Part way through reading George Parker’s new book, MadScam: Kick-Ass Advertising Without the Madison Avenue Price Tag, we informed George we had found the perfect coaster for our scotch. Amused, he agreed but told us to get off our ass and read the book. We did. And we can whole heartedly tell you you should too. With or without a glass of scotch. The man has things to say and things you won’t hear from your average “I’m a hot shit marketer and everything I say is gold” flatulence. The man has been through it all and he has no problem telling marketers they don’t need Madison Avenue for all their marketing needs.
Having worked in advertising since, well, before many of us were born, George knows the bullshit that is spewed in this industry and without condemning, he offers a road map for marketers interested in results versus glamor. His style is refreshingly blunt and devoid of the usual marketing book babble. The advice he offers is simple and actionable. In addition to the basics of strategy and budget, George offers straight forward tactics for each medium, what works, what doesn’t and why. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book are the war stories and anecdotes George has collected over the years. Anyone who’s been in the industry longer than a week will find them quite amusing and you will laugh at yourself for falling into the same traps George urges us all to avoid.
There are thousands of marketing and advertising books out there for those who want to hear self-important, ego-centric, so-called “experts” babble on endlessly like a pompous, ill-informed blow hard about their new-fangled “marketing solutions.” There are very few books that cut through the crap, remove the jargon and talk to readers like they are human beings. George’s Madscam is one such book. Read it. You’ll really enjoy it.
