"MADvertising" is a great collection of some of the best Madvertisements, along with some commentary about the fake, funny campaigns.
The book also tries to clear up the history of advertising in MAD magazine. The story of MAD Magazine's advertisements, says author David Shayne, is a bit more complex than the legend that the magazine never accepted real ads. They actually did have some that looked like the ones found in comic books, but MAD artists parodied them and the real advertisers got upset. From then on, only wonderfully skewering parody ads were included for forty years. Then some more real ads made their way in. As I said, they try to clear it up.
It doesn't matter. MADvertsing is a collection of some of the best parody ads of all time and is as essential as "Ogilvy On Advertising" for those studying the history of American consumerism. Advertisements comment on the culture they are trying to reach, and the parodies of them do it as well. Wander through the not-so-distant past with glimpses at ads for 8-track tapes, life insurance, cars, and more, and watch as the fonts, photos, and methods of making an appeal change over time.
So what do we get in this book? Ads for Kossacolor film by Nikita Krushchev, Liberty Mutilate (The Company That Stages Accidents), a Citbunk Advantage credit card ad asking "Did he need the Triple Bypass, or was it the miles?" and an ad for new Ben and Jerry's rock flavors such as "Fiona Apple Crunch Non-Patriarchal Ice Cream" and "Rage Against the Praline Socialist Ice Cream." The list goes on and on.
There are reproductions of MAD takeoffs the advertising industry, such as the "My Fair Lady" sendup "My Fair Ad Man" or "An Advertiser Would Have Us Believe..." strip that lists all the things that would be true in a world where ads were true. An example: "An advertsier would have you believe... that the preservation of our American Way depends upon selecting some idiot to Congress who hasn't done anything for us in 12 years." They wrote this 30 years ago.
A special section are devoted to particular products that were especially worthy of making fun of on an on-going basis - ads for cigarette and booze. They don't hold back, either. "Butwiser - where there's strife, there's beer" is just one attack on Budwesier. Cigarette companies get special scorn as merchants of death. MAD's work should be studied by those doing anti-drinking or smoking PSA's.
Absolut, Home Depot, Bayer, Dewars, Maytag, and other icons of branding are knocked down and dragged around by some very clever and witty, perhaps mad, people making observations and parody ads. Not always in good taste — Dr. Kevorkian's Children's Book Club offers books like "It's Inoperable, Charlie Brown," "Where the Dead Things Are," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog's Last Trip to the Vet" — but authentic MAD humor goes beyond making us laugh. MADvertisements have made us think while reading the magazine, and continue to do so in this collection.
Most of the parody ads are accompanied by a small image of the original ad that was being parodied, just in case you miss the connection. There are interviews and comments from artists and writers, some real ads made by MAD artists. Additionally, information about the photo shoots, with names and details about people who appeared in photos adds another level to what this book is offering.
If you are a fan of MAD or advertising, this book will be frequently referenced once you have it in your collection.
MADvertising - A MAD Look at 50 Years of MADison Avenue by David Shayne is published by Watson-Guptill.