Discover the Books That Fuel Adland's Creative Spark

Throughout the history of literature, books have inspired others to think differently, create something new, improve themselves and more. What is simply a stack of pages glued together has led to movies, movements and other results that were inspired by creative literature. In honor of the newly announced visual theme for this year’s Campaign Agency Performance Review, Campaign’s Question of the Week asked adland to share books of all lengths, genres and authors that have inspired their approach to creativity in the industry. Although books related to the history of the advertising and marketing industry made their way onto this list, other recommendations pertain to children’s books, comics and other sub-genres of fiction. Top picks for creative focus The most popular selection of Campaign’s outreach is The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (2023), recommended by four industry folks. “I love how this book simplifies the creative process,” said Jon Laughlin, CCO, Laughlin Constable. “It’s a very Zen-like approach; remove every distraction and then act as the prism through which your ideas flow. This, to me, is the key difference between good work and great work.” “The book reframes creativity not as a talent reserved for a few, but as a way of being rooted in awareness, attention and openness,” said Maria Rodriguez, VP, communications and marketing, Open Influence. “By stripping away the pressure to constantly ‘produce,’ you allow creativity to exist as a state of awareness; something that’s particularly valuable in advertising, where momentum can overshadow deeper thinking,” said Kyle Rathod, associate creative director, TDA Boulder. “Instead of forcing solutions, I’ve learned to slow down, trust my instincts and focus on creating the conditions where good ideas can surface naturally.” “It’s a non-page-turner in the best way possible. Maybe six pages in, I had to close it,” said Aaron Bonsignore, associate creative director, Two by Four. “I could’ve sworn, by some mystical force of nature, the words tapped into my subconscious, forcing my mind into a frenzy of acute awareness of my surroundings.” The second most popular book selection was The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (1992), recommended by three industry folks. The book spoke of an interpretation of a “creative well,” which stood out to Rachel Cerchiari, senior art director, Bald. “[It pushed] me to absorb as much as I can in as many forms as possible, so I can stay balanced and inspired while constantly drawing from my reservoir,” she said. Krysten Copeland, founder of KC & Co Communications and Black Women Public Relations Consortium, told Campaign the book “improved my writing and my approach to creativity.” “I think of free writing as a kind of subconscious scuba-diving,” said Jake Doll, director, client relations, PANBlast. “It helps me see where my head is actually at and dig into whatever shows up: hopes, distractions, fears, half-formed ideas. Sometimes it’s very professional; other times deeply personal. As any PR pro knows, those lines are rarely clean.” Advertising literature from the trenches Jen Harrington, CEO, Hatch, suggests Bill Bernbach’s Book by Bob Levenson (1987). The book details the advertising work of Bill Bernbach, cofounder of the agency DDB, which is dissolving later this year and being absorbed into TBWA as a result of Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG. Harrington told Campaign that some of his quotes, including “dullness won’t sell your product, but neither will irrelevant brilliance,” shaped how she understands creativity as a business discipline. “That idea mattered when I first read it many years ago, but I’d argue it matters even more today,” she added. Dorothy Urlich, president, Hatch Talent, recommends How Not to Hate Advertising, published in 2025 by Nick Sonderup. “I understand how creatives function,” she said in a LinkedIn post about the book. “You’ll come away with a clearer understanding of your creative partners and a stronger approach to your own job.” Matt Statman, founder, CEO and CCO of Motive, suggests A New Brand World by Scott Bedbury (2002), which taught him that “great brands grow through relevance, restraint and humanity, not just reach.” “Creativity is more about stewardship than spectacle,” he added. Adrienn Major, founder, Podldn, recommends two books (both published in 2025): Empire of AI by Karen Hao and The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies are Reinventing Misogyny by Laura Bates. Major told Campaign that both books influenced how she thinks about creativity, not as just a craft, but a responsibility. “As a result, I’m more conscious of the ethics of creating content in an AI-enabled world,” she said. “[The books] also made me ask better questions about what’s appropriate, fair and safe, as well as what’s possible creatively.” Yama Rahyar, VP and creative director, RPA, suggests Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign by Randall Rothenberg (1995). “[It’s] not about creativity,” Rahyar explained, “but about how creative ideas succeed or fail in the business, which every creative needs to understand.” Guides for the modern marketer Ryan Warnberg, senior creative, Born Social, suggests Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff Vandermeer (2013). He added that it’s a “daunting” book due to being incredibly thorough in its narration. “For creatives with fragile egos, that density is both a feature and a bug,” he explained. “On a bad day, it can make you feel like you know nothing. On a good day, it reminds you you’re never done learning and that curiosity is a creative’s greatest tool.” Brandon Carter, VP, strategy, Codeword, recommends Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson (2010). “[It] makes the case that our ideas and creativity lie in how we each combine and synthesize the random stimuli of life,” Carter explained. “Elevating your creative craft then becomes about being open to more and more life experiences and how it might shape your work.” Madeline Lambie, associate creative director, Duncan Channon, suggests Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (1993), which is basically a comic about comics. “As a writer, it trained me to think in pictures,” Lambie said. “One of the comic’s key lessons that stuck with me is ‘amplification through simplification.’ As advertisers with a 30-second canvas and audiences with increasingly shorter attention spans, that principle feels more important every day.” Solomon Eversole, ECD, Grow Marketing, recommends The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp (2003). “[It’s] hands-down the most reliable book that has guided my actual practice of creative being,” Eversole said. “It peeled away notions of ‘inspiration’ and ‘passion’ and instilled preparation and focus as the core tools in magic making.” Oliver McAteer, partner and head, development, Mischief @ No Fixed Address USA, suggests Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant (2023). “It’s what helps us [at Mischief] take a creative approach to new business and PR,” McAteer said. Judith Rich, senior director, corporate communications, Model N, recommends Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (2015). “[It] gets inside your head to help fight those common doubts we all have and the imposter syndrome that naturally lives inside us,” Rich said. Grace Morton, account executive, Powell Communications, recommends Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (1994), which advises on how to creatively handle challenges “one ‘bird’ at a time.” She added the founder of the agency, Rachel Powell, gifts a copy of the book to each new member of the team. The agency also observes its own holiday in April, “Bird By Bird Day,” when the office closes “to allow everyone to relax, recharge and focus on what is most important to us.” Food for thought Rich Santiago, chief strategy officer, 72andSunny, suggests The Atlas by William Vollmann (1996). “It taught me that creativity comes from being present in uncomfortable spaces and writing down what you actually see, not what you’re supposed to see,” Santiago said. “It isn’t about having answers, but staying curious amid the wreckage. Creativity isn’t the work, attention is.” Lottie Petersen, design director, Bloom, recommends The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywait (2013), a children’s book about a box of crayons going on strike. “It teaches the importance of challenging perceptions within creativity and pushing boundaries in what we produce,” she explained. “As professional creatives, we inform the world of what colors feel warm, delicious, premium, rich, et cetera. But maybe it’s time for us to color the sky pink instead of blue.” Paul LaFleur, design director, Hook, recommends The Shining by Stephen King (1977). Lefleur added that the lesson he learned from the book was to never create in isolation. “Just as the Overlook [Hotel] amplified Jack [Torrance’s] darkest impulses, working without a collaborative dynamic often leads us to spiral into our own biases,” he explained, “whereas collaboration provides the objective checks needed to distinguish actual brilliance from delusion.” Teemu Suviala, global CCO, Landor, told Campaign he’s a “big fan” of conceptual and performance art. So, he recommends Grapefruit by Yoko Ono (1964), as it “reminds us of the importance of ideas over artifacts.” “A polished deliverable, if there even is one needed, should support the idea; where the real value of a work lives,” he explained. “Grapefruit also gives us permission to bring humor and lightness into our practice, even when subjects are heavy.” Taylor Smiley, CGO, Lerma/, recommended Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (2023). “It’s an enchanting reminder that, above all else, I want our work to help people; colleagues, clients and consumers alike,” Smiley said. “As Theo shows us, that’s done best when we trade the scattered pace of this world for a posture of listening, deep thinking and precisely meaningful action.” Nick Valenti, CEO, Mādin, suggested Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (2011). He told Campaign the book forced him to “confront a simple truth: People don’t decide the way we pretend they do.” “The book made it clear that decisions are made elsewhere, quietly, emotionally and before logic ever shows up,” he said. “Once you understand that, creativity stops being about persuasion or cleverness and starts becoming an exercise in shaping context, clues and meaning.” Matt van Leeuwen, EVP and head of design, McCann, recommends Ways of Seeing by John Berger (1972). He told Campaign that Berger’s lesson — that seeing comes before words — changed how he looks at “images and the visual world at large.” “In a world saturated with images, nothing visual is innocent,” he continued. “Every photograph, advertisement or painting arrives preloaded with power, ideology and intent.” Todd Sommers, president, O.H. Partners, suggests Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace (2014), which delves into the behind-the-scenes at Pixar Animation Studios. “We’re all so familiar with the vivid world each Pixar movie created, [so] reading about the creative team’s struggles deepened my appreciation for the work,” he explained. “The struggle is the most rewarding part of the creative process. It’s something to celebrate.” Julie Rutigliano, ECD, Pereira O’Dell, recommends Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman (2003). “[The book] changed how my 19-year-old brain thought about life, culture, writing and creativity,” Rutigliano said. “The greatest thing it taught me is how to use creativity and humor to put things into a different perspective for people.” Jessica Romaniuk, president, Two by Four, suggests three books written by Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005) and Outliers (2008). “Gladwell’s work shaped my belief that creativity isn’t just about talent, it’s about context, instinct and momentum,” she explained. “In advertising, our job isn’t just to make something clever; it’s to build ideas that spread, stick and drive real behavior.” Erin Sarro, ECD, Two Tango, suggests A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962). “The language is bold, weird and totally unapologetic,” Sarro said. “It made me realize you can bend rules, invent your own rhythm and still have your audience feel the weight of a message.” Staff Picks Last, but not least, we couldn’t publish this list without Staff Picks from the Campaign editorial team. Luz Corona, U.S. editor, recommends Junior: Writing Your Way Ahead In Advertising by Thomas Kemeny. “Although intended for copywriters, it serves as a broader guide that encourages moving beyond typical language. It pushes you to use words to paint vivid pictures or tell compelling stories for the consumer. It’s also encouraged me to take a closer look at copy in today’s ads, and it’s grown my respect for the process.” Cecilia Garzella, data journalist, recommends Michael Farmer’s Madison Avenue Manslaughter. “It helped me understand how the move from commissions to a labor-based fee model altered incentives and expectations around agency value and performance — making it harder to align creative ambition, talent investment and long-term value with how agencies are paid. It’s been a useful lens for covering why so many agency struggles trace back to how the work is priced, not how it’s done.” Emma Thumann, reporter, recommends one of William Shakespeare’s classics, The Tragedie of Macbeth (1623). “‘Macbeth was always such a fascinating read for me because of how Shakespeare narrated the Macbeths’ slow descent into madness, one detail at a time,” she said. “When I write, I try to expand on the smallest of details, because they can make a world of difference. Macbeth, among other books, gives me new ideas on other details to pick up on.”