Adland by Mark Tungate touts itself as being the first book to present a global history of advertising; in fact, the subtitle says exactly that.
It’s an ambitious goal, especially to cover with less than 270 pages.
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell labeled the work, “Immensely readable.” Sir Alan Parker gushed, “A terrific book: intelligently written and thoroughly researched. A must read for anyone interested in advertising.” Meanwhile, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts called it, “A great story: full of character, fun and life.” And W/Brasil President Washington Olivetto swooned, “The story of the best advertising, told with the accuracy of the best journalism and with the style of the best literature.”
That’s pretty impressive praise from prominent figures in the field. Although it should be noted the four men were interviewed for Adland. Guess Tungate picked up a few basics on hype and promotion over the course of his studies.
Dust jacket puffery aside, Tungate does deliver lots of information in an “immensely readable” style. Adland is almost a Reader’s Digest version of every advertising classic ever published—a mashup of the best books on the business. Just scan the list of references at the back, and you’ll see. Indeed, true ad aficionados will already be familiar with nearly 90 percent of the content in Adland.
The disturbing part about Adland, whether deliberate or not, is the absolute supremacy of White men. In many respects, it’s certainly an accurate depiction of the dearth of diversity in our industry. But aside from an obligatory nod to Mary Wells Lawrence, Tungate presents a total, international, color-free Boys Club.
To be fair, multiculturalism and racism do appear in a brief examination of Oliviero Toscani’s iconic Benetton campaign. And culture is discussed in the areas involving mergers, albeit from a corporate perspective.
Sure, there’s an entire chapter devoted to Dentsu and a handful of other Japanese shops. Yet you can’t help but notice Dentsu the Gigantor agency is segregated on infinite levels. Tungate also touches on Spanish advertising, with a mostly South America-Barcelona-Madrid flavor. And Adland offers a few pages on a TBWA satellite agency in South Africa. Toward the end, the author ponders the emerging Asian markets too. But overall, the Adland spotlight shines on the White Mad Men.
Adland by Mark Tungate is a global history of advertising—plus a snapshot of White male global dominance.
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