Adland: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet by James P. Othmer

Description: Adland by James P. Othmer James P. Othmer, advertising executive turned novelist, gives us a hilarious, personal, and sneakily profound chronicle of the past, present, and future of the advertising business. On one level it's the wickedly funny, compelling personal chronicle of the rise and fall of a modern-day ad man; a riveting insider's look at the astonishing transformation taking place in advertising's hottest idea factories. But take a step back from the tales of lavish shoots, agencies on the brink, and pampered mega-brands and "Adland" becomes much more: a snapshot of how we are living our lives thirty seconds at a time. Funny, deeply thoughtful, and utterly unique, this book is both a wildly amusing ride in "Adland," brilliantly recounted, and an exploration of the value of life in the information age. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description James P. Othmer, advertising executive turned novelist, gives us a hilarious, personal, and sneakily profound chronicle of the past, present, and future of the advertising business. On one level its the wickedly funny, compelling personal chronicle of the rise and fall of a modern-day ad man; a riveting insiders look at the astonishing transformation taking place in advertisings hottest idea factories. But take a step back from the tales of lavish shoots, agencies on the brink, and pampered mega-brands and Adland becomes much more: a snapshot of how we are living our lives thirty seconds at a time. Funny, deeply thoughtful, and utterly unique, this book is both a wildly amusing ride in Adland, brilliantly recounted, and an exploration of the value of life in the information age. Author Biography James P. Othmer is a former creative director at advertising giant Young & Rubicam, and the author of the novels Holy Water and The Futurist. Review "Great. . . . Raucous. . . . Picks up where Mad Men leaves off." —Forbes"Entertaining and thought-provoking. . . . [Othmers] sharp voice helps cut through the hype, and underscores how the distinction between entertainment and advertising is vanishing more quickly than anyone imagines." —"Smart Money," WSJ.com"[A] hilarious chronicle of the absurd world of Madison Avenue." —The Free Lance Star "An engrossing tour of a revolution that is unlikely to be televised. . . . Othmer wields his pen like a stiletto." —CNN/Money.com"An enjoyable and profound read. . . . It resonates with everything we love about this industry, everything we hate, everything that keeps us working in it, everything that makes us want to leave and everything that makes us believe in what could still be possible. . . . Buy it now." —Advertising Age "Othmers story has dual appeal—as a portrait of a changing industry and a template for readers torn between a drive for professional success and a pull toward human happiness. . . . A great resource for anyone whose professional life makes them want to sing the from theme song from Alfie." —The Huffington Post "One of the pop culture must-reads of the year." —LargeHeartedBoy.com "A memoir about selling and selling out in a world Don Draper and his Mad Men colleagues never could have envisioned. . . . As juicy a read as the chicken KFC hired (Othmer) to promote." —Louisville Courier Journal "Truth in advertising comes through in this revealing tome." —MediaBistro.com "Othmer is a witty and charming tour guide who chats self-deprecatingly about his own Adland epiphanies and humiliations while leading us inexorably toward the birthing room of Advertising Next. A terrific introduction to what advertising has been and what it is becoming, a memoir-manifesto with warmth and insight, and a must-read for those contemplating entering the industry." —Max Barry, author of Company and Jennifer Government "Advertising is an industry like any other, except it changes our planet daily. James Othmer, one of my favorite writers, takes you inside that world and makes the people and places real. You can dislike these guys, but you cant ignore them. They make sure of that." —Seth Godin, author of Tribes "With a unique blend of humor and insight, Othmer guides us through this rapidly changing business and lets us see the direction in which it is headed. A must read for any student of advertising." —Rick Boyko, Director, VCU Brandcenter"For nearly half a century, David Ogilvys Confessions of an Advertising Man has served as the Old Testament for an industry. Now theres a new one: James Othmers Adland. Fully aware of (but not made giddy by) the many changes that have brought advertising from the classical Age of Ogilvy to our current era of the digital baroque, Othmer describes the art of commerce with the insight of an insider and the bemusement of a novelist." —Robert Thompson, Professor of Popular Culture, Syracuse University"What Upton Sinclair did for meatpacking, Jim Othmer