When ads work : new proof that advertising triggers sales /

One of the most famous quotes dealing with the value of advertising was supposedly made years ago by John Wanamaker: "half of my advertising is wasted, but the trouble is I don't know which half." Jones (Syracuse Univ.) sets out to shed light on both the short-term and long-term effects of advertising. He uses 1991 sales and advertising data for products in 12 fields representing repeat-purchase packaged goods. These data were from an A.C. Neilsen panel of 2,000 households, which because of special monitoring equipment are designated "single source" households. The first section of the book (seven chapters) describes five major discoveries related to the success of advertising that emerge from the Nielsen data. The second section provides evidence backing those "discoveries," and the final section, composed of six appendixes, provides the quantitative evidence. The book (especially its 30 conclusions) is of major value to both users and practitioners of advertising because it provides quantitative evidence on the short-term and long-term effects of advertising, one-shot versus continuous advertising, and advertising's value when used with other forms of promotion. Academic and professional collections. G. Kress; Colorado State University