Funny Business
Allen Rosenshine
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
Funny Business: Moguls, Mobsters, Megastars and the Mad, Mad World of
the Ad Game is a collection of 68 personal anecdotes from Allen
Rosenshine, chairman emeritus of BBDO Worldwide, a renowned ad agency.
Since Rosenshine spent over four decades with BBDO, there are plenty of
stories to relate. Many involve famous and respected individuals:
politicians, actors, and sports icons.
The problem with Funny Business is that many of the incidents would
likely be amusing if the reader knew the participants on a personal
level, but as an outside observer, the stories are more likely viewed
as an inside joke to which we're not quite privy. A glance at the
raving reviews on the back cover reveals that most of the promoters
were either players in Rosenshine's stories or had direct relations
with him in some way, to reiterate this point. Rosenshine does his best
to introduce us to the characters, but he just falls short of the
writer's flair that makes a character as familiar to the reader as
family. Also, most of the anecdotes are more ironic than funny: stories
that make you shake your head in amazement rather than double up in
laughter. This applies to the stories featuring more prominent figures
the public would recognize. Perhaps if Rosenshine meant "funny" to mean
"odd" or "quirky" rather than "amusing," the title would be more
appropriate, but it doesn't appear that was his intention.
Overall, the stories are interesting little tidbits that serve to
reinforce public assumptions about the advertising industry. They just
lack the draw that keeps the reader eagerly turning pages for the next
engagement. After a time, it begins to feel more like required reading
than recreational reading. I think the author thought he was providing
the reader with a privileged view into a career path with which most
people aren't familiar.. Today's consumer is adept at seeing through
advertising and analyzing the intentions, and already has preconceived
notions about the advertising industry that are, for the most part,
right on target.