Jerry Della Femina is one of the old school of Madison Avenue ad men who defined American Advertising during its golden age of the 1960s. This book apparently the inspiration behind the TV show ‘Mad Men’ and straight out of the block, Della Femina’s writing hits you like the kick from a three Martini lunch.

His world is that of big-hitters, big-billers, guys who work hard, play hard and have a generous expense account and no one to answer to but their conscience. As a book to learn about the advertising world, this serves as great example of unreconstructed machismo, dripping in testosterone, bourbon and backslapping. In this world, everyone is playing for keep and anything you can do to get one over on a rival is not only expected, it’s compulsory. In this world, women are invisible, with one or two exceptions. Men aren’t judged by their character or deeds, but by the accounts they carry and the amount of booze they can handle.

That’s not to say this book is without its merits – it’s an enjoyable read that really doesn’t let up from the first page to the last. It reads like a number of bar room barrage of anecdotes – often repetitive, never boring, and only occasionally wandering of in a tangent that adds little to the overall story. One of the better anecdotes in the book relates to Della Femina’s team being asked to market a child’s toy gun. In the suggested ad, the child fires the gun from the top of a mound of dirt. The client puts significant pressure on the creative team to ensure that it’s make clear to potential purchasers of the produce that the mound of dirt is more definitely not included in the purchase, while, bafflingly, completely ignorant the violence inherent in the produce itself.

Della Femina genuinely believes that advertising is the most fun anyone can have and the industry has been kind to him over the years. It could be argued that the modern advertising industry has done well to distance itself from the unreconstructed ideas and opinions of men like him. The book takes it’s name from the suggested strapline to a series of ads Della Femina and his team were brainstorming for Japanese electronics firm, and one-time client of his, Panasonic. That’ll give you an indication of where the humour lies.

As a historical document, this is a welcome addition, casting light on less enlightened times. As a way to learn anything about the advertising industry, it merely serves to show how far we’ve come.

Reviewed by Scott Morris

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