After reading “Ogilvy on Advertising” a few weeks ago, “The Wizard of Ads,” by Roy Williams was a nice change of pace. Not that it is a bad thing, but don’t expect any examples of ads or statistics based on research. This book is set up as a collection of 1-2 page essays about observations and stories. The first of the three sections is the most directly applicable to advertising because he is talking about the power of words. The other 2 sections, although interesting, relate more to success in general than to success in advertising. Roy’s tone is similar to that of a motivational speaker as he gives examples of small people doing great things.

To be honest with you, I would never have picked this book up if it wasn’t recommended to me. The cover design turned me off. The worn leather look would be alright if it weren’t for the poor type treatment of the title. Calling it “The Wizard of Ads” is too corny for me to have given it a second look, although he does have several references to the Wizard of Oz. Despite my lack of enthusiasm of the book’s design, it is definitely worth reading. The stories are short and inspirational, and the observations are insightful and well written.