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

I am so glad I bought this book. I can look to it for inspiration when I want to advertise whatever I'm working on.

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.

"The Little Blue Book of Adveritsing" isn't about advertising theory, it's about maximizing adveritsing creativity and results. It's a must read no matter how much or how little you spend on advertising.

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!

I recently retired as marketing director for a major international firm. Too bad this book wasn't written 40 years ago when I was in college. It's better than any course I took. Also too bad it wasn't written 20 years ago when I became director of marketing. It would have saved me from making costly mistakes. Good thing it's available now. Could make a big difference to a one-person business that needs to get in front of the public or the marketing director of a major corporation. This one is really good, as if you couldn't tell.