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Adland: A Global History of Advertising
Adland is a ground-breaking examination of modern advertising, from its origins in the 19th century to the evolution of the current advertising landscape. Author and journalist Mark Tungate examines key developments in advertising, from print, radio, and television advertisements to the opportunities afforded by digital media -- podcasting, text messaging, and interactive campaigns. Adland focuses on key players in the industry and features exclusive interviews with leading names in international advertising, including Tom Bernadin, CEO of Leo Burnett; Jean-Marie Dru, President and CEO of TBWA Worldwide; and John Hegarty, Chairman of BartleBogleHegarty. Exploring the roots of the advertising industry in New York and London, and going on to cover Western Europe and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Adland offers a comprehensive examination of a global industry and suggests how it is likely to develop in the future.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Mark Tungate
36 books21 followersMark Tungate is a British writer based in Paris, France. He is the author of Media Monoliths: How Media Brands Thrive and Survive (2004), Fashion Brands: Branding Style From Armani to Zara (2005, Second Edition 2008), Adland: A Global History of Advertising (2007) (listed among the best business books of 2007 by Library Journal) and Branded Male: Marketing to Men (2008), all published by Kogan Page. Tungate also collaborated with Renzo Rosso, the founder of clothing company Diesel S.p.A., on the book Fifty (Gestalten Verlag, 2006), about Rosso's life and the Diesel brand. The graphic design was by Barcelona-based creative collective Vasava.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 8, 2025
An interesting account of the history of the agencies that worked in advertising and media. It is primarily anglosaxon focused, with some chapters on other markets creative developments, specially France, Japan and the Latin markets. It was fun to read about all the agency names in advertising and the men behind them. And some of the most iconic ads of history are described here with great detail: "I want you for US Army", Ogilvy's "Hathaway Shirt" with a patch, DDB's "Think Small" for the VW Beetle, Leo Burnett's "Marlboro Man" and Kellogg's Tony the Tiger, CPD's Benson & Hedges ads, Saatchi's "Labor isn't working", etc.
I liked the description of the creative revolution that Bill Bernbach initiated, closing down the Roser Reeves scientific approach to advertising. Also quite interesting to see the frenzy consolidation that started in the industry in the 70s and that still continues today.
Eventually the history becames too dense in names and campaigns, and it misses the latest 15 years, which have had a lot of fun with the digital platforms revolution.
I liked the description of the creative revolution that Bill Bernbach initiated, closing down the Roser Reeves scientific approach to advertising. Also quite interesting to see the frenzy consolidation that started in the industry in the 70s and that still continues today.
Eventually the history becames too dense in names and campaigns, and it misses the latest 15 years, which have had a lot of fun with the digital platforms revolution.
May 25, 2020
Once in a while, I love to read books that are about a totally different industry than mine, and yet seems fascinating even for an outsider! Of many such industries that demands extreme creativity and problem solving skills, the one that arguably sits in the top three is advertising! Adland, by Mark Tungate, did justice in delivering a clean and crisp evolution of the advertising world across the world, mostly focussed on the US and UK scenes, with a special emphasis on Japanese giants. It narrates riveting stories of some of the world's most popular ad campaigns, of all the drama that goes on behind a wildly popular slogan for a brand, of the creation of many ubiquitous mascots, amongst others. There are too many names, and rightly so given it's a wide industry, so my focus while reading this book was more on the ideas and creative aspect as opposed to the names themselves. But still, now I know the names of the Big Five of the advertising world, and no, Dentsu is not one of them!
The book does an admirable job in explaining the evolution of ads in the US, where the first ones were of patent medicines, who were essentially those dubious potions (comping to think of it, most of the most popular advertising campaigns today are still about the brands that are rooted in these potions ;)). The most intriguing parts of the book obviously are about the stories behind some of the major ad campaigns from who's who of advertising world - Arrow Collar Man from Calkins and Holden, DDB's legendary Think Small and Lemon campaign for Volkswagen Beetle, their Juan Valdez character for Columbian coffee, BBH's fabled The Axe Effect campaign, Leo Burnett's world famous creations like Tony the Tiger, Marlboro Cowboy, and of course their Pillsbury Doughboy etc. The book also draws your appreciation to the stories behind some of the world renowned tag lines like British Airways' World's Favorite Airline, Adidas's' Forever Sport (before their celebrated Impossible is Nothing), Volvo's Drive It Like You hate It, Mini Cooper's Let's Motor etc. The moment I picked up the book, I knew there has to be the 1984 Apple ad in it, and it was. An entire section has been dedicated to the Chiat/Day's critically acclaimed Macintosh ad of 1984.
