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Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from a Creative Career in Marketing
Marketing was destiny for Mat Zucker — the perfect cocktail of creativity, art and salesmanship. Half-guidebook, half memoir, Bronze Seeks Silver surfaces 30 years of lessons from an ad veteran in selling brands, building relationships and managing careers. Follow Mat as a secretary at an ad agency paying his dues; as a writer, learning how to copy accents from West Virgina libraries and researching the phenomenon of spanking parties; then as a rising creative leader creating global ad campaigns, meeting everyone from Mike Strahan to Alicia Keys. With this candid and hilarious telling, Mat gives aspiring marketers the gift of what he's seen and learned.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 2, 2020
Mat Zucker upends the traditional “how to” guide by providing his audience with a highly personal portrait of his long and successful career. Bronze Seeks Silver is an honest, humorous, and most importantly, accurate portrayal of not only the marketing industry, but also the creative forces driving it. – Andrew Roth, EVP, Corporate Development & Portfolio Operations, CMG
November 4, 2020
Advertising trade autobiography
First person biography by a creative in the advertising/marketing business covers his first job to the current day. Humorous and often self-depricating, successes and failures get full play as Mr Zucker seemingly does a brain dump. The book is 99% what used to be called"Madison Avenue" with very little personal, behind the mask information. Having worked with and been friends with colleagues in this field, the book provides insight into their careers, albeit Mat's was more involved with technology and internet.
This e-book was provided as a "win" in a Goodreads drawing. My review is freely offered, as I will almost always review any author's work one I conclude reading it.
First person biography by a creative in the advertising/marketing business covers his first job to the current day. Humorous and often self-depricating, successes and failures get full play as Mr Zucker seemingly does a brain dump. The book is 99% what used to be called"Madison Avenue" with very little personal, behind the mask information. Having worked with and been friends with colleagues in this field, the book provides insight into their careers, albeit Mat's was more involved with technology and internet.
This e-book was provided as a "win" in a Goodreads drawing. My review is freely offered, as I will almost always review any author's work one I conclude reading it.
October 7, 2020
What a delightful read! Bronze Seeks Silver is part memoir, part business book. It really captures the essence of what it means to fully commit to your career. Couple that with terrific storytelling and hilariously frank stories that make you feel like you’re on the inside and you’ve got a winner. Easy to read and super entertaining!
October 4, 2020
Don’t miss this warm, witty, and honest take on a life in the ad business. Zucker just adds to his already awesome karma by sharing his experience and wisdom. You don’t have to be an aspiring ad genius to learn a lot from his well-told stories.”
November 5, 2020
Highly entertaining journey through a fascinating career, with important “lessons learned” about pursuing meaningful work while building your network and relationships along the way.
November 9, 2020
Wow - I loved this book! Mat has done a beautiful job of telling his personal story in a way that makes you feel like you are there with him along the way. His writing is full of candor (e.g., "I've worked with mentors, monsters, and morons"), humor (e.g., he toasted "bottoms up!" at a spanking party), and humility (e.g., he's fanatical about making sure people get proper credit.) He's passionate and optimistic and generous, as demonstrated in the many lessons he shares with us, from practical ideas such as numbering your talking points before presenting to bigger life lessons such as having your people's backs, taking risks, and reaching out to people who are going through a hard time. "Bronze Seeks Silver" is as enlightening and informative as it is entertaining. I highly recommend it!
September 24, 2021
A Really Enjoyable Book of Insightful Stories
I have to start this review off by stating that I both went to school for marketing (after trying 3 other majors first). I am fascinated by marketing and the different things/ways that marketers are able to get us as consumers to spend our hard-earned cash. AND that I have worked marketing-adjacent for the past 6 years (I work in Advertising Technology). So, I point this out to make sure that as a reader of this review - you understand that I love marketing and I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to it. So I'm going to be reviewing it from that lens.
So, Bronze Seeks Silver starts off with an introduction from Zucker with a little about who he is and then jumps right into stories related to the different positions and jobs he's held at various companies. Now, that can sound like he's just showing off, but it's nowhere near that. Just hearing about the job search reminded me of my recent excursion into looking for a new job and it was MUCH easier to find a job with LinkedIn, the Internet, etc. But each different story from each part of Zucker's life was a little lesson on its own. And it didn't feel like an "I messed this up so you should do it this way" it wasn't even a "and now you need to do this" but it was a really neat and interesting basically mini case-studies that showed what happened, how it was handled and how he's taken that into every job since then.
I won't point out any of the lessons since if that sounds interesting to you, you should definitely check the book out. But know that they're not all marketing-related. Some of them are just ways to deal with difficult people or competitive coworkers. Some are around how things played out because of choices he made or ways that he went about things. It all felt very "realistic" and helpful even in today's job market. Mat feels like one of those people that I would find at a job and I would instantly try and siphon off as much information as I could since that's the best and fastest way to not only learn about the company and the industry but the best way to make lasting connections and ensure that you're successful in your career. You don't have to do all of the work - you have to learn from those before you who have and adapt that to your current problem.
