Sell

'Oh what fun we had . . . Back in the days before 'market research'. We just made it all up. I can't believe people trusted us with their money. But then everyone started second-guessing themselves and arse-covering became a science.' --Dick Frizzell Back in the 1890s, being an ad man in New Zealand was a simple case of placing an ad in the paper on behalf of a client. By the 1980s, it was a golden ticket to an exclusive club of fast cars, big bucks and bad behaviour. Sell! takes you on a wild ride through the history of New Zealand advertising and its larger-than-life personalities - from selling the suburban fantasy to power games, overnight acquisitions, lunatic capers and the iconic Kiwi ads that reached giddy heights on the world stage. Legends of the local ad scene recall the glory days of big budgets and bigger egos, and tell the stories behind New Zealand's best-loved campaigns, including the Fernleaf family, Spot the dog and the infamous Bugger ad. A tale of creativity and ingenuity as much as it is of indulgence, Sell! will inspire anyone who's ever wanted to carve their own destiny in the face of the disapproving establishment.