"...But for my generation, old-fashioned was how the craftsmen we learned from did it (Bill Bernbach, David Abbott, John Webster) it’s classic and timeless, the proper way to do it.

"An example of this is a book I’ve just read: Reality in Advertising by Rosser Reeves.

"It was written in 1961 and it’s full of the lessons most people still haven’t learned.

"It begins by debunking the delusion that advertising should only be judged by sales: “It’s a good campaign if sales go up. It’s a bad campaign if sales go down.”

"Reeves gives an entire page of reasons that may affect sales other than advertising.

"Next, he gives examples to convince us that most people don’t even notice our ads, so impact must be paramount.

"He explains why changing a campaign too often is wrong and wasteful.

"He explains how crucial single-mindedness is to communication.

"He explains the difference between an advertisement being merely decorative or functional.

"Most importantly he explains where most advertising goes wrong (and remember this was written 60 years ago)." - Dave Trott

Book Review: Reality in Advertising