has done for advertising—only with far more humor and far less (physical) horror. Adland is destined to become a classic of its kind—a must read for anyone brave (or insane or aimless) enough to toil in the fields of modern advertising." —Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind"James P. Othmer is one of the funniest writers at work today. Period. His keen eye for the absurdities of the modern world rivals the likes of George Saunders and Sam Lipsyte. You could sharpen knives on Othmers sentences. Prior to his 2006 debut novel, The Futurist, he was honing his mad skills in the advertising racket, as an exec at Young & Rubicam. And though I daresay it was a colossal waste of his talents, I, for one, am glad he endured it, or we wouldnt have Adland, a hilarious and insightful chronicle of the rise and fall of a modern ad man." —Jonathan Evison, author of All About Lulu and West of Here"Ive been in advertising more than twenty years and spent countless hours trying to tell people how insane and hilarious and exciting and pointless and fascinating it all is. Now all I have to do is hand them this book." —Jamie Barrett, Creative Director/Partner Goodby Silverstein & Partners, SF Review Quote "Othmer uses his often hilarious experiences to discuss the stress-fueled environment advertising springs from, how its message is targeted to consumers, and how branding can actually be a good thing … [His] engaging dissection of advertising gives consumers valuable insight into how companies manipulate messages to convince us to give them our money." Kirkus Reviews "What Upton Sinclair did for meatpacking, Jim Othmer has done for advertisingonly with far more humor and far less (physical) horror.Adlandis destined to become a classic of its kinda must-read for anyone brave (or insane or aimless) enough to toil in the fields of modern advertising." Daniel H. Pink, author ofA Whole New Mind "Advertising is an industry like any other, except it changes our planet daily. James Othmer, one of my favorite writers, takes you inside that world and makes the people and places real. You can dislike these guys, but you cant ignore them. They make sure of that." Seth Godin, author ofTribes "Othmer is a witty and charming tour guide who chats self-deprecatingly about his own Adland epiphanies and humiliations while leading us inexorably toward the birthing room of Advertising Next. A terrific introduction to what advertising has been and what it is becoming, a memoir-manifesto with warmth and insight, and a must-read for those contemplating entering the industry." Max Berry, bestselling author ofCompany "For nearly half a century, David OgilvysConfessions of an Advertising Manhas served as the Old Testament for an industry. Now theres a new one: James OthmersAdland. Fully aware of (but not made giddy by) the many changes that have brought advertising from the classical Age of Ogilvy to our current era of the digital baroque, Othmer describes the art of commerce with the insight of an insider and the bemusement of a novelist." Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture, Syracuse University, and author ofPrime Time, Prime Movers "From pitches in corporate boardrooms to beers at the Gutter Bar,Adlandis a highly enjoyable romp through the world of advertising. Othmers writing on the industry is both vivid and poignant, with a lot a humor sprinkled in for good measure." John Gerzema, chief insights officer, Young & Rubicam, author ofThe Brand Bubble "Ive been in advertising more than twenty years and have spent countless hours trying to tell people how insane and hilarious and exciting and pointless and fascinating it all is. Now all I have to do is hand them this book." Jamie Barrett, creative director/partner, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco "Working in advertising can often be like the worst of reality TV its like Survivor, Deadliest Catch and The Apprentice rolled up into one - and thats on a good day. It takes a real writer to turn the farce into prose and yet keep a true perspective that allows the great moments to shine through. Having worked with Jim on farce, fantasy and some fantastic creative I for one was mesmerized by our own doings I have no doubt you will be too" David Sable, Vice Chairman, COO, Wunderman Worldwide "ADLAND pulls back the curtain on the advertising industry giving the reader an inside look at this oftentimes exciting, crazy, discouraging, and exhilarating business. With a unique blend of humor and insight, Othmer guides us through this rapidly changing business and lets us see the direction in which it is headed.A must read for any student o Excerpt from Book On Moral Advertising and Other Corporate Oxymorons Do you think it would be morally acceptable to work on a beer account? How about light beer? Or hard liquor? For instance, eighty proof sweet stuff with a cool name that goes down easy, especially for those, ahem, new