How to Get Ahead in Advertising

How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBruce Robinson
Written byBruce Robinson
Produced byDavid Wimbury
George Harrison
Denis O'Brien
Ray Cooper
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hannan
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byVirgin Vision
Release dates
  • 5 May 1989 (1989-05-05) (United States)
  • 28 July 1989 (1989-07-28) (United Kingdom)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish, German
Budget$3.9 million
Box office$418,053 (US)
£201,972 (UK)

How to Get Ahead in Advertising is a 1989 British black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson, and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward.

In the film, an advertising executive has a nervous breakdown and finds himself concerned with the ethics of his profession. As a result, a talking boil grows on his shoulder, a manifestation of the cynical and unscrupulous side of his personality.