Anyone writing ads who thinks they're going to shake up the world by doing so needs to learn from a man who did just that, and did it way before his time. If copywriters spent more time standing on the shoulders of this giant instead of pretending to be pioneers the world of advertising would be in a better, more respectable place.
Mad respect for this pioneer of marketing. In the early 1960s he espoused such radical ideas as "Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them; and sometimes it's an ad." and "Our first responsibility is not to the product but to the public." and one of my favorites, "How often do you have to read a book, a news story, or see a movie or play? If it is interesting, once is enough; if it is dull, once is plenty." Many of his rules for creating relationships through marketing are key to successful agencies today. Check out his theory on magic. While I didn't connect with his attitude toward art directors or the design of his ads, the book is well worth it.
This book was kinda like Saturday Night Live for ad creatives: It opened strong, with funny and insightful essays that make you re-think the creative landscape. But the last 2/3rds: Oy, what a parking lot for miscellany.