Title: From Penguins to Paradise: My Life as an Advertising Man
Author: Paddy Hayes
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: B08MBVCP66
Pages: 160
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Dan MacIntosh

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Paddy Hayes began his advertising career in the late sixties in London. This was back when TV commercials were still relatively new, and right around the time when adverts started to become extremely creative. Television watchers today likely take all those memorable Super Bowl commercials for granted. There are many that are far more excited about watching these commercials, than viewing the game itself. Hayes’s story parallels many of those that pioneered the advertising business. Nevertheless, Hayes’s story is also uniquely his own.

Even if you have little to no interest in the advertising business, you’ll likely still enjoy reading From Penguins to Paradise: My Life as an Advertising Man because this biography is so well written. Just as any advertising professional worth his/her salt must grab and hold your attention immediately to be successful, Hayes shares his recollections with that same attention-grabbing skill. He doesn’t take himself all too seriously and is able to find humor in some of the most stressful (at least at the time) situations. Advertising doesn’t differ all that much from show business and it’s oftentimes difficult to tell the two apart. One familiar show biz saying both disciplines share is the truism that one ought never work with animals or children. The book’s title was inspired by a series commercials Hayes arranged early in his career, which featured live penguins. Penguins are fun to watch on nature documentaries, where they’re spied behaving playfully in their natural environment. Hayes soon found out, though, how these creatures are not nearly so fun-loving when you try and fit them into a TV commercial setting. Later in the book, Hayes shares another animal story about a bird that didn’t perform correctly for a commercial. In short, his experience proved this saying to be true.

This book’s best bits,, involve stories about Hayes’s international travels as an advertising executive. For example, he helped lay the groundwork for advertising agency work in the Soviet Union, shortly before the fall of communism. He was advised beforehand to bring along a big supply of Marlboro cigarettes for those times when he might need to ‘persuade’ Russian citizens materially to do as he asked. He also spent time in Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, China, and Indonesia, where he was forced to quickly learn local customs in order to successfully create advertising campaigns.

Hayes has a good sense of humor, which certainly helped him adapt and fit into unfamiliar cultures. As he tells his life story, his remembrances are wonderfully old school. Although his writing is never vulgar, the readers will not ever get the impression he is trying too hard to remain politically correct. He calls it as he sees it. When he worked with an attractive woman, he’s not hesitant to include his observations about her natural beauty, for example. And when business meetings may have involved a little too much alcohol consumption, he doesn’t leave out these liquid details. Hayes no doubt worked hard to get ahead in an extremely competitive career choice, but the reader is nevertheless convinced he often had a lot of fun on the job.

It takes a special person to be a successful advertising man, and Paddy Hayes had what it took to rise to the top. Certainly, there must have been long and boring days during his career. However, the stories contained in his book sure make it seem as though there was never a dull moment. If nothing else, Hayes’ life in advertising was far from routine. Not only is this book the career story of Hayes’ life, but it’s also a window into the evolution of the advertising busines. Textbooks might also provide much of the same information, but the author’s storytelling talents sure make his favorite memories a whole lot of fun to read about.

I really appreciated the honesty Hayes shows about his business, the mistakes he made, what he learned, and the overall sense of goodwill about work and life that he presents. Anyone in business will be able to appreciate the stories and lessons. People involved in advertising or seeking a career in it will especially enjoy this book—they’ll even find it eye-opening and enlightening about how the advertising world works. From Penguins to Paradise would make a perfect gift for anyone about to enter the business world as well as anyone who just likes a good story.