Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, and Design

Advertising Creative is the first "postdigital" creative strategy and copywriting textbook in which digital technology is woven throughout every chapter. The book gets right to the point of advertising by stressing key principles and practical information students and working professionals can use to communicate effectively in this postdigital age. Drawing on personal experience as award-winning experts in creative advertising, Tom Altstiel and Jean Grow offer real-world insights on cutting-edge topics, including global, social media, business-to-business, in-house, and small agency advertising.

In this Fourth Edition, Altstiel and Grow take a deeper dive into the exploration of digital technology and its implications for the industry, as they expose the pervasive changes experienced across the global advertising landscape. Their most important revelation of all is the identification of the three qualities that will define the future leaders of this industry: Be a risk taker. Understand technology. Live for ideas.

Tom Altstiel (MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; BA, Valparaiso University) has spent over 40 years in the marketing communication business developing creative strategy and content for broadcast, video, print, web, sales promotion, direct marketing, social media, and public relations. He was creative director at three agencies, including owner/partner in PKA Marketing. Tom is currently principal of TBA Marketing Group LLC, a creative firm focusing on strategic solutions and content for business-to-business clients and non-profit organizations. Tom has developed creative work for a wide variety consumer, B2B clients and non-profits, including Toyota, Snap-on Tools, CASE, Johnson Controls, Evinrude, Komatsu, Rexnord, 3M, FiServ, and Concordia University. Tom was an adjunct professor at Marquette University from 1999-2018, teaching Copywriting, Advanced Copywriting, Campaigns, and Ideation/Content Development. Follow him on Linked In.

Jean Grow is the Founder and Chief TruthsTeller at GROW – a Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) consultancy. After 20 years of teaching advertising and mentoring students, at Marquette University, all the while conducting research on the lack of women in advertising creative departments and the dire need for diversity across the entire advertising industry, Jean pivoted away from academia to pursue her passion – building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workspaces. Combining her deep and emotive understanding of DEI with her research acumen and advertising industry experience, Dr. Grow launched GROW - a DEI consultancy. You can find her at jeangrow.com or follow her @jeangrow and on LinkedIn.