BadMen: How Advertising Went From A Minor Annoyance To A Major Menace

by Bob Hoffman

Nominated for "Marketing Book of the Year." A frightening and highly entertaining look into the hidden, corrupt, and dangerous world of online advertising where billions of dollars are being stolen; personal information about us is being collected and sold 24-hours a day; and important principles of a free society are being undermined.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

103 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2017

Reviews

[Seckin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short read on what has been happening in ad tech in the last few years. If you barely know ad tech, this will be eye opening. If you are experienced, it is a good recap

[Say Mayfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

good. wish it would explore a bit more of the sliminess of surveillance marketing beyond just the advertising sphere (governmental trading, etc). but overall a decent and short read. kept my commute interesting

[Sarah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read this year.

I’ve been working in digital for 15yrs but always skirted around the edges of online advertising for favour of more relations marketing focus (digital products and services).

As a consumer I’ve always found the concept of online advertising horrendous. Cheap, tacky and absolutely useless. I currently pay a subscription to Medium just so I can access quality content without ads.

This book is a humours and accessible account of the state of online advertising. Bob includes some shockingly simple calculations on how almost every marketer and consumer are getting shafted while the copious middlemen are dining out of fraud and complexity.

If you work in online advertising or a client side brand marketer read this candid explanation of why we need to vote with our feet and stop the madness.

[Geørge · Rating 4 out of 5]

წინა წიგნებისგან განსხვავებით ეს უკვე ბევრად სხვა სიმაღლიდან უყურებს ციფრულ სამყაროში არსებული გამოწვევებსა და პრობლემებს. ჰოფმანს ბევრი მაგალითი მოჰყავს, სადაც ციფრულ სამყაროში არსებული რეკლამის ტიპები და ის განუწყვეტელი ბუნდოვანება, რაც ამ სფეროს ახლავს როგორ შედეგებამდე შეიძლება მივიდეს.

აქ ნაჩვენებია, ზუსტად ის სურათი, რაც მნიშვნელოვანია 2010-იანი წლების ციფრული ისტორიის გასაგებად, სადაც სარეკლამო ინდუსტრიის ყველაზე მნიშვნელოვანი რეპუტაციული ზიანი მიადგა. პირადი და საჯარო სივრცის გაბუნდოვანება, "უფასოობის" შეგრძნება ინტერნეტში და პერსონალური მონაცემების ყიდვა-გაყიდვა ის მნიშვნელოვანი საკითხებია, რაზეც კრიტიკულია ავტორი. ჩემი აზრით, მნიშვნელოვანი წიგნია ყველა იმ ადამიანისთვის, ვინც მარკეტინგის, კომუნიკაციისა და (ციფრული) რეკლამის სამყაროში აპირებს ფეხის შემოდგმას.

[Emma Nogueira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se lee en una hora aproximadamente.
Es un gran compendio de quejas (con datos) sobre la publicidad digital y su manipulación de información. Al igual que The Social Dilemma (el documental de Netflix sobre redes sociales), no aporta ninguna solución o medidas a tomar para contrarrestar el poder de las redes. Por lo que tiende a aburrir.
El libro esta gratuito en tienda amazon, asi que si buscas informarte sobre el tema de la publicidad digital, vale la pena.
Pero si ya conoces del tema o buscás algo más que alarmarte, te recomiendo “10 razones para borrar tus redes sociales” de Jaron Lanier.

[Ashish Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an eye opening book. In 1990s an Indian PM announced that out of a 1 Rupee spend by govt only 10 paise reached to actual intendy. That was a pathetic state of corruption and beurocracy. But fortunately Digital Technologies did help in present state - and guess what, same digital technologies when decides to screw you - a 1 Dollar becomes 3 cents as effective. No one could have taken as less 100 pages to remind the world how royally screwed every marketers is. Untill obviously now Big Dogs are barking to get back - what they realized was theirs only.

[Adam Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant peak behind the curtain of the murky online ad industry by one of marketing’s most compelling provocateurs.

Bad Men casts a critical eye at one of the most fraudulent industries in the world - and does it with Hoffman’s trademark dry wit and break-neck speed.

Marketers, this is required reading. Take what Hoffman says at face value or use it as a springboard to learn more.

But whatever you do, don’t ignore it.