to drinking. Would you sell it with humor? Sell it with sex? Does alcoholism run in your family? Would you sell it to a younger, potentially underage demographic by casting older people who look young? Would you target a minority? What if it ran only on late night cable channels? What about tobacco? Would you make cigarette ads? Would you make cigarette ads if they had huge "YOU WILL DIE IF YOU SMOKE THESE!" warnings plastered across the bottom? Would you do antismoking ads paid for by big tobacco? Would you not under any circumstances do cigarette ads yet work for a company or holding company that makes hundreds of millions of dollars every year marketing cigarettes and selling them without communications restrictions to the third world? Does cancer run in your family? Would you work on a military account? Would you if the assignment was to increase the number of eighteen-year-old recruits during an unpopular war? Does your 401(k) portfolio include any corporation or affiliate of a tobacco or defense contracting company? Would you work on a political campaign if you believed in the candidate? Would you work on one if you didnt believe in the candidate, if, say, you are a Democrat and your boss (who you had thought was a Democrat) asks you off the record if you would like to fly to Maine to work on the campaign of a certain Republican presidential candidate? Would you play off the fears, anxieties, and prejudices of the public if it would sell your campaign and get you promoted? Would you work on a fast food account? Fried chicken? How about fried chicken with gobs of sodium and preservatives but no trans fats and they list the calories on the bucket and they do a separate "Hey, kids, dont be a fatty!" campaign and put jungle gyms and salad bars at select locations? Does obesity run in your family? Diabetes? Coronary disease? Would you sell sugary childrens yogurt to moms as a healthy snack choice? Would you bypass the moms and go right at the kids with animated spots starring skateboarding alligators and surfing polar bears on Nickelodeon programming? How about an oil company? Would you take a creative directors position running the account of one of the worlds biggest petrochemical companies if it meant a raise and an expense account and an office with eleven more ceiling tiles than that of your nemesis? Would you sleep better at night if your first assignment for mega-oil company was to do a global ad campaign about all the wonderful things it is doing for the environment, even if the media buy for the campaign cost more than the sum total of all the wonderful things they are doing for the environment? Would the fact that you drive a Prius and intend to switch to compact fluorescent bulbs in less visible parts of your house make doing potentially award winning work for the maker of an SUV that gets eleven miles per gallon easier to stomach? How about a financial institution? Would you do ads for a bank encouraging people to refinance their homes even though you are a numbers-challenged liberal arts major with no house or savings of your own and if following your Live life to the fullest! financial credo might actually lead families to lose their homes and, by association, cause a national lending crisis and, by further association, a worldwide economic recession? If you worked in advertising, do you know what you would and wouldnt do, what you could live with? Would your "moral" choices vary depending upon your financial situation and/or your place in the creative pantheon of your current agency, that is, do you bend a bit more if you havent sold a campaign in six months and you have a small apartment and a kid on the way and youre this close to being vested and you hear there may be yet another round of layoffs? Do you still say, "Under no circumstances will I work on the farm pesticides/herbicides/insecticides business or the campaign for the latest miracle boner pill or sleeping aid pharma with thirty seconds of mandatory side effect copy that includes death and blindness, not to mention a questionable FDA situation"? Or do you get on your high horse and say, "Fuck you!" because last week you saved the $250-million-a-year Fortune 500 corporate consulting account and theres no way youre going to sell crap yogurt, beer, hard stuff, unfiltereds, troop surges, chemicals, or ideologies to anyone (this, of course, is before you happen to check out the Fortune 500 corporate consultants client list)? Do you? Will you? Can you? Think about it. Because your boss wants an answer in two minutes. The Death of Darrin Stephens LARRY TATE: You look terrible. Whats happened? DARRIN STEPHENS: Nothing much. I just lost the Caldwell account and my wife all in one week. LARRY TATE: What? Thats horrible. DARRIN STEPHENS: I know, I cant believe it. LARRY TATE: Your wife too, huh? --Bewitched (1964) Why a Dinosaur Has Never Won a Tony Award Advertising as I knew it began its death rattle