humourous insight and enough of a story line to carry you through.

Me? I plan to start my own agency, so this will be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to join me. In or out? I'm in.