Book Review: Campaigns that Shook the World

Book: Campaigns that Shook the World: The Evolution of Public Relations by Danny Rogers

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Over the past four decades, a series of groundbreaking PR campaigns have helped shape popular culture and influence public opinion.  With a foreword from WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, Campaigns that Shook the World provides the inside story on nine of these pivotal campaigns, and explores what made them successful. It examines their strategy and tactics, the imagery and icons they created, and the powerful personalities behind them. Each chapter is built around extended case studies (Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, London 2012 Olympic Games), and provides an accessible account of modern PR and its interaction with cultural icons, such as the Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, David Beckham, the Rolling Stones, and newsworthy events, including Barack Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign.

Casting an eye over a selection of thrilling developments in music, sports, politics, media, and public life, author Danny Rogers grapples with PR's uneasy place at the nexus of politics and celebrity, holding the best campaigns up to scrutiny and showcasing just how powerful PR can be as an instrument of change, for both good and bad.


Rating: 3 stars

Review:

There is no denying this book focused on some interesting campaigns, which are:

1) The election of Margaret Thatcher
2) Tony Blair's reinstating the Labour Party
3) Revitalizing the British Monarchy
4) Reinventing the Rolling Stones
5) Branding David Beckham
6) London 2012 Olympic Games
7) Product (RED)
8) The election of Barack Obama
9) Dove's Real Beauty

However, the problem was there was not a lot of in-depth information about the campaigns. The book spends more time profiling those who worked for each campaign than actually providing more detail about the campaigns.

There was good information here such as the PR team for Margaret Thatcher tried to soften her image so she didn't appear too blunt. Also, after the death of Diana the public opinion of the Royal family was at a low and they desperately needed a way to improve that. Good information aside, unfortunately the writing can be dull and uninspiring at times.

Although these case studies only provide the reader with the bare minimum of information, it is informative. I did find it interesting that Mick Jagger not only took over control of managing the Rolling Stones but also their business affairs.

I did enjoy reading a good amount of this, with the Dove's Real Beauty campaign being one that I enjoyed reading the most. I found it interesting that Unilever was enjoying the success of the Dove's Real Beauty campaign but continued to promote sexism with their Axe products among other things.

I think this could have been an even more interesting read, too bad the author didn't choose to focus more on the campaigns instead of on mostly the key people.