This reference looks at 500 major marketing and advertising campaigns of the 20th century from a historical perspective and several related initiatives of earlier years that developed the basis for present day advertising.
With profiles of 474 advertising campaigns that appeared between the late 1990s and 2005, this volume is a welcome companion to the popular 1999 work of the same name. Campaigns were selected based on their conceptual value or innovation, company or brand importance, and effectiveness in selling the advertised product or service.
Entries are arranged alphabetically by the name of the company for which the campaign was run, so, for example, a campaign for Quaker Oats is listed under PepsiCo Inc., its parent company. One entry may include multiple campaigns. Although network-television commercials are the dominant medium covered, print, radio, direct-to-consumer, and cable television ads are also included, along with billboards and product placements. The use of the Internet in campaigns is discussed as well.
Campaign profiles generally range from three to four pages and include "Overview," "Historical Context," "Target Market," "Competition," "Marketing Strategy," and "Outcome." They often have sidebars that provide interesting trivia about the campaign, the product, featured actors, unintended consequences, comparisons with other ads, etc. Some profiles also include black-and-white photographs. All profiles conclude with a list of further readings, usually articles from trade publications and newspapers.
A combined index provides numerous access points, including campaign name, company name, brand name, personal name, advertising agency, actor/spokesperson, topic, product, and industry. Thus, the famous Cat Herders campaign is indexed under that listing and also under Clio Awards, Electronic Data Systems, Fallon Worldwide, Super Bowl advertising, and television commercials, among others.
The Reference Book Bulletin review of the 1999 title stated that "few reference works offer historical information about advertising campaigns, and none match the depth and quality offered here." This statement still holds today. Academic and public libraries that support marketing and advertising programs and clientele will welcome the second volume of this encyclopedia. It will also be a worthwhile addition to popular-culture collections and should not be overlooked as a source of company and industry information useful to general business researchers. Jan Lewis
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