After studying people like email copywriter Ben Settle, marketing legend Dan Kennedy and the more recent writings of thinkers such as Nic Peterson and Jim Clair, I’ve gotten more and more fond of going back to older books.
Although technology changes over time… and it seems like a lot of things are different, I’ve found that principles remain the same.
The most value I’ve gotten is often from older books that discuss a topic. Tracking earlier texts about the same subject can be very revealing and thought provoking.
Such is the case with this book by William L. Doremus. He was an Assistant Professor of Marketing at New York University at the time of the book’s publication in 1947.
The various means of advertising such as direct mail, handbills, signs, publicity, radio & television exist until today. I particularly enjoyed reading the examples of different campaigns with the campaign cost & revenue generated. Seeing how much things cost in 1947 was also interesting.
The writing style in the book is very easy to read which made each time I reread the book an enjoyable experience. In fact, reading it again and again made me think about the different ways to adapt the methods to my own projects even more. It also made me reflect of when certain methods failed for me (and my friends), and now in retrospect how I might do it differently.
In conclusion, this book is a good read for anyone interested in advertising or marketing. It documents how much of these methods are still important even until today.
Pros: Clear writing and well edited book.
Cons: Some of the methods may seem outdated. However diligent readers will be able to see how the some methods have their digital or web equivalents.
TLDR: If you’re interested in advertising and marketing, this old textbook is still a valuable look at how the different methods for advertising small businesses were like back in 1947. Principles and concepts remain the same, even if effectiveness of certain advertising options may vary over the years.
This is an out of print book. Some options to find copies are Amazon & eBay. Good luck!
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