tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post8427408857270326554..comments2024-03-17T03:15:14.033-04:00Comments on View From Madison Avenue: Making The Case For Stronger Advertising Account ManagementView From Madison Avenuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-43255280497038854832014-12-17T16:51:45.276-05:002014-12-17T16:51:45.276-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14787232491787669750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-5100768769945797082014-04-04T07:35:05.986-04:002014-04-04T07:35:05.986-04:00Thanks so much for posting a lot of this awesome c...Thanks so much for posting a lot of this awesome content! Looking forward to checking out more!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://imglicensing.com/brands-and-clients/playboy/" rel="nofollow">Playboy Brand License</a> & <a href="http://it.imglicensing.com/brands-and-clients/harper-s-bazaar/" rel="nofollow">Harper’s Bazaar Licensing</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363353311327723203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-61862473751520732172013-10-08T11:53:22.183-04:002013-10-08T11:53:22.183-04:00I couldn't agree more. A great, strategic, cre...I couldn't agree more. A great, strategic, creatively-minded account person is worth her weight in gold<br /><br />If you are in account service, and you are not frequently consulted by the creative teams through the development process, even as the planners are, you need to take a good hard look at why. Lizhttp://mom-101.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-90408901575182511422013-10-03T16:01:34.532-04:002013-10-03T16:01:34.532-04:00There is a great story of the revival of the US ch...There is a great story of the revival of the US chocolate candy business in the late 1980's, which is very much analogous. Apparently, for about fifteen or twenty years, American candy manufactures were replacing real chocolate with carob, which, in small quantities mimics chocolate. When they tested 100% chocolate against 98% chocolate/2% carob no taste difference was detected. Each year View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-56041222378197128422013-10-03T14:50:18.682-04:002013-10-03T14:50:18.682-04:00I'm an old school account guy also. Went thro...I'm an old school account guy also. Went through the training program back in the early 80's at one of the big shops. We were taught to be strategic, to understand our clients' business better than they did, to be the voice of the consumer. The research folks were our partners, helping us figure out how to learn as much as possible and interpret research results. And then came Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-1936522323707537762013-09-30T15:56:41.059-04:002013-09-30T15:56:41.059-04:00@anon: Looking back, when I was an account guy, be...@anon: Looking back, when I was an account guy, believe it or not, I had a handful of clients who were boobs like that. The CEO's of those companies were not interested in any real suggestions if they conflicted with what he wanted to do..View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-33794340370823894322013-09-30T15:53:02.943-04:002013-09-30T15:53:02.943-04:00no argument here on that front.
glad i never work...no argument here on that front.<br /><br />glad i never worked for the President that fired people for making a suggestion. what a boob.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-21294263789632540982013-09-30T14:54:02.384-04:002013-09-30T14:54:02.384-04:00A lot of this is chicken and egg stuff. Clients w...A lot of this is chicken and egg stuff. Clients were always threatened by strong account people and tried to keep them out of marketing meetings. Agencies were paid commission for their objectivity, which most clients liked, even if they did fight it.<br /><br />In-house marketing people are, indeed, under the thumb of corporations. I can think of one company which was never a television View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-79292754740557143062013-09-30T14:38:32.103-04:002013-09-30T14:38:32.103-04:00wow. you almost had it right. your insight was b...wow. you almost had it right. your insight was brilliant and largerly right on until you said: " in-house people are right there, under the thumb of client marketing executives...". really, under the thumb? in-house creative teams are as "under the thumb" as the law department, sales department, IT, finance, customer service, research, etc.. The reality is, Paul, that Mark Shafernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-64369869100198502362013-09-27T16:04:06.170-04:002013-09-27T16:04:06.170-04:00I think the agencies and holding companies can tak...I think the agencies and holding companies can take a big share of the blame due their never ending cost cutting measures. Most of the seasoned account people who were more strategic and helped build client businesses over the years have been shown the door. Too expensive. "Cheap and cheerful" is the order of the day for account groups today, who focus mainly on project management tasksChristopher Abelt https://www.blogger.com/profile/14935892303187489952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-76409161824490309852013-09-27T16:02:14.196-04:002013-09-27T16:02:14.196-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Christopher Abelt https://www.blogger.com/profile/14935892303187489952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-24908745668802843872013-09-26T13:35:59.239-04:002013-09-26T13:35:59.239-04:00So true, Paul. Sadly, so true. It's a differ...So true, Paul. Sadly, so true. It's a different era.