Truth, Lies, and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning ~ Jon Steel A Review by: Ryan White, PID: 710466730 July 18, 2006 JOMC 170 – Principles of Advertising1 About the Author: Jon Steel is a 1983 graduate of Nottingham University in England with a degree in Geography. He got into advertising after applying to several agencies and finally being hired to BMP’s (London office) account management trainee program. He actually got the job by default because the person they originally hired took another job. After some training he was asked to attend a meeting on account planning. When he was at the conference he formed a friendship with Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, and Andy Berlin which led to his eventual title as Director of Account Planning at Goodby, Berlin, & Silverstein. He started with the agency in 1989 and has worked for them ever since. Since his arrival he has turned the account planning division of Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners into the most powerful and influential in all of American advertising. Steel is in charge of account planning for great accounts such as: Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo, Nike, Porsche of North America, and the infamous Got Milk? campaign, just to name a few. He was granted full-partnership to the firm in 1994 and has served as the Vice-Chairman since 1997. Some of his other involvements are academic ones such as serving as a frequent speaker at Stanford School of Business and serving as a board member to advertising program at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has earned numerous accolades such as “West Coast Executive of the Year”(Adweek), “Agency Innovator”(Advertising Age), and “One of the 100 Smartest People in the Bay Area” (San Francisco Focus). His greatest accomplishment was being inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s “Hall of Achievement” for executives under 40 years of age. Jon currently resides in Marin County, California, with his wife and two children. Abstract: Jon Steel’s, Truth, Lies, and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning, is focused primarily on what makes a good ad campaign good, and how it got to be that way2 through strategic and creative account planning. Steel places a heavy emphasis on the role of the consumer throughout the book. Steel is a firm believer that the only opinion that should ultimately matter, in good advertising, is the opinion of the consumer. With his consumer-focused methodology accompanied by a wealth of hysterical anecdotes, Steel presents the key points to be considered in order to develop and implement a successful ad campaign. By taking an unbiased stance on both the creative and account planning side of the business, Steel presents the reader with a view that advertising should involve a fine balance between creatives and account planners. This perfect symbiosis, once achieved, will present both the best creative as well as the best business results for the client. Summary: In chapter one, No Room for the Mouse: The Failure to Involve Consumers in Advertising Communication, Steel spikes the reader’s interest with a quote from David Olgilvy which states, “The Consumer isn’t a moron. She’s your wife.” (Steel, 1). Steel then refers to the concept of triangulation, often used in the wilderness, as a means of determining one’s location with the use of a compass, pencil, and map. Steel then continues to make the logical comparison saying that the advertiser must use an alternate form of triangulation which utilizes three perspectives in order to effectively persuade a consumer. In order to present the very best of advertising, advertisers and the like should learn to embrace the client’s perspective, the agency’s creative perspective, and the target audience’s perspective. Steel asserts that all must function in a sort of equilibrium so as to not jeopardize the overall effectiveness of the campaign. Chapter one continues with a statement by Jeff Goodby which stresses the utmost importance of getting into the consumer’s heads. If an agency can get into the heads of consumers they may better understand how to influence them, which is the ultimate goal. Developing communication is a process that advertisers utilize in order to3 achieve this goal. By playing on the emotions of the consumer, or “developing” them; an advertiser can then artfully inject the value of a product into their minds, which will hopefully end in a positive response to the advertising (i.e. a sale). The second part of developing communication is the actual communication aspect. Allowing the consumer to communicate or participate by allowing them to make up their own mind is also very effective. Also, stepping into the shoes of the consumer is an invaluable technique that must be mastered if one is in advertising, according to Leo Burnett. Essentially, interaction, on part of the consumer, is key. The remainder of chapter one focuses on art and the scientific method. Steel introduces art as an entity that is supplementary to the main goal of advertising which is selling the product. An ad can be extremely creative, but it must have a focus on the product in order to sell. Steel claims that art is a vehicle that can essentially “carry” the ad, positively or negatively. However, in order for advertising to be ultimately effective, both commercial and artistic elements should exist symbiotically. Lastly, Steel points out the idea that advertising can be considered a very concrete science. Through use of the scientific method, mainly marketing strategy, advertisers can determine what targets to tap and what tactics of persuasion are necessary to influence those targets. Basically, advertising is boiled down to a series of predictions based on historical trends and theory. A noteworthy theory is the Quantum Theory of advertising which supports the idea that effective advertising is delivered from as many points of view as possible. At the conclusion of the chapter Steel uses comical variations of the “Homeless, will work for food” sign as a classic example of effective advertising that utilizes effective development of communication, creativity, scientific method (what works?), and the method of triangulation. Chapter two entitled, Silent Partners: Account Planning and the New Consumer Alliance, begins with the initial British shock with television advertising followed by the4 eventual British love for it.