To get a glimpse into the world of marketing and advertising, books by proven professionals are great books to read. Some examples are "The Life of P.T. Barnum" by P.T. Barnum and "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy. Both of these books are written by professionals who made huge leaps in marketing and advertising.
There are other books that give marketing strategies that can help students to develop ideas and understand what works and why. Books such as "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al and Laura Ries and "Triggers: 30 sales tools you can use to Control your Prospect to Motivate, Influence and Persuade" by Joesph Sugarman lay out proven techniques and strategies.
There are also textbooks that touch on the basic principles of marketing that students can use their entire academic career to learn new concepts, touch up on old ones or use for a reference guide. Many academic turn to Philip Kotler's "Principles of Marketing" which is printed in multiple editions as well as many foreign editions. Many academics consider this to be the classic reference book for the marketing profession and students of it.