Roy H. Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roy Hollister Williams is a marketing consultant known for the Wizard of Ads book trilogy.
The Wizard of Ads discusses the psychology of marketing and advertising from an anecdotal point of view. Williams uses a range of sources and illustrations, ranging from Dr. Seuss to Andrew Jackson to Coco Chanel. Secret Formulas of The Wizard of Ads and Magical Worlds of The Wizard of Ads detail communication methodologies and displaced pedagogy respectively.
In all three books, each featured on the Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestsellers lists, Williams discusses the importance of marketing aimed at the end user of the message and how to "cut through the clutter" to reach the individual.
Williams' allegorical trilogy Destinae, composed of Free the Beagle, Beagles of Destinae and Beagles Visit the Seven Sisters did not sell as well in the US but was very successful in China, Japan and Korea.
Williams has written several other books less important than the Wizard of Ads trilogy, including the self-published precursor to the Wizard trilogy 'Does Your Ad Dog Bite? (or is it just a show dog?)'.
All of the above books were published by Bard Press which is owned and operated by Ray Bard, a personal friend of Williams.
An audio dramatization of the books is available as a free download in mp3 format.
In May of 2000, Williams founded Wizard Academy - Wizard Academy an independent, non-profit 501c3 educational institution in Austin, Texas for more in-depth teaching of the communication arts. The diverse list of courses is often updated to reflect new ideas and philosophies in communications. The current Wizard Academy Board of Directors includes Williams but he is no longer Chairman of the Board.
Williams also publishes his weekly column, the Monday Morning Memo, available freely at his web site (including archives), sometimes including very interactive promotions for the sake of readers' personal growth.
Significant ideas of Williams include his theory of Thought Particles - Thought Particles (described in a book with that title), the 40 year pendulum swing and the theory of universal knowledge.
An avid fan of history, Williams frequently draws business and philosophical insight from the past, particularly post Civil War America but dating as far back as the ancient world.
Fans of Williams usually appreciate his obscure insights into historic figures not commonly known, i.e. Abraham Lincoln's aggressive business philosophies or Da Vinci's lurid family history and profound love of animals, and his incisive brevity, creating vivid imagery with a minimum of words.
Williams shamelessly confesses philosophical interest in history and science fiction, and is widely known for his relationship to his wife Pennie.