Apart from these, the book also highlights many related evolutions - like the development of Gallup Corporation, which started as a customer feedback company for the ad agency Rubicam, the creation of the concept of USP by Rosser Reeves, the Claude Hopkins model of advertisement which is prevalent event today where the ads are more poetic than coherent, Japanese advertising giant Dentsu's Haiku style blitz ads, AT&T's WEAF evolving into NBC, its British cousin BBC, of Mary Wells the first woman CEO of a public company etc. It also raises some curious observations of the advertising world like how most of the ads of the Western world don't go well with the Eastern Europeans who are known to not appreciate the authority of a dentist or a doctor endorsing a brand!
Overall, I'd say the book is a captivating read, except for too many names (which is understandable), for anyone that's curious about the creativity stuffed in the advertising business.
The book does an admirable job in explaining the evolution of ads in the US, where the first ones were of patent medicines, who were essentially those dubious potions (comping to think of it, most of the most popular advertising campaigns today are still about the brands that are rooted in these potions ;)). The most intriguing parts of the book obviously are about the stories behind some of the major ad campaigns from who's who of advertising world - Arrow Collar Man from Calkins and Holden, DDB's legendary Think Small and Lemon campaign for Volkswagen Beetle, their Juan Valdez character for Columbian coffee, BBH's fabled The Axe Effect campaign, Leo Burnett's world famous creations like Tony the Tiger, Marlboro Cowboy, and of course their Pillsbury Doughboy etc. The book also draws your appreciation to the stories behind some of the world renowned tag lines like British Airways' World's Favorite Airline, Adidas's' Forever Sport (before their celebrated Impossible is Nothing), Volvo's Drive It Like You hate It, Mini Cooper's Let's Motor etc. The moment I picked up the book, I knew there has to be the 1984 Apple ad in it, and it was. An entire section has been dedicated to the Chiat/Day's critically acclaimed Macintosh ad of 1984.
Apart from these, the book also highlights many related evolutions - like the development of Gallup Corporation, which started as a customer feedback company for the ad agency Rubicam, the creation of the concept of USP by Rosser Reeves, the Claude Hopkins model of advertisement which is prevalent event today where the ads are more poetic than coherent, Japanese advertising giant Dentsu's Haiku style blitz ads, AT&T's WEAF evolving into NBC, its British cousin BBC, of Mary Wells the first woman CEO of a public company etc. It also raises some curious observations of the advertising world like how most of the ads of the Western world don't go well with the Eastern Europeans who are known to not appreciate the authority of a dentist or a doctor endorsing a brand!
Overall, I'd say the book is a captivating read, except for too many names (which is understandable), for anyone that's curious about the creativity stuffed in the advertising business.
October 13, 2010
If you're interested in the the history of the advertising industry in broad strokes, this book is useful and informative. After a while, however, it gets very difficult to keep all the different acronyms and who-did-which-campaign straight in one's mind. A visual "family tree" would have been helpful. Maybe the author will add one in the next edition.
One fun and unexpected side effect of reading this book is the ability to detect real advertising stories in episodes of "Mad Men." For example, Don's break from big tobacco this week comes right out of real life. One of the big American agencies (I can't recall which one; maybe Leo Burnett?) decided not to work with big tobacco after his father or grandfather died of lung cancer.
There are many other realities reflected in the show, too... consolidation of the industry... the "creative lounge," where people just plop down and work in a single room... the pairing of an artist with a copywriter, instead of having them work on separate floors in separate departments...
"Mad Men" is truly reflective of the evolution of advertising, and having an appreciation of that makes watching the show that much more satisfying.
One fun and unexpected side effect of reading this book is the ability to detect real advertising stories in episodes of "Mad Men." For example, Don's break from big tobacco this week comes right out of real life. One of the big American agencies (I can't recall which one; maybe Leo Burnett?) decided not to work with big tobacco after his father or grandfather died of lung cancer.
