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The Pitch was intended to be a textbook analysis of advertising for consumer education. It can also be a useful desk reference checklist for business owners to assure their advertising is complete.

Author Hugh Rank's explanation is fairly objective. He explains that consumers are benefit seekers and advertisers are benefit providers. Most advertising is not misleading, but some is.

We are inundated with advertising messages. Our children are even subjected to advertising at school. At the time he wrote the book, Channel One television programs were being shown in classrooms, which included commercial messages.

To be wise consumers, we should understand how to analyze an ad and how it is being used to persuade us.

According to Hugh Rank, most advertising follows a standard sequence, which is on the cover of the book: Hi!, Trust Me!, You Need!, Hurry, Buy! Notice the addition of two elements compared to the classical AIDA formula, Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Building trust and creating a sense of urgency are critical elements in advertising. Rank explains each step in detail.

The Pitch is only 156 pages, and it is packed with useful information, including lists of selling words that convey benefits. For example, novelty can be conveyed with words like "announcing," "breakthrough," "fashionable" and "new improved."

One thing that is missing in the book is sample illustrations of ads. Rank explains that these were omitted to keep the printing costs for the book down. He does refer to popular ads that have been part of our culture, many of which you can probably find on YouTube.

The book includes summary pages with entertaining cartoons that Rank gives permission for teachers to copy and distribute.

Families and teachers should get The Pitch as a textbook to discuss how to analyze advertising in adult groups and with children.

Business owners and promotional writers should get The Pitch for a checklist to be sure their advertisements are complete and for ideas to make their advertisements more effective.

Buy it on Amazon: The Pitch.

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