Creative Advertising: Theory and Practice

2nd ed., by Sandra E. Moriarty, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991

ISBN 0-13-189911-2

About this Book:

In advertising it is not enough to know how; you also need to know why. Most advertising books that discuss the creative side focus on practice. They teach readers how to do it, but not necessarily why -or why not. This book challenges readers to think about the whys and why nots, as well as the how tos.

Advertising is an evolving field. It continually confronts new situations and changing conditions such as new target audiences with different attitudes and new media technologies. In order to be able to cope with a field of change, it is helpful to understand basic principles, as well as basic practices.

One source for insights into the whys, as well as the hows, is the professional advertising community. This book is not just one person's view of the creative side but rather it uses stories, anecdotes, quotes, and other types of explanations compiled from the wide experience of many working professionals.

One problem with a book on the creative side of advertising is the breadth of the field. For example, it includes the two professional areas of copywriting and art direction. Sometimes these are taught in separate courses; sometimes they are taught together in a creative course. It also includes entry-level and advanced courses. Using a modular organizational format, it is possible for the instructor to custom design the readings for his or her individual course or series of courses.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I: The Advertising Process

1. Fifty-Seven Words and Thirty Seconds

2. Getting Started

3. How Advertising Works

4. Advertising Strategy

5. Copy Platforms

6. Creative Concepts

7. Visual Communication

8. Advertising Writing

Part II: Media Specifics

9. The Copy Package

10. Layout and Production

11. Print Advertising

12. Radio Advertising

13. Television Advertising

14. Other Advertising Media

Part III: Situations and Decisions

15. Advertising Situations

16. The Creative Side of Campaigns

17. Copy Evaluation

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