There are many other realities reflected in the show, too... consolidation of the industry... the "creative lounge," where people just plop down and work in a single room... the pairing of an artist with a copywriter, instead of having them work on separate floors in separate departments...
"Mad Men" is truly reflective of the evolution of advertising, and having an appreciation of that makes watching the show that much more satisfying.
June 29, 2017
Pretty comprehensive history of advertisers (not so much advertisements, but there are some callouts to pieces you've probably seen if you're at all knowledgeable) that is well-written and well-researched. Probably the best overall grounding in one book you can find; you'll be able to spout BS with some modicum of knowledge which might help you get into the industry.
More importantly you'll learn about the big trends in media, where the acronym-megacorps started, and who the big names are. It's not too long, and not too exhaustive, but you'll be on better footing for having read it. If you've even a slight interest in advertising I recommend it wholeheartedly.
More importantly you'll learn about the big trends in media, where the acronym-megacorps started, and who the big names are. It's not too long, and not too exhaustive, but you'll be on better footing for having read it. If you've even a slight interest in advertising I recommend it wholeheartedly.
December 17, 2020
Very neat book on the history of advertising. The beginning is a bit of a slog what with the billions of advertising agencies practically indistinguishable with their four letter acronym names, but once the author finally gets his stage set it’s really a fascinating read on how nimble the world of advertising has been in the last century. Great read on an industry that is forever pivoting and adjusting itself to consumer behavior.
Advertising gets a bad rep as being the pushers of capitalism, but at its best it is able to serve two masters: both industry and consumers.
Advertising gets a bad rep as being the pushers of capitalism, but at its best it is able to serve two masters: both industry and consumers.
January 25, 2021
Tungate offers an in-depth, at times overwhelmingly stuffy, history of the advertising industry — you can be sure of 2 things: the moving around of ad people is almost like a telenovela switching from one company to another or creating their own company, selling it and then creating a second one with the same name (yeah Saatchi, I am looking at you) AND the name dropping like it’s too hot.
There are so many great people intertwined in a 150-170 years history of advertising that one loses track of all of them, that I’d recommend the new editions to come with an actual map of them!
There are so many great people intertwined in a 150-170 years history of advertising that one loses track of all of them, that I’d recommend the new editions to come with an actual map of them!
October 21, 2019
Inceputa prin august/septembrie 2013 si terminata in 2019. A durat destul de mult deoarece este o carte documentar, avand multe - foarte multe referinte si citate din diferite carti si interviuri de publicitate. Incepe cu prezentarea agentiilor de publicitate de la inceput si ajunge cu analiza evolutiei pana in anul 2007. Am vrut sa o folosesc ca baza de pornire in lucrarea mea de licenta insa am ales un alt subiect.
March 13, 2024
Guvu labu iespaidu par reklāmas vēsturi. Detalizēti tika aprakstītas arī īpašākās reklāmas, kuras bija vērts apspriest.
Pie trūkumiem varētu minēt to, ka bija ļoti daudz personu un kompāniju nosaukumu, ka izsekot līdzi un tās atcerēties bija diezgan neiespējami. Tomēr uzskatu, ka šī grāmata ir labs informatīvs materiāls. Labprāt arī lasītu turpinājumu no šī autora, ja vien tas būtu iespējami.
Pie trūkumiem varētu minēt to, ka bija ļoti daudz personu un kompāniju nosaukumu, ka izsekot līdzi un tās atcerēties bija diezgan neiespējami. Tomēr uzskatu, ka šī grāmata ir labs informatīvs materiāls. Labprāt arī lasītu turpinājumu no šī autora, ja vien tas būtu iespējami.
April 17, 2018
Great, well-written book about the history of advertising.
October 7, 2018
Surprisingly dry given the book covers the sleek, creative world of advertising. As a Mad Men fan, however, the book acts as a nice companion, showing fact behind the show's fiction. B
May 5, 2020
Very comprehensive and global in scope. Fascinating read!
