The Little Blue Book of Advertising: 52 Small Ideas That Can Make a Big Difference (Hardcover)

~ Steve Lance (Author), Jeff Woll (Author) "If you're over forty, that line might mean nothing to you..." (more)
Key Phrases: preproduction meeting, shooting board, great advertising, Beautee Soap, David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Filled with those 'Why didn't I think of that?' truths that make it a must-read for everyone working in advertising. -- Jerry Della Femina

Product Description

"All of you know some of this. Some of you know all of this. All of us forget some of this most of the time. It's mostly a helluva lot of common sense. But as Steve's seventh grade math teacher used to tell him, 'Common sense isn't so common.'"

Today everyone's groping around for processes and answers. They're turning to new gurus and the latest paradigm-shift marketing book in the hope that they'll find quick, easy answers.

This isn't one of those books.

It's the compilation of years of know-how that form a foundation on which you can build a lasting brand, an advertising campaign that works (regardless of your audience), and promotions that produce effective results.

These principles worked for advertisers and marketers one hundred years ago, fifty years ago, ten years ago, and last week. They'll work for you next week, too-no matter how much the world keeps changing.

Designed to be read quickly and referred to again and again, this is a toolbox of back-to-basics ideas that will help break creative logjams, settle disagreements with clients, and sharpen, focus, and generally improve any ad campaign. The Little Blue Book of Advertising offers relief, consolation, and sanity when the people around you might be losing their minds.

For instance:
#3 Read what your customer reads; watch what she watches.
#10 Quality is the absence of non-quality signals.
#19 Get the "no-bodies" out of your approval process.
#34 The younger the audience, the more cuts you can use.
#40 Long copy can sell.

Find out what a big difference The Little Blue Book of Advertising can make for you.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover; illustrated edition edition (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591841240
• ISBN-13: 978-1591841241
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #548,249 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich in Reality, July 19, 2006

By	Brad Shorr "Word Sell, Inc." (Geneva, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The authors are obviously battle-scarred veterans of the big agency ad wars. Every sentence of this how-to guide oozes with common sense and experience. Their tips range from the prosaic to the provocative: for example, they suggest Underpromise and Overdeliver (duh!); and at the other extreme, Quality Is the Absence of Non-Quality Signals (huh?).

Still, I can't fault the authors for stating the obvious, because in the real world, the obvious is what companies neglect to do, over and over and over. In fact, the obvious, paying attention to tried-and-true methods, thinking inside the box, is one of their major themes. Some others:

1. Your brand is BY FAR your most valuable asset.
2. You can't manage what you can't measure.
3. Marketing, creative, and research must work together to create great advertising.
4. Stress benefits (sounds easy, but rarely done).

Beyond its value as a guide for advertisers, the book will help any executive in any department who wants to improve his management skills. The authors focus on leading and building teams, handling personalities, navigating corporate politics, and executing projects. Nice job!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Here is my advice for free...pass on this book., June 16, 2009

By	Joel Warady (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is divided into 52 ideas that supposedly can make a difference in the advertising that you execute for your product or service. Here is the problem with books that try and create a list, and the list has to contain a certain number of ideas (52, 365, top 12 monthly ideas, etc.) When you start to run out of ideas, but you still have numbers on the list that you must fill, you start to make stuff up that is simplistic or meaningless.

That is what I think happened with the authors of this book. Some of what they offer is worth rewarding, and will be helpful to companies who are looking to understand advertising just a bit better. But don't look for any real deep thinking here. Here are some of the 52 ideas:

o Don't Hide Your Brand Name
o Learn New Tricks
o Share Information

I'm not sure I need to spend $20.00 for this great advice. Here is my advice for free...pass on this book. There is not a lot of new information in this one.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information for Entrepreneurs, October 6, 2006

By	MBA - See all my reviews

Though the title suggests this book is about advertising, you'll quickly discover that this book is a must-read for anyone interested in developing a product, starting a business, or growing a business. The authors' views on many topics, such as the appreciation of branding and importance of quality is universally applicable but obviously not universally understood or implemented by many in business. Maybe marketing types already know this stuff, but entrepreneurs - even successful ones - can use the ideas in the book to improve their businesses substantially.