[Dusan Tatransky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and easy read. You don't have to be a marketer to understand how the ad tech is scamming the advertisers. The author full of insights with an attitude, which he attained throughout his many years in the advertising business, gets his point through the reader with ease. Online advertising is no paradise city, its much of a bubble, and he certainly can make fun of the stereotypical ad men, pretending to be all-knowing.

[Alex Gostev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Condensed, bone dry research made up with a witty sarcasm that makes you laugh along the way. The book shares information that is numerical, has a story behind and grounded on facts. 82 pages to get into systematic issues of modern ad tech, what a great find.

P.S. It has something to it when you read a book in a month after it's printed. Baked and delivered hot  ♨️

[Glenn Schmelzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob makes a convincing case that technology has gone too far in surveying what we do. He warns ad platforms that the pendulum is swinging back to hurt them, taking marketing agencies with them.

Could be considered inside-baseball by non-marketing people, but short enough that they too should read Bob's good points.

[Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, Bob Hoffman continues to uncover some nasty worms from under the advertising log. This book contains very strong opinion and facts on why internet advertising sucks and what should be done about it. And how keeping up with all that's happening - it'll get worse and worse. Should be read by people in advertising and digital marketers alike.

[Karthik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of the author's blog. Was expecting more from the book - but it is more or less blog like. Wanted to understand issues in the AdTech ecosystem at more depth but this is not the book for that.

[James Cridland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but not quite as eye-opening as hoped; rather sensationalist in places, and plain wrong in others. There's an important point in this book, but it's crowded out by the sarcasm and the over-the-top claims.

[Alex Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

As witty as it is cynical

As an adland insider, this is one of the harsher review of the digital advertising landscape I've read but it's designed to be just that. It's cleverly written and is good for a few laughs whether you work in media or not

[Megan Pritts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of ad/marketing tech

If you work in digital advertising, this will be a nice recap for you. If you don't, read this book to understand the privacy you give up by using tools like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Knowledge is power.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but very one sided. Some sources not cited.

[Shivam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who is keen about advertising has got to read what the ‘ad contrarian’ has to say about present-day communication business.

[Adam Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great bs-free, albeit suggestion-free, critique of online advertising. I wouldn't read it if you want a motivated future in the field.

[David Sanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Más flojo que Advertising For Skeptics porque se repiten muchos conceptos, pero es lectura fluida y divertida.

[John Orban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love Bob's witty and biting humor.

[Maya Mihajlovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read about how much he hates digital, funny and witty too

[Independent Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend who has over twenty years experience as an educator recommended I read Bob Hoffman's "BadMen: How Advertising Went from A Minor Annoyance to A Major Menace". This 2017 offering runs in at a concise 83 pages.
I enjoyed the author's informed approach which incorporates experience, knowledge, humour that had me chuckling (late into the morning). I also appreciate how the author clearly outlined in the introduction, that this is not an even-handed look at online advertising, nor is it a fair and balanced one. Instead, the author declares it to be a small hysterical book and that it is.

The section turning ad dollars to pennies stood out for me. Lots of intricacies exist in online advertising, surveillance marketing that the average consumer and even experienced marketers are unaware of. For anyone who aspires to work in the field and work with legitimacy, this book shows how and where marketers and advertising personnel can go off kilter when helping their clients. It also shows how one duopoly (Goobook= Google/Facebook) essentially control online web advertising. The author closes this read with suggestions for trying to obtain online privacy, legislation recommendations to limit tracking and briefly discusses organizations that fight for consumer privacy and web browsers that provide it. The use of graphs, charts and imagery throughout the book helps outline the complexity of online advertising.

Reading some of the Amazon reviews out there from individuals who do work in the advertising field, this is nothing new to them, or they suspected as much. Some go as far as to berate the author for bringing something they consider to be common sense and knowledge everyone knows. Hold up a minute though guys. Remember that we consumers (especially millennials) are often a forgetful and idealistic bunch, trusting and inclined to want to dive into social media, to believe that technology is changing the world. We have grown up with it. Many small businesses do not understand where their advertising dollars are going, they just know they need business and take the risk of investing with advertisers who are essentially not being honest with them. Nothing changes after big investments, and eventually they give up or get run out of the market. Transparency and authenticity will win in the long run says the optimist. A reformation is needed to improve this industry. Thank you to Mr. Hoffman for an informative read.

[Beige Alert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ad criticism and third of the recent short "bathroom books" I've gone through for my pseudo-educated Al Bundy routine.

Essentially a few blog posts, but free from a Professor (thanks Doug!) who is friends of the author and was a solid and fun read.