Egregious Self-Promotion Special Edition

Well, it's Friday and this has been a busy week here at The Ad Contrarian global headquarters. Our smug little "told ya so" pieces about Facebook have been quoted by people all over the interwebs, including a British politico. So it's time to take a deep breath before I start believing my own bullshit, and get back to the basics of what blogging is all about -- self-promotion.

I've been reading this week about other old ad guys who are making piles of money. Meanwhile, my paycheck is uglier than a fat man's ass. I need to start hustling.

I know what you're thinking.

"Darn it, Bob. You work so hard to produce this blog for us and all you get in return is nasty comments from dumb-ass flash developers. It's just not right! Heck, why don't you take the opportunity to promote some of your stuff so that maybe you can make a buck or two from all this almost-wisdom and not-quite-entertainment you provide to us."

Well, I think it's awfully nice of you to say that. And so I will. Here is some egregious self-promotion...

My Semi-Burgeoning Speaking Career: Speaking is great. You go somewhere nice and bullshit a little and they pay you. It's almost like being the Vice President. These are some actual comments from a recent talk I gave to agency owners:

• "I just wanted to send you a quick note of appreciation for the insightful, intelligent, poignant and hilarious presentation you gave to our members... All in all, the best presentation I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing, truly." Cam Green, CEO, GreenRubino

•  "I want you to know that your presentation on our industry was the best I’ve ever seen. It was smart, well written, and it was at times, hysterically funny." Joe Erwin, President, Erwin Penland. 

• "On behalf of the entire Intermarket Agency Network I want to thank you for the fantastic presentation you made last Friday in Santa Monica. It was insightful, entertaining, thought provoking..." Deborah Pfluger, President, aha!
  

• "You were absolutely fantastic...Whether you like it or not, you now have disciples around the country who will be preaching your gospel." (Bill Lavidge, CEO, The Lavidge Comapny)

Yup, believe it or not, that was me they were talking about. I am available for one speaking gig a month. If you'd like to turn your event into a huge intergalactic success, see the column on the right.

The Book:  Apparently, there are still people who read books. Some are kind enough to write reviews. Below are actual comments from the reviews of 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising from Amazon:

• "This is take no prisoners kind of stuff that is just superbly written... it will make you laugh, make you cry and shake your head in wonder."

• "This book is an insightful, hilarious look at what's wrong with advertising agencies, with marketing in general, and maybe even the world overall."

• "A funny, enlightening, clear-eyed look at advertising and marketing." 

• "The book is a classic, a compendium of some of Bob's better posts on his blog. They are all gems..."

• "Advertising is a business that is always ripe for satire and criticism which is what Bob does in spades."

• "Bob Hoffman's perspective is terrific because he continually digs into various heaping piles of advertising hype to discover nuggets of truth."

You can get the paperback here, or the ebook here.

Okay, now let's get going. My income this year is only about $26 million behind Maurice Levy. We can do this!