People Plugs Bogusky's Diet Book, Ignores His Day Job

Although Bogusky's creative talents are inarguable, his "diet" book clearly illustrates what a greedy, egomaniacal, hypocrite he is. Anyone who generates the type of income he does (hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars annually) promoting obesity via his/CPB's campaigns for BK & Dominos should be vilified for attempting to generate further income from a "diet" book. I wonder how much of this book discusses exercise and and active healthy lifestyle as part of a successful diet? I know much has been made of Alex's active lifestyle in several published articles and of course the photos showing him looking very fit. I find it hard to believe, although I haven't and will not read the book, that 9" plates are the reason for Bogusky's healthy physique and youthful appearance and energy.

And, let us not forget that Mr. Bogusky has also derived much if not all of his advertising income by the use of apple computers and the Macintosh's superior graphics and editing software, but CPB is now generating huge revenue by promoting Microsoft and Vista, or is it Mojave now? I wonder if he's working on an anti-computer book currently?

Again, kudos to your creative talents Alex, they are rarely rivaled. However, please stick to your duties as a hired gun who is paid to manipulate the minds of consumers for the benefit of your clients and spare us all any further attempts at becoming a cultural guru. I guess this pretty much kills my chances for ever working for CPB.

Sincerely,

Eric Rogers
Atlanta, GA

ahh, the age of irony has finally arrived...
a junk tabloid promotes a new diet book penned by a junk food promoter.

now that's a whopper.

Alex and gang are all about ideas and shifting people's way of thinking. Exactly what dieting is all about... recognizing things can be different, then doing something about it. The fact that Bogusky launched a diet book just shows that ad agencies are capable of more than clever, award-winning creative for greedy brands.

Later...

Be Better Than Vanilla> http://chadschomber.com
Follow me on Twitter> http://twitter.com/chadschomber

I don't see a problem. BK and Dominos are unhealthy but taken in moderation they are welcomed treats. Are we blaming the advertising world again for obesity? It's like blaming murder on the gun and not the madman. There are many angles to everything and all are not covered here.
Scott Thompson

This is a joke, right? I read the People magazine article on Bogusky's book. I was not surprised to see they didn't mention two of CPB's major clients being BK and Domino's...because that's not the point of the article! The point being portions and plate sizes have increased dramatically over the last 50 years and the evidence is sitting on 60% of this nation's hips and thighs.
Who cares that CPB was hired by BK and Domino's!? The fact that people are making an issue of this is ridiculous. They were hired for their ingenuity and thought provocation. That's what matters. Alex Bogusky's book is spot on. It's an epidemic and it's repulsive. I think people are missing the point attempting to cite AB as a hypocrite. C'mon! I seriously doubt anyone would turn down a multi-million fast food account just because they personally feel its unhealthy. People need to make their own choices in what they eat. If CPB's ads give people a reason to eat BK and Domino's...more power to 'em. People are (should be) smart enough to realize monotonous eating of this crap has its consequences.
KL - STL, MO

I published the book, and when I first met Alex for the Hoopla book he mentioned this book idea; he thought it was an interesting cultural phenomena, and he did say he tried and indeed lost weight.

You'll notice in a similar two-page spread that ran in the NY Post's 1/4/09 issue of their Page Six magazine (http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20090104/Fitness+Special+Nine+Inch+Plate+Diet), he states "not eating out" every night is an important point, and when you do, "order from the kids' menu"; fast food restaurants have those. He further states that "if your food is larger than your hand", it's too much. So next time you are in Burger King or McDonald's, order what we used to call a cheeseburger (I'm 46), what's now most likely a kid's burger.

Lastly, CP+B, no one has noted so far, also does (or did) The Truth campaign to dissuade kids from smoking. They, like other agencies, engage in good works projects; it is also good business. I think this book is a culturally interesting one that can actually do good. To condemn ad people to stick to their cubicles is the same type of restrictive, regimented, compartmentalized and unproductive thinking that typified, until recently, our social engagement with one another, our politics, our approach to the planet. Much like passing judgment on something without reading it (and saying so publicly!), that's a paradigm of behavior that's passé.

I say kudos to Mr. Bogusky. While it may seem he is a true hypocrite for writing a diet book and at the same time promoting two fast food chains, at the end of the day he, as we, are marketers. It just shows, to his credit, that he really is a remarkable marketer. Being able to pull off a 2-page editorial in a highly circulated magazine without any type nutritional credentials while shocking, says much about current American's interests and that Bogusky, as any good marketer should, has noticed and taken action.

There are a few points that Mr. Power and others would do well to consider.

1. The issue at hand is not that "ad people" are being told "to stick to their cubicles." Rather, it is the utter and rank hypocrisy of someone who has enriched himself and his agency by pimping two of the nation's largest purveyors of junk food to write a book about America's obesity epidemic. Anyone who is willing to excuse or overlook this because Mr. Bogusky is a "remarkable marketer" need to re-calibrate their moral compasses. A previous poster expressed doubt that "anyone would turn down a multi-million fast food account just because they personally feel its unhealthy." Maybe so. But then, how many of us would have the gall to turn around and fatten our wallets by shedding crocodile tears over the alarming rise in obesity while simultaneously contributing to it? It's like an executive at an ad agency with a cigarette account being concerned about lung cancer.

2. I don't doubt there is some truth to Mr. Bogusky's claims. But there is no single cause for the skyrocketing incidence of obesity in this country over the past 50 years. Surely the proliferation of fast food restaurants is as much to blame -- if not more so -- as bigger plates.

3. In defending his author, Mr. Power cites Crispin's work for Truth. But as undeniably brilliant and effective as much of that work was, they weren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. It was not a pro bono account. Plus they used the acclaim and exposure that they got first from the Florida anti-smoking campaign and then the national anti-smoking campaign to win bigger accounts, including, ultimately, Burger King and Domino's.

4. In the interest of full disclosure, People should have disclosed Mr. Bogusky's ties to Burger King and Domino's in their article. And to use McDonald's -- BK's arch rival (no pun intended) -- to illustrate his thesis is even more shameful.

No wonder people hold advertising in such low regard.