The first book to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical, media-blitzed public, Positioning describes a revolutionary approach to creating a "position" in a prospective customer's mind-one that reflects a company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors. Writing in their trademark witty, fast-paced style, advertising gurus Ries and Trout explain how to:Make and position an industry leader so that its name and message wheedles its way into the collective subconscious of your market-and stays there Position a follower so that it can occupy a niche not claimed by the leader Avoid letting a second product ride on the coattails of an established one. Positioning also shows you how to:Use leading ad agency techniques to capture the biggest market share and become a household name Build your strategy around your competition's weaknesses Reposition a strong competitor and create a weak spot Use your present position to its best advantage Choose the best name for your product Determine when-and why-less is more Analyze recent trends that affect your positioning. Ries and Trout provide many valuable case histories and penetrating analyses of some of the most phenomenal successes and failures in advertising history. Revised to reflect significant developments in the five years since its original publication, Positioning is required reading for anyone in business today. Read more

IT WASN’T GERMAN ENGINEERING ONLY THAT MADE THE VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE AN ICON. IT WAS A MANHATTAN ADVERTISING AGENCY, TOO.Created in 1959 by Doyle Dane Bernbach and continued through the ’60s and early ’70s, the campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle is considered the best of all time. More than just promoting a car, it promoted a new kind of advertising: simple, charming, intelligent and, most of all, honest.In “Ugly Is Only Skin-Deep,” Dominik Imseng retraces the creation of Doyle Dane Bernbach, sneered at by the big players on Madison Avenue because of the “ethnic” background of its founders and employees, who were mostly Jewish. Readers will then learn how the agency won the Volkswagen account and how an unlikely creative team—copywriter Julian Koenig and art director Helmut Krone—set the tone for the most admired campaign in advertising history. Finally, the book examines the evolution of the Volkswagen campaign and how advertising greats such as Bob Levenson, Len Sirowitz, Roy Grace or Bob Kuperman managed to convince more and more Americans that smaller was better. In fact, the Volkswagen campaign didn’t only fundamentally change the ethos of advertising—it also helped trigger the cultural revolution of the 1960s.“A spirited, fully illustrated history of a pivotal era in American advertising.” —Wallpaper“A fascinating read that is hard to put down.” —VolksAmerica“Dominik Imseng has done an amazing job of weaving personality, history and practice into a wonderfully written book.” —Steven Heller, School of Visual Arts, NYC“I can’t recommend it highly enough. Get it.” —Neil French, former Worldwide Creative Director of WPP and author of “Sorry for the Lobsters”“A timely as well as masterful piece of work.” —Richard Huntington, Chief Strategy Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi London“Pure inspiration that makes you love the business all over again.” —Edward Boches, Professor of Advertising at Boston University and former Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Mullen Lowe“Damn good book.” —Ed McCabe, Co-Founder, President, Worldwide Creative Director of Scali, McCabe, Sloves, Inc.“Dominik Imseng helps us understand why the Volkswagen campaign changed advertising.” —Dave Dye, Stuff from the Loft“Do yourself and your career a favor. Forgo two days’ worth of pretentious caffeine. Spend your money instead on Mr Imseng’s surpassing book.” —George Tannenbaum, Ad Aged“If the author’s command of his subject is masterful, then his ability to tell it as a story is even more impressive.” —Steve Harrison, author of “How to Do Better Creative Work” and “Changing the World is the Only Fit Work for a Grown Man” Read more

This oversize book contains some of the most beautiful and iconic posters from La Belle Époque, to the golden age of the 1920s, through to the Cubist and Expressionist-infused 1930s and ‘40s.   Thanks to the invention of lithography, from 1880 on, the poster became a dominant form of advertising in Europe, Great Britain, and the United States. Although originally meant to be ephemeral, because of their timeless beauty, these works have now become iconic. Here are the most beautiful and eye-catching of those vintage posters, including Toulouse-Lautrec’s and Alphonse Mucha’s exquisitely embellished paintings of pretty girls; daring and elaborate images with commercial and promotional messaging that arose at the start of the twentieth century; early avant-garde designs that reflected an unsettled world in the 1920s and ‘30s—including ads for cinemas and sporting events; the streamlined, more graphic designs that emerged after WWI; and the phenomenally creative surrealist, airbrushed, and Swiss images created during a period of social upheaval and geared to a more sophisticated public.   Read more

Over 200 Pages of Illustrated Graphic Ads that Everyone Should Know. Use this look book to see the graphic designs and illustrations from well known vintage ads. Larger sizes allow you to see details better. Enjoy old style, antique ads from the late 1800s and early 1900s.Admire the artwork, enjoy the wording, and see how different ad creation was at the turn of the century.A great book and gift for antique art lovers, graphic artists, and collectors who enjoy history, advertising, and graphic arts.*This book is a lookbook containing images only. Read more