Badvertising: An Expose of Insipid, Insufferable, Ineffective Advertising

by Jim Morris, Drew Eric Whitman (Foreword)

Jim Morris has been responsible for some of the most memorable ad campaigns in history. He knows best that bad ads don’t just create themselves. Part indictment on the advertising industry, part cautionary tale on what not to do with your ads, Jim pulls no punches to better ad people everywhere.

“How many ads have you seen that made you question the intelligence of whomever designed it? Probably too many. If every ad person read Badvertising , the world would be a more intelligent and prosperous place.” — Jonah Berger , New York Times bestselling author of Contagious and The Catalyst “Incisive and daring, Badvertising is the only book you need to truly understand both the inner workings of America’s ad agencies, and the minds of those who never cease to astound us with both their creative genius and profound stupidity. After just one reading, you’ll never see advertising the same way again.” — Drew Eric Whitman , bestselling author of Cashvertising How can the ad industry even exist when almost all of the products that it produces fall on a continuum from flawed to failed? What is it about this industry and the process of creating, selling, and producing ads that causes so much advertising to be so bad? These are the questions answered in Badvertising . A provocative, truth-to-power exposé of ad agencies’ flaws, foibles, and failings—and why they matter to the consumer and to those in the business. Morris, an advertising legend known as “Tagline Jim,” surveys myriad advertising “agents of stupidity.” Hilarious, horrifying, and insightful, each chapter is a grenade lobbed into America’s ad bunkers. Badvertising is a candid, never-seen-before accumulation of real-world don’ts and more don’ts, providing valuable cautionary tales of advertising’s stupid side.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

About the author

Jim’s life began when, at age 18, he attended the Monterey Pop Festival. After spending the next twelve years trying and failing to become a rock star, Jim’s gaze shifted to advertising. Armed with a degree in philosophy and an unnatural fondness for hippos, Jim’s advertising career has been a full frontal assault, as a copywriter and creative director at ad agencies from FCB and DDB Worldwide on down; as a freelance copywriter for 25 years; as a copywriting instructor at Columbia College for 12 years, a monthly advertising columnist for Screen for five years and as Advertising’s top demotivational speaker, giving talks at schools, ad agencies and organizations such as MENSA and SCORE. For the 21st century, Jim rebranded himself as Tagline Jim, (previously branded The Communicaterer). He enjoys a thriving freelance copywriting business specializing in writing great and powerful taglines. Jim’s accomplishments include creating an international branding campaign for Lions Clubs International, while authoring dozens of successful taglines, including We are Flintstones Kids, Ten Million Strong and Growing, the cornerstone of one of the longest-running ad campaigns of the last half century. Jim’s first book, The Width and Wisdom of Chairman Jimmy, a compilation of his non-advertising writing, was written under the nom de plume of his alter ego, Chairman Jimmy. Some of Jim’s advertising thinking can be found on his website, www.taglinejim.com.

Reviews

[Rita Dragonette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having spent most of my career in PR I’ve always worked hand in glove with Ad Agencies and know that advertising is a profession staffed by pros with easily shared strong emotions and opinions about their work and that of others, to the point where they can sound a bit self- righteous. At the same time, I know those same people feel deeply and critique sharply because they genuinely love their profession and are the first to describe it as “fun” vs work.” I’ve always envied them.
The author of Badvertising is one of those people-- a veteran copywriter with an unabashed case of career-love. He has a sizzling point of view about the type and volume of badvertising out there, and how it needs to change to fulfill it’s true promise, if we just admit that it’s imperfect and we’re all (agencies to consumers) in it together.
This is clearly the author’s overall POV on his life-long profession As such it’s chockablock with examples, advice and in general everything you need to know dive in deep to become part of it all or just understand it better since it surrounds you 24/7.
The book is a delight to read. Always witty, even when complaining, and showing off the author’s considerable copywriting “stuff.” You’ll learn about Humoroids, hack-itis, negaphobia, and, of course The Big Fat Hippo (no spoiler)
At the bottom line it’s a labor of love and he pours it all out at the end in a near romantic as well as instructional letter to a young, doubting practitioner. If you have ever had even a whiff of an opinion about an ad (and who hasn’t), you owe it to yourself to read this unvarnished look behind the Wizard’s curtain. Or, as he puts it, advertising is now “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and he’s the kid, speaking truth to the adoring crowd.

[Sandip Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting take of an insiders view on the advertising industry (especially the creativity part) riddled with flaws, fallacies, stupidity, hypocrisy and manipulation.... while the anecdotes and the examples are relatable and credible , “Badvertising” will only be understood and appreciated by the members of the advertising & marketing fraternity....