Having caught my eye in Werben & Verkaufen magazine’s book recommendations, I decided to order a copy of Vom Pitch zum Award. Wie Werbung gemacht wird to help increase my knowledge of the advertising world. Billed as an indispensable guide to the advertising industry, it does not disappoint. With clear, easy-to-read sections on the different types of agencies working in the field, explanations of key German terms and loan words such as ‘Briefing’ and insights into the world of advertising production, it is an easy-to-digest book that you can either read in its entirety or simply pick up as and when you need further information about something specific, such as what a copywriter or art director does. I particularly liked the Ein Tag aus dem Leben eines… (A Day in the Life of…) features, which, as well as breaking up the information into manageable chunks, made the explanations of various roles in the industry all the more ‘real’.
Those hoping to break into the German advertising industry or those working with German-speaking advertising agencies will find that this guide gives them insights into the sector in a concise format. Translators working with advertising-related texts and with German as either their source or target language will benefit from reading this book too: it’s a great way to familiarise themselves both with how the industry works in German-speaking countries and with the essential terminology of the advertising world.
Burrack, Heiko; Nöcker, Ralf (2008). Vom Pitch zum Award. Wie Werbung gemacht wird. F.A.Z. Institut für Management-, Markt-, und Medieninformationen GmbH. ISBN: 978-3-89981-164-3.
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If you ever get asked to translate an agency pitch, then give it your all and go another two miles.
Then if they get awarded the account, you will be ‘in like Flynn’.
Advertising agencies are used to working with individual freelancers (be they copywriters, graphics guys or indeed translators). They also appreciate the fact that creativity has its price.
Agency blogs can sometimes be quite handy for sourcing what is up for grabs: e.g. http://www.agenturblogs.de/
Another useful bi-lingual source: http://www.gujmedia.de/services/medialexikon/