The Advertising Handbook is a critical introduction to the practices and perspectives of the advertising industry. Sean Brierley explores the structures of the profession and examines the roles of all those involved in advertising including businesses, agencies, consultancies and media owners. The Advertising Handbook traces the development of advertising and examines the changes that have taken place from its formative years through to today's period of rapid change: the impact of new media, the reise of the ad agency industry mergers, the Internet and digital technologies, and the influence of the regulatory environment. The Advertising Handbook offers a theoretical understanding of the industry and it challenges many assumptions about advertising's power and authority. Thoroughly revised and updated, it examines why companies and organisations advertise, how they research markets, where and when they advertise, the principles and techniques of persuasion and how companies measure performance. The Advertising Handbook includes: *Illustrations from a range of high-profile campaigns including Budweiser, Barnardo's, Benetton and Club 18-30 *New and detailed 'workshop' exercises accompanying each chapter *Case studies and profiles of ad agencies and key media players *A revised and up-to-date glossary of key terms *A guide to useful websites and online resources

The book is excellent. It is the only text I know that looks beyond the theory to the practical application of advertising strategy and is not afraid to challenge long-held beliefs...

John Egan, Middlesex University

Sean Brierley was a Lecturer in mass communications at Liverpool John Moores University and writes a regular column for Marketing Week.