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New Book on the Role of Design in Marketing Praised by Industry

A veteran of the advertising industry, Bruce Macdonald currently teaches a course on Art in Business at the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics at Washington and Lee University. “I was looking for a book for my students that covered this area but could find nothing suitable. So I decided to write my own,” says Macdonald.

Titled The Bridge, the book offers a behind-the-scenes analysis of why the techniques of marketing work, and the role design plays in the art of persuasion. It begins with the origins of the logo in 1066, and moves forward quickly to modern times, looking at packaging, the birth of the brand, then into the store where brand warfare breaks out, then to advertising, where big bucks are spent to capture market share, etc.

REVIEWS

“In the 21st century , marketing will be the major force driving all commerce. Professor Macdonald’s fascinating book outlines valuable tools for success in this business. The winners will pay heed.”
— Peter Georgescu, chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam Advertising.

“This insightful book argues persuasively that design is what really matters. Read it and you’ll gain a whole new perspective on the business.”
— Robert Lauterborn, professor of advertising, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“Bruce Macdonald has walked the walk for a number of decades. Now that he is also talking the talk and saying it to the public, everyone who reads this book will emerge wiser and wealthier. He is a blessing to the business.”
— Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerilla Marketing series of books and former creative director at J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett, Inc.

“Mastering the discipline of effective marketing is the gateway to unlimited growth for your business – and is well expressed in this book.”
— Andre LeCroix, CEO of Inchape, London.

“In The Bridge, Bruce Macdonald has grasped what has been the mantra of Young and Rubicam for some 30 years now – the concept known as the ‘whole egg.’ This book expresses it wonderfully well and I recommend it to all students and professionals interested in our business.”
— Edward Ney, Chairman, CEO of Young & Rubicam (1970-87), former ambassador to Canada, member of the Advertising Hall of Fame.

“So many works on advertising communications are either ‘how to’ books written by academics who have never ‘done it’ or ‘And then I wrote’ books by geezers celebrating their accomplishments. The Bridge is neither. It is both entertaining and enlightening. Anyone who creates or is exposed to advertising, marketing and design will find it a great read. I did.”
— Walter Bregman, former president of International Playtex, former president of Norman, Craig and Kummel Advertising, author of Spray Bear – Reminiscences from the Golden Age of Advertising.