Apple computer swot

Book Review:

Bruce Bendinger (editor), Advertising: The Business

of Brands, Chicago: The Copy Workshop, 2001.

Advertising: The Business of Brands is a "non-genre" text, to borrow a term from film criticism. Genre films, such as Westerns or romantic comedies, follow certain formulas and have recognizable forms (Kaminsky 1991). Similarly, advertising principles texts used in introductory courses are part of a genre that, until now, has included certain recognizable and expected forms. The genre of ad principles texts carries certain expectations about scope, writing style, and layout. These texts provide an overview of the field; are written in a linear, narrative style by the same author or set of authors; and are hardbound books of up to 26 chapters in length. The layout incorporates an abundance of colorful ads and a generous amount of white space for visual appeal.

Instead of following the genre, Bruce Bendinger opted to make Advertising: The Business of Brands different. The scope of the book places a heavier emphasis on careers than do other texts and devotes less coverage to other topics, such as global advertising. Bendinger organized the paperbound book into 12 chapters, each written by a different author or pair of authors who are experts in their area. To avoid abrupt changes in writing style and maintain flow from chapter to chapter, all authors have adopted a conversational style with short sentences. Frequent changes in headings and subheads keep the organization of chapters uniform. Despite the reduction in chapters, the 618-page length is comparable to other texts. The book also includes a 38-page introduction about brands and a 44-page career development section at the end.

The black-and-white text leaves color to the PowerPoint slides, videos, and Ad Gallery on the Website. Ads appear throughout the text but are reproduced without color. At $50, it is also less costly than standard texts.

That it is a non-genre text is both its strength and its weakness. Advertising: The Business of Brands is innovative and written in simpler language than the more detailed narrative found in other texts. However, it is so innovative that it is necessary to read the instructions on page 1, titled "How to Read this Book." Pages are consistently divided into two columns of differing width and type size. Chapter material proceeds down the middle of the page and forms the wider column. The narrower, outside column, in smaller type, provides supplemental material in the form of sidebars, such as "Ad Facts," stories, lists, and ads. When moving from page to page, the continuation of text goes from one wide column to the next. The sidebars in the outside columns can be read out of sequence. This arrangement gives the book an energetic, nonlinear feel, much like a music video minus the music, but it may confuse uninitiated readers.

Most likely, this is not a problem for students, particularly if it is their first advertising text, for they have no preconceived notion of what advertising texts are. But it may be a challenge for professors who are expecting the genre conventions of other books, particularly a traditional layout and more in-depth passages of text. For them, the transition may be difficult.

Each chapter begins with brief profiles of people who work in the field and ends with a list of "Concepts & Vocabulary." Support material includes a Website (adbuzz.com), three videos, a test bank, chapter notes with in-class exercises, and, perhaps best of all, chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides that can be used for in-class presentations to reinforce points from the text and show examples of ads. Once the organization of materials is understood, the text becomes manageable. A chapter-by-chapter description of the text and video segments follows.

Chapter 1, "From Advertising to Marketing" by Ann Maxwell, showcases the work of various legends in advertising against a backdrop of historical events and media innovations, including the introduction of radio and television. Video segments feature the work of Rosser Reeves and David Ogilvy.

Chapter 2, "The Modern Marketplace" by Beth Barnes, shows why modern advertising faces different obstacles than it has in the past. The chapter speaks of change, integration, and new ideas while exploring the related areas of public relations, sales promotions, direct marketing, and event marketing. Video segments offer several dramatic ads, including the famous "1984" Apple computer ad.

Chapter 3, "Advertising & Society" by Elizabeth Tucker, weighs different perspectives of the economic role of advertising, explores ethical arguments used for and against advertising's social impact, and addresses the regulation of advertising. Video segments include a Nike ad that tackles social responsibility and messages from AdBusters that contain a level of criticism that may be a rude awakening for most students, which is the very reason they should confront it before entering the field.

Chapter 4, "Marketers & Advertisers" by Anthony McGann, explains the marketing function and process while describing the organization of and jobs within marketing departments. Video segments show ads for packaged goods, durable goods, services, retailers, and high-tech goods to differentiate marketing strategies by product category.

Chapter 5, "Advertising Agencies" by Robert Gustafson, provides a brief history of agencies and explains what they do, how they are organized, and how they set their fees. Video segments look at three different types of agencies: a small, creative boutique in Chicago, an ethnic agency, and a large New York agency.

Chapter 6, "The World of Media" by Carla Lloyd, provides a brief history of the media, a description of how media companies make their money, and insight into how consumers interact with the media. It also examines the media conglomerates that own the companies. Video segments using entertaining, awardwinning spots from the Yellow Pages and ESPN show how media companies advertise.

Chapter 7, "Marketing Services" by Tom Jordan and Jon Wardrip, adds depth to the services introduced in previous chapters, including sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, marketing research, event marketing, sponsorships, and promotional products. Video segments include the direct response campaign for the World Wildlife Fund and video news releases for the Milk Mustache campaign and Harley Davidson.

Chapter 8, "Marketing & the Planning Process" by Jim Avery, defines concepts including objectives, strategies, and SWOT analysis while taking readers through the advertising campaign planning process. A bonus section considers how advertising works. Video segments feature commercials for six different brands of chewing gum to illustrate differentiation in the market.

Chapter 9, "Creativity & Communication" by Dennis Altman, demonstrates how creativity works in all aspects of marketing, though with the heaviest emphasis on advertising. Readers learn the work that creatives perform and how they craft advertising messages differently across media. Video segments showcase award-winning creative spots, including the famous Volkswagen "Funeral" ad.

Chapter 10, "Media & the Marketing of Messages" by Carla Lloyd, defines media terms, weights the strengths and weaknesses of each medium, discusses new ways to leverage new media opportunities, and explains how to create the media plan. Video segments offer a detailed look at the use of outdoor advertising and show how Nuprin used a multi-media approach to position itself as an effective pain reliever for sports-related injuries.

Chapter 11, "Evaluation & Integration" by Alice Kendrick, gets past the stereotypical view of postcampaign advertising research and touts the value of the "ongoing process of evaluating progress." Readers learn when, how, and what information to gather and observe real world examples of how evaluation works. Video segments show two test commercials that challenge viewers to guess which ad polled best.

Chapter 12, "The Power of New Ideas" by Dennis Ganahl and Joe Bob Hester, illustrates the challenge of change with the Four Cs of marketing: consumer, cost, convenience, and communication. The authors also discuss the impact of the Internet, agencies' response to change, and marketing services' need for innovation. Video segments feature entertaining ads from Wieden & Kennedy for Black Star Beer and PowerBar.

A concluding section, "You and Your Career" by Jim Marra and Ed Letven, teaches students to think of themselves as a brand when they search for a job and market themselves according to their talents, interests, and goals. Practical segments that address the job market, the need for internships, resume writing, and resources are definite bonuses. Video segments show award-winning student work.