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Bill Bernbach's Book: A History of Advertising That Changed the History of Advertising
This inside look at some of the most famous advertising campaigns in recent history created by Bill Bernbach, founder of Doyle Dave Bernbach, includes details on each campaign's history and philosophy, as well as theories on advertising
220 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 22, 2010
If you're in advertising you HAVE TO read this book. It's hard to find & it's expensive but it's worth it.
May 20, 2009
The Creative revolution bible!
December 18, 2023
A big huge book, which seemed more like a coffee shop book than a book on advertising. I got the reference to this book from a linkedin post of a colleague and immediately earmarked it on my library page. A huge tome of a book that i kept renewing through the year end holidays to finally finish it a good three months after i first got it home.
Being in the industry the book was totally relatable and talks of a different era when advertising meant something noble. The 50s era when the author operates in could be called the golden era of advertising when top notch intellectuals flocked to the industry and worked together with businesses to solve problems leading to an uptick in business.
The book is structured around some of the most memorable ad campaigns that Bill got to work on, with a short story behind each of the campaign and the results it led to. This was back then when advertising folks worked to increase business results and did not dangle the incentive of creativity at all costs. Advertising is a means to achieve a business objective but over the years i think the two have separated from each other to make the differences wide. Now advertising seems like functioning independently without any connection with Business. No wonder advertising has lost its respect and its table in the boardroom!
There were quite a few things to take away from Bill's book, and i religiously made notes on my iphone/ipad app while reading the book. Reproducing my notes here -
Playing it safe can be the most dangerous thing in the world, because you’re presenting people with an idea they’ve seen before, and you won’t have impact.
If you stand for something, you will always find some people for you and some against you. If you stand for nothing, you will find nobody against you, and nobody for you.
We are so busy measuring public opinion that we forget we can mold it. We are so busy listening to statistics we forget we can create them.
Finding out what to say is the beginning of the communication process. How you say it makes people look and listen and believe. And if you are not successful at that you have wasted all the work and intelligence and skill that went into discovering what you should say
However much we would like advertising to be a science - because life would be simpler that way - the fact is that it is not. It is a subtle, ever-changing art, defying formulization, flowering on freshness, and withering on imitation; where what was effective one day, for that very reason will not be effective the next, because it has lost the maximum impact of originality.
Advertising only helps a bad product fail faster
At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his actions, even though his language so often camouflages what really motivates him.
"Technique for its own sake can be disastrous. Because, after a while, you're so anxious to do things differently, and do them better and funnier and more brilliantly than the next guy, that that becomes the goal of the ad, instead of the selling of the merchandise”
"It took millions of years for man's instincts to develop. It will take millions more for them to even vary. It is fashionable to talk about changing man. A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man, with his obsessive drive to survive, to be admired, to succeed, to love, to take care of his own."
The book while was written decades back is still totally relevant for anyone in advertising or marketing to get inspired on what it could be.
Being in the industry the book was totally relatable and talks of a different era when advertising meant something noble. The 50s era when the author operates in could be called the golden era of advertising when top notch intellectuals flocked to the industry and worked together with businesses to solve problems leading to an uptick in business.
The book is structured around some of the most memorable ad campaigns that Bill got to work on, with a short story behind each of the campaign and the results it led to. This was back then when advertising folks worked to increase business results and did not dangle the incentive of creativity at all costs. Advertising is a means to achieve a business objective but over the years i think the two have separated from each other to make the differences wide. Now advertising seems like functioning independently without any connection with Business. No wonder advertising has lost its respect and its table in the boardroom!
There were quite a few things to take away from Bill's book, and i religiously made notes on my iphone/ipad app while reading the book. Reproducing my notes here -
Playing it safe can be the most dangerous thing in the world, because you’re presenting people with an idea they’ve seen before, and you won’t have impact.
If you stand for something, you will always find some people for you and some against you. If you stand for nothing, you will find nobody against you, and nobody for you.
We are so busy measuring public opinion that we forget we can mold it. We are so busy listening to statistics we forget we can create them.
Finding out what to say is the beginning of the communication process. How you say it makes people look and listen and believe. And if you are not successful at that you have wasted all the work and intelligence and skill that went into discovering what you should say
However much we would like advertising to be a science - because life would be simpler that way - the fact is that it is not. It is a subtle, ever-changing art, defying formulization, flowering on freshness, and withering on imitation; where what was effective one day, for that very reason will not be effective the next, because it has lost the maximum impact of originality.
Advertising only helps a bad product fail faster
At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his actions, even though his language so often camouflages what really motivates him.
"Technique for its own sake can be disastrous. Because, after a while, you're so anxious to do things differently, and do them better and funnier and more brilliantly than the next guy, that that becomes the goal of the ad, instead of the selling of the merchandise”
"It took millions of years for man's instincts to develop. It will take millions more for them to even vary. It is fashionable to talk about changing man. A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man, with his obsessive drive to survive, to be admired, to succeed, to love, to take care of his own."
The book while was written decades back is still totally relevant for anyone in advertising or marketing to get inspired on what it could be.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews