How To Become An Advertising Man

James Webb Young

• Publisher: Bonhopai Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781779793218
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

How to Become an Advertising Man by James Webb Young is a practical and inspiring guide to one of the most dynamic professions of the 20th century. Written by a seasoned advertising executive at the height of Madison Avenue's golden era, the book distills a lifetime of experience into clear, candid advice for those seeking a career in the business of persuasion.

Young frames advertising not simply as selling products, but as the art of understanding people—what they want, how they think, and how words and images can move them. He discusses the qualities that make for success in the field, from curiosity and imagination to discipline and persistence, and offers insights into the daily life of an advertising professional. With engaging anecdotes drawn from his own career, he explains how to develop ideas, communicate effectively, and build trust with clients.

Though written in 1963, Young's advice remains surprisingly modern, emphasizing creativity, integrity, and adaptability as timeless qualities. The book captures both the excitement of working in an industry at its creative peak and the challenges of balancing artistic vision with commercial demands.

 How to Become an Advertising Man   stands as both a career manual and a historical snapshot of advertising in its formative decades, offering readers a front-row seat to the era when modern marketing was being defined. 

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• Introduction
• Preface
• Chapter I — Definition
• Chapter II — The Do-It-Yourself Textbook
• Chapter III — The Content of Advertising Knowledge
• Chapter IV — Knowledge of Propositions
• Chapter V — Knowledge of Markets
• Chapter VI — Knowledge of Messages
• Chapter VII — Knowledge of Message Carriers
• Chapter VIII — Knowledge of Trade Channels
• Chapter IX — How Advertising Works
• Chapter X — How Advertising Works— 1. BY FAMILIARIZING
• Chapter XI — How Advertising Works— 2. BY REMINDING
• Chapter XII — How Advertising Works— 3. BY SPREADING NEWS
• Chapter XIII — How Advertising Works— 4. BY OVERCOMING INERTIA
• Chapter XIV — How Advertising Works— 5. BY ADDING A VALUE NOT IN THE PRODUCT
• Chapter XV — Knowledge of the Specific Situation
• Chapter XVI — The Nature of Advertising Knowledge
• Chapter XVII — Education for Advertising
• Chapter XVIII — The Advertising Man in His Society