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British writer/humorist Hayes discovered his talent for advertising after getting a degree in what was a new field at the time: business studies. He recounts an early career assignment where he and his work team would film the amusing antics of a small flock of penguins to tout the sweet biscuit named after those adorable birds. But when the time came for the photoshoot, the penguins were brown, having molted, and very uncooperative. He overcame the problems, and the ad campaign worked, as would many other ventures that Hayes participated in. His willingness to travel and experiment took him to Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Chicago, Ireland, and Russia.
Hayes' accounts tell of the joys and pitfalls of eating and drinking foreign delicacies like fish heads, noting and once notably accepting the advances of lovely ladies, and hiding a considerable sum of money in his trousers in case he had to flee a certain country in a hurry. Now contentedly married, he divides his time between Thailand and England, sharing his wisdom in university settings in both countries.
With zestful helpings of saucy humor, a skill for astute observation and description of new, exotic, and often baffling cultures and mysterious people, and a wealth of experience gained by obeying the call of fate, advertising maven Hayes has created this frank, enthralling memoir out of the whole cloth of his life thus far. He has a rare talent for leading jokes up to the surprise punchline, sharing sounds of language conveyed by those whose English is less than perfect, and explaining the complex twists and turns of the advertising business from an insider's viewpoint. As a sanguine, tongue-in-cheek observer of his adventures and misadventures, Hayes shares his absorbing recollections in a way that engages and educates readers with never a dull moment.