Know this Tom & Jerry cartoon? 

Tom is at the billiard table.

The ball flies madly about, caroming off the cushions, going everywhere but into the pocket.

Frustrating. 

But a resourceful Tom reaches over to literally ‘pull’ the pocket into the path of the speeding ball. (The magic of animation.)

With that shift, the shot is lined up and deftly drops in. Brilliant.

Like Tom, Steve Harrison is out to shift things.

But this time it’s with advertising and brand purpose.

Is advertising meant to save the world? Will it pull rabbits out of hats for marketers?

Is brand purpose the goal? 

If so we’re wondering if it’s to the exclusion of selling something.

Remember selling?

To bring that into focus you have Steve Harrison working for you.

He’s dark on crappy ads that can’t sell, ones that are lost opportunities because they lack any wit, charm and reasoned persuasion.

So this book is not unlike the crack of a rifle shot that startles us, making readers realise creative work must improve – or else.

As such you get something of a contrarian view. 

But it’s a view backed by hard facts that cast new light on misleading generalisations. 

Like Millennials being wedded to social purpose.

Not the case, as we learn.

Readers benefit as Steve Harrison shifts the focus from political solutions like brand purpose to messaging that can stop people and create the moment someone buys.

Well, will anyone balk at revenue flowing in? We doubt it.

Yes, contrarian … that may be the case.

But if you don’t question the status quo and apply hard facts are you fully awake?

Are you thinking hard enough?

Everyone in marketing and advertising should read this book.

The thing is, you need to do it before your competitors do. 

That way it’ll be your shots that drop deftly into the pocket, not theirs.