Modern Day Advertising Is Dead Book Review

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2.1 Modern Day Advertising: Advertising is Dead, Long Live Advertising!

Advertising is Dead: Long Live Advertising! is a book that provides an overview of the revolutionary advertising techniques and media needed to successfully reach today's consumer. The author of the book, Tom Himpe, uses a visually stimulating set of campaigns to discuss ideas and thoughts behind “alternative advertising”. I will be referencing some of Himpe’s ideas and theories to discuss what advertising can be, and how my work fit (or do not fit) into the advertising world.

At the beginning of his book, Himpe said, “Twenty years ago an advertiser could reach eighty percent of the American population with just three television commercials. Today it takes 150.

Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.”2.4 Artist Reference: Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson (born September 26, 1962) is an American photographer who is best known for his elaborate and surreal imagery of small town America. His photographs demonstrate richness, complexity, attention to detail in an elaborately staged set.

Often described as peculiar, Crewdon’s photos are at times downright disturbing, portraying scenes of horror, chaos and mystery. In his body of work titled “Beneath the Roses”, Crewdson’s photographs are visually alluring and disquieting.

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The subjects were nervous at first, but after a while, they were lost in their own mood in their own world. Crewdson was only concerned about a particular moment— the moment of the picture. He did not have any interest in the moment before or after the picture.

In a certain way, there was a lot of ambiguity and serendipity. Crewdson would direct and coach the subjects up to a certain point, and then he would leave the rest to chance and “happy accident”. By giving up the storyline or character development, he would be able to focus on the search for a moment and to make it as mysterious and beautiful as possible. In his words, “The pictures are about a search for a moment. A perfect moment.”

In my work, the same kind of psychology applies. I would stage my subjects up to a certain point and leave the rest to observation and serendipity. I found this approach to be more organic and collaborative, as it left some room for dialogue between the photographer and the subjects. The narratives and characters were invented by the subjects as much as they were invented by the