Lemon. How the advertising brain turned sour.

Orlando Wood and his team at System 1 created what should be the manifesto for creative agencies. Advertising is the oil of the commerce world, but too many consumers hate ads, and for good reason: they're flat and unappealing. Advertising lost its edge as it became disembodied and cold. Mr. Wood provides ample evidence that creating emotional appeal is critical to advertising success, and subsequent gains in share of voice and market share. If you're in the advertising business, you must read this paradigm-shaping work

Received the product in the mail and it arrived water damaged. The packaging itself was okay so it was an issue on the manufacturer’s side. Buy from somewhere else.

I am that person who needs to remind themselves which arm* sported the scout proficiency badges before I can figure out which is my right and which is my left, For me, this excellently researched and cleverly argued book is a brilliant addition to the left brain/right brain educational canon analysing and explaining and illustrating how we think, feel and communicate. It’s delivered with surprisingly rewarding and entertaining originality for a ‘school’ book. It is rammed with both proof and anecdote to help you argue the case for the power of human creativity in delivering effective communication. When I was growing up, I was taught this formula for brand comms success: Relevant + Distinctive = More Effective. After 40 years in adland, the first 20 of them spend in analogue, I know full well that advertising is no longer working as well as it used to and that the arrival of the digital activation channels have made it a lot worse (after an initial novelty fillip). I also blame the hiving off of the media department into separate (profit making) entities; a cohort that then proceeded to lose the team plot and stop talking to anyone else who might have a contribution to making the work work – like the strategists and, vitally, the creatives. Something must be done. My contribution, having read Lemon, is to amend my brand comms success formula to Relevant + Entertaining + Distinctive = More Effective. Brands that we can recognise quickly, come easily to mind and feel good (fame, fluency and feeling) are more valued. Simples.If you are into feeding your head, keen to break the left brain dominance Google Gonzo Advertising Thinking (where you never go beyond the first page in your searches and so never have an original thought), this is a book you must invest in. It will inspire.*the right

as somebody who works in the creative side of advertising, i thoroughly enjoyed Wood's hypotheses and how he brings them to life through cultural references as well as hard figures. easily the most interesting, thought-provoking and inspiring marketing book I have read in a long time. a must-read for anybody in the industry but also hugely relevant for anybody with an interest in shifts in how different cultures and societies have consumed art and creativity over the centuries.

I baulked at the price (for such a short document) but it's ROI is huge.A must read.