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February 12, 2021to read my review, please visit: http://wp.me/P23AlC-12h
June 10, 2021
“O lectură obligatorie pentru cei interesați de publicitate” Sir Alan Parker
December 6, 2022
Never finished it, found it boring. Might come back someday for studiez
January 12, 2014
Adland is a very well written story, and a rare example, perhaps still unique, of an history of advertising offering a global perspective (note that I haven’t done any serious bibliographic research, but I’m pretty sure that this book will stand out for a long time in any case).
I think that Adland is most fascinating when it comes to the portraits of men and women that have built and developed advertising over the decades. Tungate has interviewed many of them in preparation of his writing or he has talked to them elsewhere as it appears evident from his standing as a top class journalist. It’s a kind of paradox, but even if naming agencies after the founders is one of the more enduring practices in advertising, very often little is known of these people, and even more of co-founders, and the other most important collaborators, were they partners in the business or not (I mean, all of the great professionals beside the greatest starts, the David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Bill Bernbach and so on, which do have an obvious prominent space in the book) – and then sometimes clients played a key role also (even if by and large this is an history from the agency side). Now, advertising means of production are people – well, raw material is culture if you wish, but it’s not a ready to use asset that you can buy on your own, as you would do with whatever commodity or manufactured good. You need people anyway to make it work! This is typical of professional services in general of course – which by the way are often not well covered by business histories as far as I know.
On a critical note, I would say that the very last chapters are less convincing, or let’s say that even if they put it clearly about the total overhaul of the advertising world spurred by the Internet, there is no proper discussion as such. I read somewhere online about a possible “Adland 2″ from Tungate so who knows, something not less robust on the topic might well be in the working.
I think that Adland is most fascinating when it comes to the portraits of men and women that have built and developed advertising over the decades. Tungate has interviewed many of them in preparation of his writing or he has talked to them elsewhere as it appears evident from his standing as a top class journalist. It’s a kind of paradox, but even if naming agencies after the founders is one of the more enduring practices in advertising, very often little is known of these people, and even more of co-founders, and the other most important collaborators, were they partners in the business or not (I mean, all of the great professionals beside the greatest starts, the David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Bill Bernbach and so on, which do have an obvious prominent space in the book) – and then sometimes clients played a key role also (even if by and large this is an history from the agency side). Now, advertising means of production are people – well, raw material is culture if you wish, but it’s not a ready to use asset that you can buy on your own, as you would do with whatever commodity or manufactured good. You need people anyway to make it work! This is typical of professional services in general of course – which by the way are often not well covered by business histories as far as I know.
On a critical note, I would say that the very last chapters are less convincing, or let’s say that even if they put it clearly about the total overhaul of the advertising world spurred by the Internet, there is no proper discussion as such. I read somewhere online about a possible “Adland 2″ from Tungate so who knows, something not less robust on the topic might well be in the working.
November 9, 2011
It's shocking to me that this is pretty much the only history of advertising - shocking to the author, too, who comments in the forward about how surprised he was none existed. It should be taught in every ad school in America, but something tells me it's not. It's a great book, and will greatly expand any ad grunt's understanding of the markets.
I read this book because I was curious to learn more about the great split with media and the history of agency consolidation. Sadly, those were probably the two weakest chapters, where it became clear the author was a journalist and not an adman. They're informative, and gave me a great place to start, but more would have been great, especially how they sold all this nonsense through to the clients, because as far as I can tell from this book there was absolutely no benefit for them.
Still, though. Awesome book. Must read if you're in the biz.
I read this book because I was curious to learn more about the great split with media and the history of agency consolidation. Sadly, those were probably the two weakest chapters, where it became clear the author was a journalist and not an adman. They're informative, and gave me a great place to start, but more would have been great, especially how they sold all this nonsense through to the clients, because as far as I can tell from this book there was absolutely no benefit for them.
Still, though. Awesome book. Must read if you're in the biz.
August 14, 2016
This is like a school history book, and thus it is great from some points of view and not so great from others. First, learning about the people that made advertising the industry it is today was very interesting. I also loved the chapters about cultural differences between Latin American, Japanese, American or British advertising as an example. The short mentions about highly successful campaigns or involvement in politics were also fascinating. I wish the book included more of these. However, a significant part of the book is dedicated to which company bought each company. At some point I could no longer keep track of all the acronyms. I understand why they are needed, they are like all those battles only mentioned with their outcome in history books, but I did not find these parts very interesting.
