[.uk] Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great ... (ISBN 0471281395)

Useless for advertising people:
The advertising campaigns that are easiest to remember are those that repeat empty slogans: "Just do it"; "I'm lovin' it"; "It's the real thing"; "It's a Sony"; "I like Ike"; and the like, so to speak. One presumes that the lack of referents in such successful slogans is exactly what leads to their success: consumers can read into them what they will and make the "message" appropriate for them. Unfortunately, good books do not function in the same way. Good books have a specific message and convey the message well. This book, then, is decidedly not a good one, insofar as Sullivan does not seem to have any specific message or, indeed, firm advice (save for not mentioning telephone numbers more than once in radio ads). Instead, the author offers page after endless page of anecdotes about working in advertising, weak, sophomoric jokes about the poor (most egregiously) and those who don't think the "creative" hackwork of sloganeering is important or difficult, and an unsystematic (and surprisingly spare) selection of advertisements he likes or does not. The substance of the book (including illustrations) could have been fit into ten pages. The remainder of the 234 pages of the edition I have are filled mostly with undereducated and very often incorrect or misremembered references to pop (in a broad sense) culture backed with "research" of the "I read somewhere" sort (or, essentially, no research whatsoever). Further filler comprises a great deal of self congratulation and back-slapping of buddies. I can imagine those in advertising being encouraged by "Whipple," but honestly cannot see anyone learning anything specific from it that couldn't be learned from any of scores of other books. I would have given this one star, but actually found it useful myself: I left (because of the shame of wasting my life in such a manner) the advertising business nearly 25 years ago. Not a month has gone by that I have not been glad I did, and this reading this book gave me that good feeling anew: thank all that is good that I am out of advertising.

THE KETCHUP ON ALL THE FRIES:
this book its amazing from the first page, im sure this will help to all students and people in the ad biz in general, i have 3 years working in an ad agency, and i have found this book the best yet, you can squeeze it once in a while and you get refreshed on concepts and how to redirect your process, its great, i only regret not having these book 4 years ago. Buy it and take care of it, keep it close to ya! vik

Sqeezed. And happy.:
As a copywriter i really enjoyed this book. I found confirmation of my thoughts, got new ideas and techniques. And that was the general idea, right?

Its a keeper!:
Very funny and useful information. This one is staying on my shelf for another read sometime.

Colloquialism Sprinkled with Wisdom:
I was told this book is the best out there for learning about copy editing. That may be. I have found the author offers real wisdom regarding the industry and some advice about actually creating, but I am annoyed at how colloquial the language is. It feels like the author is shooting-the-sh$t with the reader, a style which some people would like, but I feel is a waste of my time in the setting of the book.