THE AGE OF PERSUASION
Millions of Canadians have tuned in to Terry O’Reilly’s hugely engaging take on advertising on CBC Radio, Sirius Satellite and WBEZ Chicago.
Now O’Reilly and co-creator Mike Tennant have packed the funniest bits, the biggest moments, legendary industry anecdotes, never before revealed behind-the-ads stories and musings into one fascinating ride of a book.
Persuasion is a whisper in your ear so faint you barely know it’s there. It’s the celebrity spokesperson, the anti-ad that is itself an ad, the well-placed product placement, the art of being noticed with purpose, and the craft of guiding your hard-to-reach desires to a lucrative destination.
But things don’t always go this smoothly. O'Reilly and Tennant take us inside ad company decisions (some good, some not so good), through commercial studios, and into some of the most creative minds in the business. They show us what works (funny is a good place to start) and what doesn’t (sometimes funny, but not in a good way) and then effortlessly connect these findings to our everyday lives.
And there’s more.
The authors map the key aha moments in an industry that has evolved from straightforward print ads in the nineteenth century to the glossy undertakings of the ad men of Madison Avenue, to our own quickly changing time when PVR, Facebook, and Twitter leave many advertisers out in the cold, pawing longingly at the window.
It’s is a feast of enlightening ideas and entertaining stories well told.
Published by Knopf in Canada, and Counterpoint Press in the United States.
(And coming to China later this year)
Visit these online retailers to get your copy:
Some feedback about the book.
“An easy-to-read and often subversive primer on marketing.” —The Globe and Mail
“I loved this book. I thought I had a pretty good idea of everything that’s happened in the history of American advertising, but I didn’t. I do now. The book is thorough without being heavy-handed, fun without being flippant, full of fascinating facts that fill in some voids that needed to be filled in. The only thing that might make it better would have been to include a few more quotes from me. Keep it by your bed.”
—Bob Levenson, chairman and international creative director, DDB International; vice chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York and Scali, McCabe, Sloves, New York
“The Age of Persuasion provides a wonderful romp through the history and inner workings of advertising. I am not sure what I enjoyed more, the insight and wisdom about the ad business or the wit and charm of the storytelling; either way it’s a great read for all of us living in the Age of Persuasion.”
—Doug Checkeris, chief executive officer, North America MediaCom
“Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant blend history, stories, wisdom, hundreds of facts, and just plain fun into an original, compelling, entertaining, and insightful perspective on the impact of creative communication on our culture and on our everyday lives. It is a terrific book!”
—Bob Schmetterer, author of Leap: A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy
“If there’s one brand that advertising has failed miserably at making people understand, it’s advertising itself. This book goes a long way in correcting that—now if they could only do the same for car dealers.”
—Bob Kuperman, former president and chief executive, DDB New York
“As a public broadcaster, I’m contractually obligated to despise advertising, and by extension to despise those who create it. Somehow two ad men—Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant—slipped through my defenses. The Age of Persuasion will be enjoyed by those inside the ad world, but it’s more than an insider’s guide. It’s a funny and fascinating window into a part of our culture that’s too little considered by outsiders like me.”
—Jesse Thorn, host and producer, PRI’s The Sound of Young America
“Language is art. Advertising is art. Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant really deliver on that in this book. The Age of Persuasion made me stop, think, and realize that everything we do as marketers (day in and day out) can matter . . . and should be better. Because, in the end, advertising is not just about persuasion. It’s about the stories we tell and how they connect with real people and what those real people do with those stories. The Age of Persuasion is one of those great stories.”
—Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image and author of Six Pixels of Separation
“The Age of Persuasion must be read by anyone in the business of marketing goods and services, creating or placing advertising, and by those who aspire to such noble things. This book is a fun read and a wonderful combination of historical and contemporary context.”
—John P. Hayes, Jr., chief executive officer, Third Avenue Media
“A terrific look into how advertising, marketing, and culture are all inexorably intertwined. A great read for anyone interested in branding . . . a must-read for any student of advertising.”
—Rick Boyko, director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, former chief creative officer, Ogilvy North America
“Just when I thought I heard all of the cool stories about the grand old world of advertising, Terry and Mike have created an intriguing read that will fascinate both everyday people absorbed with the ad game as well as dyed in the wool ‘mad men’ and women.”
—Ignacio Oreamuno, president IHAVEANIDEA and Portfolio Night
“As an overworked copywriter for many years I was thrilled to be reminded of what it took for us to persuade.”
—Joy Golden, founder of Joy Radio and humor persuader
“On fire with ideas, bursting with insights, this wildly entertaining insiders’ history of persuasion takes us from the dawn of the telegraph to the future of the Internet. It’s a riveting read, crammed with the very human stories of the anonymous alchemists who shape our lives and our world. Henry Ford once said, ‘Nothing happens until somebody sells something.’ There’s never been a better exploration of that premise.”
—Steve Hayden, vice chairman, chief creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (Creator of Apple's famous "1984" TV commercial)