All in all, I have more respect now for the effort advertising companies need to make to reach people, especially today, when we can do a lot more to avoid commercials.
All in all, I have more respect now for the effort advertising companies need to make to reach people, especially today, when we can do a lot more to avoid commercials.
October 16, 2013
This book was really interesting and engaging for me. The global perspective on advertising and the life of 'ad men' is glamorized in the media through historical perspectives. This book was a great compliment in that it dispelled and displayed some of the glamour. I appreciated the global perspective, but because of it, I think some of my students would be less interested. I still find value in the book and think a student will too; it just has to be the right student.
As a side note, this book is PERFECT for innovating new e-books. With all the information it provides, an interactive e-book would make this a MUST READ. Embedding items throughout the book, like maps of locations/cities, pictures of ad guys, images, audio & video of the ads that were created - all these features would bring this book to a new level and create an unparalleled reading experience.
As a side note, this book is PERFECT for innovating new e-books. With all the information it provides, an interactive e-book would make this a MUST READ. Embedding items throughout the book, like maps of locations/cities, pictures of ad guys, images, audio & video of the ads that were created - all these features would bring this book to a new level and create an unparalleled reading experience.
September 14, 2009
Excellent book. You will be able to learn interesting things about Cannes Festival. Do you know the history of the legendary campaign 'Got milk?'? Who is sir Martin Sorrell and how he bought the legendary agency J. Walter Thompson. Who has the credits for the success of Absolut vodka? What is actually the point of Macintosh ad '1984'? And was the Audi's slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik' made in Germany? Who is the author of 'I love New York'? And who's the graphic designer for it? And do you realize that there are only six advertising/communications companies in the whole world? If you need answers to these questions than read this book.
February 2, 2016
If you are a fan of creative advertising agencies, then this book is for you. It will expand your horizons as it highlights agencies from all over the world while giving a historical perspective as to why they work the way they do.
If you are looking for more of a history lesson on how advertising has adapted over time, I would recommend the Age of Persuasion; the podcast or the book.
Adland focuses more on the companies than the advertising itself. There are of course references to the ads they've produced, but they arent showcased with any depth.
If you are looking for more of a history lesson on how advertising has adapted over time, I would recommend the Age of Persuasion; the podcast or the book.
Adland focuses more on the companies than the advertising itself. There are of course references to the ads they've produced, but they arent showcased with any depth.
July 9, 2008
I was really interested in the subject of this book, thinking it would be a history of advertising: that is, the trends and products and methods. Instead, it was more of a history of the companies of advertising, and while there were a few anecdotes about famous product launches, it was mostly a dry read about when this company started and where the founder grew up or when this merger took place. I was disappointed.
June 18, 2012
This book is a fun and interesting read for anyone interested in advertising. It gives a complete history of Advertising not just in the United States but from around the world. This book is not like any other book on advertising, it talks about all the different ad agencies around and their history. This book is a MUST READ for anyone interested in Advertising.
September 26, 2012
Good history of advertising - I feel like I have a good sense for how things evolved and some of how the industry works. Well written, if a bit focused on names and dates and changes (and the names can get confusing), with less in-depth stories than I would have liked.
October 23, 2025
Adland is a compelling read that sheds light on the power and pitfalls of advertising. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in marketing, media, or the stories behind the advertising of the brands we know and love. With just a bit more polish in structure, it could easily be a five-star standout.
June 14, 2008
Good, concise yet detailed history of modern advertising. Would have liked to see more coverage on Asian/Hispanic advertising, but the book was still well-written.
May 20, 2009
Wow! I guess this is the only book on the History of Advertising. I had struggled for a while in searching for a book that talks about the global time line of advertising, this book was truly a gem!
December 2, 2009
...the history of advertising
February 9, 2011
Reminds you that advertising isn't just a soul sucking industry but the backbone of America
September 15, 2013
Felt like a holy grail in my hands.
December 11, 2013
Just not very good, unless you want a quick read about the various players in advertising. Not really a history of advertising as a history of the founders of some advertising firms.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews