Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but short-sighted
Review: This book is a helpful and funny, if amazingly short-sighted, look at the world of advertising.For all of the defensive, indignant ad-folks who are perplexed by the criticism of the biz on this page: Advertising, both Whipple-style and Nike-style, encourages desire and over-consumption. And over-consumption creates, well, take a look at the world. Not YOUR world, THE world. It's hard to argue that our consumer society has been good for anybody but a small minority. For another adman's view on this topic, check out IN THE ABSENCE OF THE SACRED by J. Mander. He was the partner of the legendary copywriter Howard Gossage.
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Summary: Dear Lone Voice of Dissent in Dallas:
Review: You CAN get out of advertising if you hate it so much. You're supposed to be creative, so you can probably think of something better. Sure, Whipple worked, but that doesn't mean it was the only thing that could have.
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Summary: Death to Whipple and burned-out hacks.
Review: Man, check out all the sharks circling Luke. Every hack in world seems to have come forth to bash the dude, his book and his profession. Well, I've read the book. I think it's true and funny. And if you don't get it, you're probably just a chromosome short of being a mongoloid. Face it. Ths business is what you make it. And if you're bitter about advertising, you're probably bitter about welfare moms or Bosnia or NPR's liberal format or because Monica Lewinski gave the President a hummer instead of you. Bottom line is advertising is entertainment. It's an artform.Just like Renaissance artists, we have patrons (clients) who pay the bills and if you're not sharp enough to sell your ideas to them that's not advertising's fault, not your bosses' fault or your AE's fault. It's yours. And as far as Whipple selling just as much TP as Lemon sold VW's. BS. Where's the scientific evidence? Yeah Whipple is memorable. But people will remember a car wreck too. Bottomline if you're not doing the best advertising you can do, you're not doing your job. "Art is infection."-Tolstoy.
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Summary: best book on advertising
Review: I'm a student and this book really told me about everything I find interesting about advertising. Sullivan mixes knowhow with goings on at an agency to give a hilarious read. To top it off, he ends with how to get a job in the field.
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Summary: It's not a guide, it's a story
Review: So many reviews...so little originality. In stark black and white. On the one side the people who hate advertising thinking it's one big snow job. (If you fundamentally hate capitalism reader, get out of the ad business already!) ..to all the budding writers who think this is the passport to success. It's neither. It's simply a great introduction and behind the scenes peek of the business -though far too liberally spiced with his own ads when other great campaigns could have made the point much more cleanly. Just as you wouldn't expect a warren Buffet ad to make an investing wiz, don't expect this to make you an ad wiz. You also need the talent.
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Summary: The most inspiring book for creatives in advertising ever.
Review: I'm sorry, but I've been in this business for 22 years. David O. may have known what he was talking about...back then, but Mr. Sullivan has nailed it. To the point, I want to go back into teaching simply for the privilage of using his book as a text. My hair is off to him. Andy Ellis
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Summary: It's a tough world there for hungry talents.
Review: I loved the book. Thank goodness for Luke Sullivan and others like him who have used hard work and talent to flourish in their careers. And here's an idea- they've enjoyed themselves! I am now in the process of building a portfolio. After reading the reviews listed here(though most were more than favorable), I am compelled to write a brief excerpt on our society. Keeping up with the Joneses ain't what it used to be. Most of my college buddies are now successful yuppified cigar tappers, with SUV's the size of my apartment, fleets of jet skies, and homes which required the destruction of small forests to build. These folks, bless them, were graced with a very different sort of talent than I. In fact, we're talking opposite spectrum ends. They're the ones that found calculus at least comprehendible, if not somewhat interesting. They're the ones that take clients to ball games or big game hunting. They're the ones to whom passion is in direct correlation with the corperate world. What's my point to all this? By nature, I have almost forgotten. You see, I can't balance my check book. But I'll bet I can get your attention on the page of a magazine. I actually get hungry now and then. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind owning a jet ski. The key here however, is that I hope to enjoy what I will be doing after pouring out of that subway each morning for the next thirty or so years. To accomplish this, it seems obvious to me, one must follow their passion. My dad became a dentist for 'security purposes', and it nearly killed him. Not this kid, folks. This is where Mr. Sullivan's book comes in... Somewhere, beneath the Whipples and the Snuggle Bears, perhaps in a place a bit more remote than illustrated by Mr. Sullivan, is a place and a need for idealism within the business of advertising, and along with this, a need and a use for artistic and creative talent. Perhaps it could lead to a satisfying career. I'd like to think so. I wouldn't mind writing the next 'Death of a Salesman' or becomming the next Disney. I don't, however, feel like perching myself under an umbrella somewhere behind my work along some sidewalk. I've got too many Joneses to keep up with, and my kids will need shoes. I'm sure they'll be Nikes, too. We've got one shot. We all live in a world that goes 'round because of those annoying slips of green paper. Let' s hope there's a potentially rewarding carrer path out there amid the concrete jungles for all of us motivated enough to find it.
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Summary: Where was this book 10 years ago????
Review: This is one of the most enthusiastic, easy to read books on advertising I've seen. I wish I'd had it when I was starting out as a Jr. Copywriter 10 years ago. Sullivan strikes me very much as a creative purist so you have to take that into account as you read. (Because whether you hate Whipple or not, he sold a lot of toilet paper!) Nonetheless, this book is perfect for the junior writer or artist who needs to learn the business and the creative process. Extra perfect for the suits that routinely strangle our admittedly brilliant ideas. The ad examples are actually current and relevant. I'm only about half way through the book and I can hardly wait to pass it around the office.
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Summary: Great reading for students
Review: I'm a history major but I'm involved with advertising competitions, and this book has contributed to a lot of my success. For students, this is probably more valuable than executing the demands of a professor who is not even in the industry. It will help anyone develop their creative thinking, and more importantly, it spreads a positive attitude to the reader. Sullivan's sensible enthusiasm about advertising makes the book an enjoyable read, and the copious references to industry giants adds to its credibility. For individuals trying to build a portfolio, this book provides fabulous pointers and a great deal of professional insights that I think anyone could find useful.
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Summary: I thought about giving this book 1 star...
Review: ...Just to bring Sullivan's Amazon star rating way down and to help make sure he doesn't get a big head. But I enjoyed the book far too much and figured he might be judging my ads some day, so I gave him 5 instead. He deserves it. Should be required reading not so much for creatives, but account types. And no, Luke, I'm not just sucking up for a job, even though you're now CD at WestWayne and they have an office here.
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