Name: Jeffrey Mack's review of Junior by Thomas Kemeny
Item: Junior
Rating: 3
Author: Jeffrey Mack

Thomas Kemeny

There are a lot of great advertising books, but none that get down in the dirt with you quite like this one. Thomas Kemeny made a career at some of the best ad agencies in America. In this book he shows how he got in, how he's stayed in, and how you can do it too. He breaks apart how to write fun, smart, and effective copy-everything from headlines to scripts to experiential activations-giving readers a lesson on a language we all thought we already knew. This book is not a retrospective from some ad legend. It's a book that should be instantly useful for people starting out. A guide for the first few years at a place you'd actually want to work. Traditionally, advertising books have been written by people with established careers, big offices and letters like VP in their titles. They have stories from the old days when people could start in the mailroom. They are talented. That's been done. Who wants another book filled with seasoned wisdom? This is a book written by somebody still getting his bearings. Someone who has made an extraordinary number of errors in a still short career. Someone who has managed to hang onto his job despite these shortcomings.

Junior

Piet Terheyden

Jeffrey Mack

Just ok

Not bad. Not great. Just ok. Do I feel like I wasted my time reading this? No. Did I learn a lot? No. It did inspire me to write my own book though. So, there you go.

Writing Your Way Ahead in Advertising

Adam Wilson

If your job description puts you anywhere near the creative process, then this book is for you. Read this book if you are just getting started in the creative industry or if you’ve been at it for years. If you are a writer, designer, project manager or producer, then this book is for you.

Junior is full of helpful writing tips, and honestly, I wish that it went a little deeper on the topic. I finished the book wanting more, but it did give me the means and motivation to look at my own creative process with fresh eyes, and in that sense, I don’t think I could have asked for more.

Thomas Kemeny goes much further than just “writing your way ahead in advertising” and really reinforces what it takes to build a successful career in doing creative work—bring clarity to your communications, work effectively within constraints and get to better work quicker. Master those elements and everything else becomes a whole lot easier.

Overall, Junior is a crash course in making, communicating and producing effective creative work. But it is also provides valuable perspective for those of us who are further down the road. Junior is a refreshing view from above, and I left feeling better-equipped to approach my own work from new angles.

Izyan Suhaila

Lili Vanden Wijngaert

Christian Rotzoll

Mateo Cavestany

If you’re the one writing the copy for Literal… you’re doing an incredible job of it. 

Piet Terheyden &
Junior by Thomas Kemeny

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Junior by Thomas Kemeny