MarkTrueblood

Before I decided to go into advertising, I studied formal logic, rhetoric, and debate in college. It turns out this is a terrific background for a copywriter and an ad professional, because I actually use my training nearly every day on the job. How many Philosophy majors can say that!?!?!? However, I have often caught myself drinking the hype that the ad industry serves in 40 oz bottles. Diligently reading Bob Hoffman has helped put me back on the straight and narrow.

Bob Hoffman is an ad agency owner and a popular advertising blogger at The Ad Contrarian. He is known for his hilarious skewering of the BS that inundates the advertising industry. Over the years, he has become my favorite advertising blogger because of his ability to think critically. Critical thinking and logic are two faculties in short supply in our industry, and Bob is always a refreshing read.

So I was very happy to see his new book for sale. This book is an edited collection of posts from his blog. Bob Hoffman's perspective is terrific because he continually digs into various heaping piles of advertising hype to discover nuggets of truth. And if he doesn't find any, he's not afraid to say how bad it stinks.

There's not much specific to say about his book, because it's collected from his blog. If you like his blog, you'll like the book. And even if you've read every post on his blog, you should still buy the book. Because he's been writing that great blog for free, and at least deserves some beer money for the effort.

Update: The Ad Contrarian was nice enough to link to my blog here.