Since January 1, 2012, The Agency Review has posted weekly reviews of books relevant to the advertising industry.
Because we believe that advertising is where business, art and culture collide on a daily basis, this site features reviews of both traditional business books and books that reflect, relate to, or concern the broader culture that advertising engages with.
Since we launched, we have reviewed more than 190 books, ranging from classic texts of advertising by Ogilvy, Hopkins and others, to humour, history, music, memoir and even fiction.
Each year we also publish a special “Year in (The Agency) Review” in which thought-leaders tell what they read in the past year that they loved, what they hope to read in the coming year, and what they wish someone would write because they’d read it in a second.
In 2013 we launched special monthly content available only for subscribers – interviews with authors we’d reviewed as well as “Backstory”, in which marketing leaders reveal what they’re currently reading and why.
And in 2017, Business Insider identified us as one of the “The 30 best people in advertising to follow on Twitter”
If you’re an author or publicist with a book you’d like us to look at, an agent with an author you’d like us to interview, an event you’d like us to speak at, or if you’re just interested in advertising with us – please contact us at theagencyreviewATgmailDOTcom.
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Think you should include $ellebrity by George Lois on this list.
thanks, bruce! i’ll check into it!
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Martin, Do you teach “old school’ or the stuff that has no road map to an ongoing campaign? Seems advertising now is more about a look than message. I wonder if there are many that think of the expansive and cured advertising commitment to the long term.
Budweiser started with a frog saying, ‘Come on over to my pad” and three years later the introduction of another swamp species Fruit of the Loom used memorable advertising and others seemed to be way smarter than today’s ad community.
$ellebrity is a great addition and great insightful. Pity all he said was “sad but true”.
Wonder about “old school” being a part of future on advertising. So many with no real training or appreciation for the discipline of past great ad people.
Shel, there’s always been more dreck than gold, and the inexperienced, pseudo-talented, and just plain lazy have always far outnumbered the “way smarter” people–just like any industry. The difference is that in our industry, it’s out on display, whereas the “output” of, say, a mediocre engineer is largely invisible.
Plus, it’s easy to look nostalgically back at some wonderful stuff from an earlier, reputedly golden age, all the while forgetting how pedestrian the majority was.
Just like always and everywhere, advertising and the larger communications community today has some way smarter people. And just like always and everywhere, they’re in the minority. And just like always and everywhere, they have to fight hard to get at least some of their great work accepted and published.
I must say, when I hear people talk about how much passion they feel for our craft, my mind always wanders and your image and voice appears – like a mirage. Thus, in my mind you, are the most passionate person in advertising history. Cheers Martin. Here is to passionate souls that work in the “communications” industry.
‘Open minds’ by Andy Law and My First Time by Phil Growick
Thanks, pleasure meeting you yesterday! See you at next match
Re. The intuitive compass. “we’re thinking wrongly about it. … everyone making advertising, consuming advertising and reading this review”
Not everyone fella
glad to hear that. no really. our experience in this business is that those who are really thinking about what we’re doing is a rounding error in the vast calculation of employed. it is encouraging to hear that someone is bucking the trend. keep it up. and ping us if we can do anything to help. all the best