Overall, I really enjoyed my reading of Bronze Seeks Silver. I think that Mat had a lot to share and he did with this book. Sometimes books like these just feel preachy or like someone trying to make a quick buck. But Bronze Seeks Silver was full of really interesting stories from a creative career in marketing (as the book states).
I have to start this review off by stating that I both went to school for marketing (after trying 3 other majors first). I am fascinated by marketing and the different things/ways that marketers are able to get us as consumers to spend our hard-earned cash. AND that I have worked marketing-adjacent for the past 6 years (I work in Advertising Technology). So, I point this out to make sure that as a reader of this review - you understand that I love marketing and I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to it. So I'm going to be reviewing it from that lens.
So, Bronze Seeks Silver starts off with an introduction from Zucker with a little about who he is and then jumps right into stories related to the different positions and jobs he's held at various companies. Now, that can sound like he's just showing off, but it's nowhere near that. Just hearing about the job search reminded me of my recent excursion into looking for a new job and it was MUCH easier to find a job with LinkedIn, the Internet, etc. But each different story from each part of Zucker's life was a little lesson on its own. And it didn't feel like an "I messed this up so you should do it this way" it wasn't even a "and now you need to do this" but it was a really neat and interesting basically mini case-studies that showed what happened, how it was handled and how he's taken that into every job since then.
I won't point out any of the lessons since if that sounds interesting to you, you should definitely check the book out. But know that they're not all marketing-related. Some of them are just ways to deal with difficult people or competitive coworkers. Some are around how things played out because of choices he made or ways that he went about things. It all felt very "realistic" and helpful even in today's job market. Mat feels like one of those people that I would find at a job and I would instantly try and siphon off as much information as I could since that's the best and fastest way to not only learn about the company and the industry but the best way to make lasting connections and ensure that you're successful in your career. You don't have to do all of the work - you have to learn from those before you who have and adapt that to your current problem.
Overall, I really enjoyed my reading of Bronze Seeks Silver. I think that Mat had a lot to share and he did with this book. Sometimes books like these just feel preachy or like someone trying to make a quick buck. But Bronze Seeks Silver was full of really interesting stories from a creative career in marketing (as the book states).
September 19, 2021
at Zucker is a writer, a strategic marketing consultant, a recognized creative, and a respected veteran in advertising and marketing. With Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from a Creative Career in Marketing, Mat Zucker takes the listener into a professional journey spanning almost 30 years in the advertising industry.
I’ve always been fascinated by ads, PR, and communications, by the way they are presented to the public, by the creative process, and by what message a specific spot or campaign tries to put out there. This being said, I jumped at the opportunity to review this insightful audiobook.
Mr. Zucker recalls his experiences in the advertising industry, he explains every high and every low to us as listeners and he shares valuable and important lessons that he learned throughout his impressive career.
This book is part memoir, part guidebook to everyone who wants to understand how this industry works, and I absolutely appreciated the fact that the author took the time to record the audiobook version himself.
Mat Zucker reads in a really pleasant tone, he perfectly explains each situation, keeps a perfect pace and he manages to be awkward, successful, or even funny at just the right moment in his performance. I’m glad that he decided to record this in his own voice and not put it out for someone else to tell this story.
Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from a Creative Career in Marketing by renowned Ad veteran Mat Zucker is a really captivating narrative experience and those interested in advertising, marketing, PR, and communications should not miss it!
There are a lot of important lessons to be learned and it’s always better to be taught by someone who is the best at their job. Newcomers to the advertising industry, veterans, or even those with just a passing interest should definitely pick up this audiobook! Who knows, maybe they will discover a passion for it!
I’ve always been fascinated by ads, PR, and communications, by the way they are presented to the public, by the creative process, and by what message a specific spot or campaign tries to put out there. This being said, I jumped at the opportunity to review this insightful audiobook.
Mr. Zucker recalls his experiences in the advertising industry, he explains every high and every low to us as listeners and he shares valuable and important lessons that he learned throughout his impressive career.
This book is part memoir, part guidebook to everyone who wants to understand how this industry works, and I absolutely appreciated the fact that the author took the time to record the audiobook version himself.
Mat Zucker reads in a really pleasant tone, he perfectly explains each situation, keeps a perfect pace and he manages to be awkward, successful, or even funny at just the right moment in his performance. I’m glad that he decided to record this in his own voice and not put it out for someone else to tell this story.
Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from a Creative Career in Marketing by renowned Ad veteran Mat Zucker is a really captivating narrative experience and those interested in advertising, marketing, PR, and communications should not miss it!
There are a lot of important lessons to be learned and it’s always better to be taught by someone who is the best at their job. Newcomers to the advertising industry, veterans, or even those with just a passing interest should definitely pick up this audiobook! Who knows, maybe they will discover a passion for it!
November 9, 2021
Excellent read as I think about launching my first book. Though it's not written for an author, I will take many of the life lessons to heart as I begin my own journey. I appreciated the down to earth air of the author. His ability to add humor and humility to a topic that is often represented by boastful types, touched my heart and made the lessons even more enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews