The Advertising Handbook is a critical introduction to the practices and perspectives of advertising. It explores the industry and those who work in it and examines the reasons why companies and organizations advertise; how they research their markets; where they advertise and in which media; the principles and techniques of persuasion and their effectiveness; and how companies measure their success. It challenges conventional wisdom about advertising power and authority to offer a realistic assessment of its role in business and also looks at the industry's future.

The third edition offers new material and a new organising framework, whilst continuing to provide both an introduction and an authoritative guide to advertising theory and practice. It is shaped to meet the requirements, interests and terms of reference of the most recent generation of media and advertising students - as well as taking account of some of the most recent academic work in the field, and, of course, contemporary advertising innovations.