Inventing Desire: Inside Chiat/Day : The Hottest Shop, the Coolest Players, the Big Business of Advertising: Karen Stabiner
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Many critics of consumerism believe advertising “invents desire” for products we do not want or need–be they automobiles or presidential candidates. Stabiner ( Courting Fame ) investigated these allegations in this revealing account of the daily operations of Chiat/Day, the firm named “Agency of the Decade” by Advertising Age. Staffed with talented creative personnel often in conflict with the business side of the firm, Chiat/Day was unnerved by the recession, the loss of major accounts, administrative problems and fiscal constraints (often affecting expenditures for creative services and food for the office). Stabiner’s candid coverage of the key players, along with material on television, print campaigns and market positioning, enrich this impressive study. While this book should appeal to the trade market and “Madison Avenue” types eager to learn about a competitor, it could be “positioned” as supplementary reading in advertising classes in business and communication schools.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Stabiner finds out what makes Chiat/Day march to a different drummer in the world of advertising. Perhaps the most creative advertising agency in the United States, as evidenced by its work on the Energizer Bunny ads and its famous “Why 1984 won’t be 1984″ commercial that launched the Macintosh for Apple Computer, Chiat/Day rattles consumers, and often clients, who think they know what to expect from commercials. Stabiner spent 1990 at Chiat/Day’s Venice, California, headquarters and had total access to all its meetings and deliberations. Her book reads more like a novel than a business history, with deft characterizations and plot turns leading to an exciting climax. Will the creative people reconcile their differences with the suits? Will the organization continue to refuse to grow up? The agency’s creative genius, Lee Clow–the man to whom formal attire means long pants and socks–comes across as the hero of the saga, but all the players are memorable. This is the best book on advertising since David Ogilby’s Confessions of an Advertising Man. Essential for all types of libraries.
- William W. Sannwald, San Diego P. L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.