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alorena92's review
4.0
This book fueled my wish of going back to working in advertising. Advertising today is a completely different world from the one Ogilvy lived in, and I wonder what he would think of our internet times and of the huge increase of brands we're exposed to everyday.
angymarte's review
3.0
Pretty good with some strong points and insights, and also some things I wholeheartedly disagree with and are outdated.
ceeceejay's review
5.0
Confessions of an Advertising Man was a great read, not because it had a Mad Men-esque feel, but because the information contained still applies to today's ad world. Ogilvy, the author, knows that advertising is a slick business. But he's good at what he does and he communicates this in his wry, authoritative manner. This is going to be one of the books that I periodically reread.
kristina4109's review
5.0
I mean, it's an amazing book but if he were to see the state of advertising in 2020 I think Ogilvy would keel over. It's hard to believe he was rising to prominence even in the pre-Mad Men era, but the noticeable lack of acknowledgment that women could do the same role as men, or really any role outside of "homemaker" is a laughable look at the mid-century gender roles
joanadasilva's review
4.0
11th book of my Covid-19 isolation, and 30th book of 2020!
It reads like "Mad Men - The Novel". I loveeeed Mad Men and I work with advertising, so it's a win-win situation. Do read this book if you're fascinated by the advertising world, otherwise it can get quite boring.
It reads like "Mad Men - The Novel". I loveeeed Mad Men and I work with advertising, so it's a win-win situation. Do read this book if you're fascinated by the advertising world, otherwise it can get quite boring.
kristina4109's review against another edition
5.0
I mean, it's an amazing book but if he were to see the state of advertising in 2020 I think Ogilvy would keel over. It's hard to believe he was rising to prominence even in the pre-Mad Men era, but the noticeable lack of acknowledgment that women could do the same role as men, or really any role outside of "homemaker" is a laughable look at the mid-century gender roles
epollack's review against another edition
3.0
Written in 1964 the book is dated but well written and passionate. You find statements like " Whenever two of our people get married, one of them must depart - preferably the female, to look after her baby." I can only assume that he assumes that the two people were at least equal in talent ... or does he implicitly assume the male is more talented?
The book is also dated by its almost total focus on print advertising with only limited reference to television, a relatively new medium, and none to radio.
What is interesting is that much of what he writes about print is now again applicable to the internet, as that is essentially print for his purposes.
And my favorite jingle (unpublished) ...
Carnation Milk is the best in the land,
Here I sit with a can in my hand,
No tits to pull, no hay to pitch,
Just punch a hole in the son-of-a-bitch.
The book is also dated by its almost total focus on print advertising with only limited reference to television, a relatively new medium, and none to radio.
What is interesting is that much of what he writes about print is now again applicable to the internet, as that is essentially print for his purposes.
And my favorite jingle (unpublished) ...
Carnation Milk is the best in the land,
Here I sit with a can in my hand,
No tits to pull, no hay to pitch,
Just punch a hole in the son-of-a-bitch.
ceeayejay's review against another edition
5.0
Confessions of an Advertising Man was a great read, not because it had a Mad Men-esque feel, but because the information contained still applies to today's ad world. Ogilvy, the author, knows that advertising is a slick business. But he's good at what he does and he communicates this in his wry, authoritative manner. This is going to be one of the books that I periodically reread.
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