The Ubiquitous Persuaders (Paperback)

~ George Parker (Author), Chris Parker (Cover Design), Jeff Goodby (Foreword)
Key Phrases: suicide girls, motivational research, The Hidden Persuaders, Madison Avenue, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A fifty year update on the Vance Packard classic, The Hidden Persuaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (February 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439226822
• ISBN-13: 978-1439226827
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,342 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Hurts, May 3, 2009

By	Murray St. (NY) - See all my reviews

George Parker is quite often described as being full of "piss & vinegar". I can't attest to his actual chemical makeup but I can tell you there is one thing he is definitely not full of. The Ubiquitous Persuaders is an insightful and honest look at a profession that he obviously loves. Having spent over 30 years in the same profession I share his concern about the current state of advertising. The times are not a' changin'. They have changed. Mr. Parker's analysis of how some very smart people began making some very questionable choices is dead on. I don't know if I would suggest this book to someone who wants to get into the business. It would probably cause them to seriously reconsider that offer they got for a steady bartender gig. On the other hand, I would suggest it for everyone who has anything to do with today's ever widening field of "marketing and communications". We have enough people with degrees in accounting. We need a few who majored in common sense.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shedding Light on The Business of Advertising, February 25, 2009

By	Chris Allison "http://www.chris-allison.com" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As someone starting out early in my career in marketing I found this book to be very insightful. It gives a birds eye view of recent advertising history as well as an overview of the current state of advertising. The chapters cover various industry niches such as IT advertising, youth advertising, health advertising, and new media. In true AdScam fasion perhaps the best thing about this book is its critical eye. No error goes unnoticed, and every flaw of the current system is held up to the light. Parker does a wonderful job of examining the contradictions inherent in the business models and actions of the BDAs (big dumb agencies).

The overarching theme of The Ubiquitous Persuaders is that the advertising industry is botched and must be reformed; Parker makes this point by examining the industry thoroughly and quoting David Ogilvy as often as possible. The two largest issues brought to light are that agencies make the mistake of giving clients what they want rather than what they need, and that advertising has decreased in quality in negative correlation to the increase in available mediums; the number of mediums is exploding (hence the term ubiquitous). Reading this book you must ask yourself if the ubiquitous persuaders are effective persuaders, to which the answer is assuredly not. Can they be in the future? That is the real question. George takes a shot at answering it, but I won't spoil the book for you.

Overall I found The Ubiquitous Persuaders to be very enjoyable. It's to the point, not too big, and full of good information. The book overviews the ad industry. That being said, if you already have been working in the industry for a decade you've probably already seen the problems he points out, but if you're not in the industry or are just getting started this is a great read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hate sequels but I love this book., February 18, 2009

By	mtlb - See all my reviews

Less a sequel than a Disney re-imagining. (If, that is, Walt had thrown back a few Boddingtons and let loose with what he really thought about his visitors.) While most marketing, advertising and thought-leader gurus-turned-authors today focus on their own special brand of proprietary lingo and brand-speak, George Parker looked back instead to Vance Packard's classic Hidden Persuaders to see what has changed in 50 years.

Not much according to George.

Ubiquitous Persuaders is an apt title because people are now so flooded with advertising messages that they couldn't escape them if they tried. What could possibly be learned from a book about an industry that changes by the hour? Read it and you'll discover a lot, actually.

Containing slightly more f-bombs than his previous work MadScam, (but still not enough to satisfy hardcore Parker fans), it nonetheless takes care of business--literally, from both agency and client vantage points.

It's all a con though as Parker spares nobody while looking at an industry selling you things you didn't know you needed. An industry stubbornly refusing to adapt to life in a modern consumer culture, one that is quickly finding ways other than through traditional advertising to connect with brands and the products it uses.