“How to Put Your Book Together and get a Job in Advertising” By Maxine Peatro

Who needs a “book?” All “Creative” people. anyone interested in the field of advertising either on the agency or client side. Put slightly more broadly; anyone interested in working in the communications field.

What’s the point? To show you are capable of creating, selling and defending good ideas; Peatro calls it an “advertising thinker.” To put a job interview under your control, not the person interviewing you. To take the pressure off the person interviewing you to come up with intelligent sounding questions. To help make you memorable, help you stand out from the crowd all interviewing for “your” job.

What are agencies really looking for? BIG ideas Just do it. Think Different

How many campaigns? In interviewing for “non-creative” department jobs, 3-5 campaigns as a “sample” of your thinking. For “creative dept.” positions, 5 campaigns, and up to 10 miscellaneous samples of your brilliance. Rules of thumb: Max 30 pieces. Don’t include anything you don’t think is great; 5 great things are better than 5 great and 25 average pieces. Put your very best work first. Mix up the media, but do 75% print. Print is usually the best and fastest way to show big ideas. Have TV, radio, etc., but mostly print. Don’t just include advertising. Include a sales promotion idea, an event, a product extension, etc.

What kinds of campaigns should be in your book? Packaged Good (“world’s toughest product category”) 75% of ads you see on TV are for packaged goods P&G alone spends more than $2 billion per year selling packaged goods. Belief in an agency that if you can do that, you can do anything! Parity Product or Service You show how you would make it special Service Product Credit cards, Airlines, dating service, vacation company, etc. Product you don’t buy “everyday.” Car, refrigerator, house or condo, a boat, etc. Cause. Pick a charity you care about, an issue, a disease, etc.

In a Professional’s word: Pick a product you use everyday, a product you “use but don’t want” e.g. cereal, shoe polish, deodorant, shampoo, etc. Pick a product you buy often and “want but don’t need” e.g. Candy bar, magazine, CD, etc. Pick a product that you buy not more than once a year e.g. car, VCR, TIVO, vacation.

Can you include anything else? If it is yours, and it’s great, absolutely. What’s more important, work that has actually run, or spec work? GREAT IDEAS Every agency has 10 times more great ideas than they’ve been able to “sell.” Don’t show less than great work simply because it has run, it reminds them of all the compromises they’ve made in their careers.