World Book Day is a great opportunity to encourage children to read books – but it’s also a good chance to reflect on the books that educate us as adults.
We asked our team to give us an example of a book that has helped them in their career and tell us why it inspired them. The list is an interesting and varied one:
Will Whyler – Senior Campaigns Executive: “As data becomes an ever-greater aspect of marketing and the world in general, it’s crucial we maintain control of that data so that it doesn’t end up controlling us. A deep dive into the social impact of careless data decisions that prompts a series of big questions about our data economy.”
Jacob Brodmann – Senior Art Director: “When I first read this book it was a defining moment for me. It compared traditional advertising channels such as press, print and TV to frontline infantry soldiers in the thick of battle and guerrilla advertising to a sniper hundreds of yards away in a tower.”
Julie Malone – Managing Director: “I read Eleanor of Aquitaine and it proved that a determined woman could make things work in a man’s world and how best to achieve good outcomes.”
Darren McLeod – Strategy and Planning Director: “This was the first time I saw the diffusion of innovation curve and how you can achieve significant take-up of your product or service within a target audience.
“The theory has been used in a lot of public health campaigns – if you can get enough early adopters on board, leaping the chasm to the early majority is a much easier task and makes campaigns so much more effective. Look at how the NHS is rolling out the vaccines this year and you can see how much of what is in the book still holds true.”
Steve Hallmark – PR Account Manager: “A leading authority on the craft of clear writing, Harold Evans’ books were essential for young journalists. His final book demonstrates that, even in a digital age, rewriting and editing are essential for clarity.”
Tom Vardy – Creative Director: “A classic which holds true right up until this very moment. It shows the difference between aesthetics and an idea.”
Mark Fraser – Senior Copywriter: “This book taught me a great deal about the advertising industry. It highlighted just how brilliant some people are, but at the same time, as with David Ogilvy himself, how many egos are in the industry.
“The book made me realise that great people aren’t always right, nor do they always have great creative ideas. I used it as a platform and utilised the advice from Mr. Ogilvy that I thought would help me most. After all, you can’t knock him given he created one of the most successful agencies in the world and owned a chateau in France.”
Anthony Walker – Senior PR Account Manager: “Supposedly a book about winding up the authorities, it’s actually a very good resource on how to get big results through campaign-based PR.”
