Books
Signs of the Times
Edmond Bruneau owns his own advertising company, but his experience reaches into many media: He has been a newspaper editor, a radio station announcer, a media director, an agency account executive, a creative services manager and an advertising director for one of the largest electronic message center manufacturers. He knows whereof he speaks, and he speaks with a succinct humor that makes easy reading. But don't be misled. Bruneau has written a highly practical, if basic, book about a subject that is often hard to grapple with.
This book should be read as an introduction to media, all media. Although Bruneau writes to the business owner who may be interested in the traditional media (newspaper, radio, television and outdoor), he also explains some advertising that many owners fail to value or even recognize as advertising. His is one of the few books that recognize the value of signage (the "other" outdoor advertising medium), which Bruneau insists belongs in the advertising budget (but not, he emphasizes, in the advertising agency's domain, unlike traditional media). His chapters on signage, logos, specialty advertising, and convention displays emphasize the "advertising" value of image as well as product.
His goal is not to teach the reader how to advertise, but how to take control of his advertising and get the most for his dollar. As one might expect, he repeats - often - his warning to let the professionals handle the advertising: It is often cheaper to pay a higher price for an ad that works, whatever the medium, than for a cheaper ad that doesn't. But then he goes on to tell how to deal with agencies (as well as artists, photographers and copywriters) so that you get the best work from each. (His discussions on contracts, particularly those items that are generally negotiable, and the various methods of payment may be particularly interesting to business owners who have never examined their advertising, or lack of it, before.)
Bruneau explains the basics of how each medium functions, including how various traditional media are measured and the basic principles behind a good buy in each. But other forms of advertising are also discussed. Press releases, newsletters, direct mail and co-op advertising are all explained from multiple points of view: the advertiser's, the editor's, the reader's.
If the subjects are many, however, the thesis remains the same. The business owner must look at his own business, examine the services or products he provides (for instance, style as well as apparel), and decide what people he wants his advertising to reach. Only then can he evaluate how to reach them.