The advertising industry has reached a critical, dangerous point in its development. Agencies are destroying themselves with growing workloads and declining fees—a recipe for disaster. Madison Avenue Manslaughter outlines the hows and whys of steadily declining fees, increased workloads, diminishing industry morale, kickback scandals and opacity characterizing relationships among advertisers, holding companies, media buying companies and creative ad agencies. Not only does Michael Farmer's exposé offer the world's first effective definition of the real agency problem, it's the first time an advertising expert has offered corrective solutions to avoid inevitable disaster. Michael Farmer's Madison Avenue Manslaughter has been called "required reading for everyone who works in advertising—marketers and agencies alike." In his damning critique of the modern advertising industry, Michael Farmer warns that a dismal combination of technological change and the short-term drive for profit is killing creativity… For any young creative inspired by the lifestyle of ad campaigns and cocktails depicted in the TV series Mad Men , this book is a sobering read. --Financial Times A great and engrossing read. This book is as relevant for advertisers as it is for agencies. After years of CMO tenure declining faster than agency turnover, the work of the CMO has had to refocus on delivering brand growth and profitability. This book highlights how our most valuable partners can refocus too and develop a more productive partnership to master the challenges of the VUCA world in which we operate. --Deborah Wahl, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's USA A good, swift kick in the butt is medicine every legacy business needs, though rarely welcomes. Michael Farmer administers the kick deftly, backed by years of experience and data. This readable book is a wake-up call for marketers and advertisers. --Ken Auletta, New Yorker media critic, journalist and best-selling author Michael Farmer is Chairman of Farmer & Company LLC, a strategy consulting firm for advertising agencies and advertisers. He graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Business School before working for The Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company around the world. He has lived and worked in Rio de Janeiro, Lausanne, Munich, Paris, Istanbul and London. He currently resides in New York City.