Never Pat a Burning Dog

A novel for everyone who has ever ridden the advertising and marketing roller coaster. Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s London – a stark contrast to Mad Men’s buttoned down 1960s Madison Avenue – this story plunges us into the crazy world of Grimshaw and Welby, a small agency whose burgeoning creative reputation draws the unwelcome attention of a large French group in the shape of a hostile takeover. Freddy Grimshaw’s team of eccentric personalities fight back the only way they know how: creatively. We delve deep into the cut and thrust of agency life, the intricate dance of politics and presentations, the fraught relationships of staff and clients. Where conservative marketeers are cajoled into buying the wild ideas of a gleefully irresponsible creative department. One that spends as much time devising childish antics and non-PC practical jokes as they do outstanding advertisements. Written with an insider’s knowledge and eye for detail this is an entertaining insight into an era of advertising that’s hard to believe. Unless you were there. ‘It’s advertising as I knew it. The fun, the mayhem, the excess. You couldn’t make it up: or could you?’ -Philip Putnam.