in the fall of 2000 in an old, dark off-off-Broadway theater on the far west side of Midtown Manhattan. Over the years the theater had been the home to world-premiere performances of works written by the likes of Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Edward Albee, and August Wilson. But on this day the theaters modest stage was going to be home to a different kind of performance, a one-day-only world premiere written by a previously unpublished playwright, a nobody. This performance would definitely contain elements of drama. And, almost certainly, tragedy. Most involved in the production, and by this time there were dozens of us, were fairly certain of this, but the degree to which it could be classified as tragedy or comedy would ultimately be decided not by the author (me) or the cast (two starving actors) or the producers (the Madison Avenue office of a global ad agency) but by the audience, which was expected to total all of five extremely impatient and not particularly happy people (our clients) absolutely predisposed to hate everything they were about to see. We were in this venerable theater to make one last desperate pitch that promised a strategically focused, bright, shiny, globally synchronized, and brilliantly branded future to our multibillion-dollar banking client of several years who, by the way, desperately wanted to fire us. If pressed to classify the type of production we were about to put on, I would have called it a farce. Because I knew that even if Russell Crowe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, or Sir John Gielgud took the stage that afternoon and had channeled the spirit of David Ogilvy, Jay Chiat, and the original Young and Rubicam, our clients still would have hated it, still would have fired us. In their eyes we were too big, too slow to adapt to a rapidly changing financial and marketing landscape. Time had passed us by. As the creative director pressed into supervising the assignment, I had come up with the idea of trying to sell this nontraditional, digitally inspired future to a financial mega-brand in this flesh-and-bones, sub-analog space. If they wanted nimble and out of the box, wed give it to them live, in a theater, with real actors and stage props and lighting and signed black-and-white head shots of Pulitzer Prize winners on the lobby walls. Why a theater? Advertising was entering a new age. Beyond the thirty second television spot. Beyond print ads in People magazine. TV spots on Friends. Then of course there was that thing called the Internet. No one in big agency advertising seemed to know what to do with it yet (beyond buying smaller digital shops that were better at pretending that they got it), so why should that stop us from pretending that we got it, that we were experts? We chose a theater because we felt that a live performance in an artistic environment was the last thing our clients expected from a dinosaur of an agency like Young & Rubicam, and onstage we could dazzle them with the countless unexpected, nontraditional, highly effective ways in which they could connect with their ideal customer. Plus, all of our previous old-school, "traditional" attempts to save our asses had failed miserably. Even though it was a daring idea, and even though I thought it had the makings of something special, I knew we were doomed. Mostly because I (as well as, I suspect, almost everyone else in the business at the time) had no idea what the bright, shiny digital future of advertising was. After all, in 2000, YouTube was years away from its inception, and the guy who invented Facebook was all of sixteen years old. And did I mention that the client hated us? In fact, if my voice counted in such matters, we wouldnt have been spending insane money, easily several hundred thousand dollars for a two hour presentation, pitching an account to marketing officers who clearly did not want us anymore. Id said as much six months earlier after theyd put us on notice. Id said as much soon after that when theyd put us on double-secret probation. And I said it again on the day of our last presentation two months earlier, another do-or-die, last-chance meeting during which we prostrated ourselves before them in another lavishly appointed conference room filled with motivational videos, PowerP Details ISBN0767928970 Author James P. Othmer Short Title ADLAND Language English ISBN-10 0767928970 ISBN-13 9780767928977 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2010 Publication Date 2010-06-01 Subtitle Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet AU Release Date 2010-06-01 NZ Release Date 2010-06-01 UK Release Date 2010-06-01 Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States US Release Date 2010-06-01 Pages 336 Publisher Random House USA Inc Imprint Anchor Books DEWEY 615.39 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:141723259;

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