Key Themes:
Business, Marketing, Leadership, Strategy, Management, Advertising
Summary:
To summarise, Nice is Not a Biscuit is the collective wisdom of an advertising agency giant. Peter Mead is the founding partner of global agency Abbott Mead Vickers. This book is a homage to his belief that it is possible to build a world-class business by doing the right thing. The book covers 100 suggestions of how to do this and covers topics including starting and building a business, management, leadership, client management, strategy and employee engagement.
This is the ultimate business bible for 2022 and gives you a unique insight into creating a global business and brand.
Content Overview:
Nice is not a Biscuit provides 100 lessons from one of Britain’s most successful businessmen – Peter Mead.
Mead began his career in advertising when he joined the despatch department of a large agency straight from school. He fell in love with the business and his ambition and drive led him to co-found Abbott Mead Vickers in 1997. This partnership grew the business into one of the industry’s most respected and successful agencies. In 1995 AMV BBDO became the largest advertising agency in the UK, a position it has retained ever since.
Nice is not a Biscuit distils Mead’s most important business lessons from his years in advertising. It reveals the secrets behind one of the world’s most successful advertising agencies, and his belief about the right way to do business in the creative industries (and beyond).
Each chapter has a different learning point and lesson. The chapters include:
- Nice is not patting people on the head. It’s every person respecting every other person. Do that and you create a great business. It’s a credo for life.
- Find a trustworthy single source of advice and stick with it
- If you hire small minds you will end up with a small company
- Beware of success – egos can be destructive
- If you don’t believe in it, how can I?
- The objectivity of ignorance means you should think like a customer for as long as you can before you know too much about an issue
- Value what you do
- Get to the people who can say ‘yes’ and avoid those who can only say ‘no’
- Learn how to take ‘yes’ for an answer
- Be gracious in defeat
- Cherish your foot soldiers as much as your high-flyers
- People are more important than machines
- Pass praise on
- When making savings don’t confuse cost with value
- Understand that the response to a mistake is much more important than the infraction itself
- Democracy is no way to run a company
- If you’re paid to do so, make sure you assume responsibility
- Don’t be afraid of your competitors
- Never get beguiled by the process
- Always examine the potential pitfalls of rapid expansion as well as the expected rewards
He also includes inside stories of some of the most well-known advertising in the last forty years. The book places the reader in the company of an industry legend, whose vast knowledge is conveyed in ways that make the reader want to listen and learn.
Rating: 10/10
Mead was a hero of my industry and so I approached this book with trepidation – expecting a slightly high-handed approach. However, the pearls of wisdom within these covers make this a book that can help your business whatever size or sector.
Readability: 9/10
Written in bite-sized chapters, this is an engaging and insightful read. The book is only loosely organised, so enjoy the anecdotes, however, you might find a little repetition.
Does what it says on the tin: 10/10
Yes – he is living proof that nice guys don’t come last. His common sense approach and wise words give a fascinating insight into how he grew and scaled the ultimate advertising agency.