This weekend I read a couple of books. I began with the Attention Merchants -which has been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years. And whilst reading, it got me thinking about behavioural science in Marketing. And so I googled “Best behavioural science books in marketing” – as you do.

I got some good book recommendations from Google, all of which are now on my book wishlists. One such recommendation was Ca$hvertising.

So I began listening to it. But realised reading it would serve me better. I recommend you read it too. There are so many valuable insights in this one, so you’ll need to take notes, re-read stuff and probably reference it later.

It’s a good book that teaches you how to write captivating ads. What’s more, is, it’s packed full of stories about the best yes simple advertising strategies over the years. The book itself is an ad; intriguing, captivating and persuasive. So do get it. 

The book is so good it prompted me to make immediate improvements. I had been working on this very article you are reading, titling it ‘Attracting attention’. However, I had rewritten the title a few pages into the book no less than ten times. Not sure if ‘Advertising is Dead’ is any better, but at least I’m trying, right? And we’re going to talk about that in a minute, whether advertising is dead, I promise.

Now, I think no knowledge is wasted, hence this book’s strong recommendation, but here’s a critique. Now it may just be me, but when I tried to incorporate Whitman’s techniques into this article, it sounded corny and oversimplified – simplicity is central to Whitman’s methods. And that all makes sense, but my article read like writing we have all seen before. In fact, it read like an elongated ad.

I suppose you could argue that writing is bound to sound dull if you follow a method that a million and one copywriters are probably using. But it’s a technique that works and I probably need a little more time to master it. Hmmm. Perhaps you’re right. Would you please tell me what you think in the comments? Have you read this book. Would recommend another?

Now on to answering whether advertising is dead? No. Not entirely. But I think it works best when it is earnest, energetic and full of personality.

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