Here is a selection of mainly professional books about advertising, media and communications planning.

Recommended advertising media and communication planning books

Advanced Media Planning by Rossiter and Dahah

Advertising Media Planning, Sixth Edition by Sissors and Baron

Advertising Effectiveness: Findings from Empirical Research by Giep Franzen

Advertising Media Planning: A Brand Management Approach by Larry Kelley and Donald Jungenheimer

Advertising Reach and Frequency: Maximising Advertising Results Through Effective Frequency by Colin McDonald (NTC Business Books)

How to Plan Advertising by Cooper (Ed)

Introduction to Advertising Media: Research, Planning and Buying by Jim Surmanek

How Advertising Works: A review of current thinking by Colin McDonald

How Advertising Works: The Role of Research by Professor John Philip Jones

Kellogg on Advertising and Media by Kotler and Calder

Media Planning Workbook by William Goodrich and Jack Sissors

Media Strategy and Planning Workbook: How to Create a Comprehensive Media Plan by Donald Dickinson

Spending Advertising Money by Simon Broadbent and Brian Jacobs

The Communications Challenge: A practical guide to media neutral planning by Cowley, White et al, eds

The Advertising Budget: Advertiser’s Guide to Budget Determination by Simon Broadbent

The Media Handbook: A Complete Guide to Advertising Media Selection, Planning, Research and Buying by Helen Katz (LEA’s Communication) (LEA’s Communication Series)

The MRG Guide to Media Research by Mike Monkman and Colin McDonald

Recommended general advertising books

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy This is one of the classic books on advertising. Some people say why read a book by a man who time has gone? But on the other hand why not read a book by a man who single handedly created one of the world’s greatest ad agencies?

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples(Prentice Hall Business Classics) Another classic. This books reveals many of the tried and tested rules that are deemed “unfashionable” by those trying to understand why their campaigns aren’t working.

Truth, Lies, and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning (Adweek Magazine Series)by John Steel Interesting contemporary look at the discpline of account planning by a seasoned and experienced practitioner. An easy and informative read.

How to Do Better Creative Work by Steve Harrison Can it all be put into just 150 pages? Well if the word of Steve Harrison is anything to go by, the answer is yes. He may not be wrong. An impressive summary of how to produce strong and effective advertising.

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Ries and Trout The word “positioning” is now firmly ensconsed in the marketing vernacular. Ries and Trout are the people who put it there.

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins This book did for David Ogilvy what Lonnie Donnegan and Elvis Presley did for John Lennon. In other words, this is the book the got Ogilvy into the advertising business.

Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing by Drayton Bird The master of direct marketing shares his knowledge on direct and data driven marketing in the context of the digital age.