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03636281389044297965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-28350067139868383792013-09-26T13:33:15.158-04:002013-09-26T13:33:15.158-04:00Kieran: Your comment about account management and ...Kieran: Your comment about account management and project management being rivals took me aback. But you are right. I always had thought that project management was a fancy name for the old traffic people who were useful if they didn't get to bureaucratic and interfere with getting work done. I interview lots of clients who complain that their account people really don't add much to theView From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-44436495038364211112013-09-26T13:24:34.478-04:002013-09-26T13:24:34.478-04:00Spot on Paul. I grew up in an era where great Acc...Spot on Paul. I grew up in an era where great Account people were required to have great strategic and creative intuition, were masters of client service, possessed an uncanny and thorough understanding of their client's business, and understood how to cultivate and grow successful, sustainable client relationships. We were seen as the indispensable "go to" resource for our Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03636281389044297965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-51254983309044420042013-09-26T11:25:38.094-04:002013-09-26T11:25:38.094-04:00I always said that a good writer or art director w...I always said that a good writer or art director was also a good strategist. It comes with the territory. There is no question that, even in the heyday of account managers, the vast majority didn't really understand strategy. To this day, many think that "tastes good" is a strategy. That said, there were many who could make a great contribution to their creative partners. A View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-66336401970538918322013-09-26T11:20:54.812-04:002013-09-26T11:20:54.812-04:00Speaking as a relatively young creative (10 years ...Speaking as a relatively young creative (10 years in biz) only a few of the AEs I've worked with could think strategically above a rudimentary level. And planners were hardly better. <br /><br />In fact, at one job creatives were expected to do 75% of the strategic thinking + all the concepting, presenting, executing, etc. We were told this reality was reflected in our salaries compared to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-34703045420283221032013-09-26T09:28:17.869-04:002013-09-26T09:28:17.869-04:00@Anonymous: Feeling good about what you do and ho...@Anonymous: Feeling good about what you do and how you are valued is a really important element in one's life. I always believed that if an account person can really learn his or her client's business that they will be able to make a real contribution. Over my years as an account guy I had so many achievements which came from knowing and learning my accounts. Good for you for being View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-18409079365026204022013-09-26T09:20:37.427-04:002013-09-26T09:20:37.427-04:00I read both the Ad Age article and your blog post ...I read both the Ad Age article and your blog post with great interest. I'm an "old school" account man who cut his teeth working 90 hours a week at big shops before planning took hold and account management started to "fade". <br /><br />And then things changed. I started working in-house.<br /><br />Today, I'm running the account team at an in-house shop where we'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-43983981046317279842013-09-24T18:24:36.134-04:002013-09-24T18:24:36.134-04:00@Anon: Thanks for your comments. I hope all my ag...@Anon: Thanks for your comments. I hope all my agency management subscribers are reading your comment. It is exactly what I was trying to communicate.<br /><br />When I was an account guy, if anyone accused me of being a "note taker", I would probably have slit my wrists. It is a sad commentary on the state of account management, but I know what you write is a sad truth at most View From Madison Avenuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133010500698814644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8575334444752638591.post-5973336532807900412013-09-24T15:48:22.323-04:002013-09-24T15:48:22.323-04:00Paul, we know each other, but I have to post w/o n...Paul, we know each other, but I have to post w/o name due to my position and company. And change a few small facts for privacy. I am a long-time agency exec who went to the client side. We have retained a number of the larger/more famous creative and media and digital brands as our agencies. All the strategy comes from in house. We have in-house planners, in house quant, in-house reporting Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com