FOREWORDS

David Brent has a reputation as a skilled and experienced practitioner in the fields of marketing, advertising, market research and as the inventor of the ad agency account planning role in Australia. Some leading industry figures comment on his unique account of the invention and pioneering of the ad agency planning role in Australia.

"A really fascinating expose of the origins of account planning in the '60s and '70s. I was sorry to lose David from Thompson Ansell Blunden in 1966. He clearly showed his special and early abilities and understanding of strategic planning in everything he did then and subsequently."

 

 

 

Bruce McDonald
Former Managing Director - Thompson Ansell Blunden & Grey Advertising
Former Founding Chairman - Advertising Federation of Australia

 

"David Brent is one of those people who are described as "before their time". When I first met him, [in 1972] he had dragged a couple of tough guys in the ad business into the era of Advertising Planning, a move which helped them make private fortunes and industry reputations as their agency grew in leaps and bounds."

"Advertising research in those days had a poor reputation - creatives knew instinctively that there was no known way to forecast behaviour on the basis of a single exposure. You could sort out the disasters but the potential for babies with bathwater was enormous. Accordingly they assembled their arguments against research and attacked with vehemence any threat to their creative wisdom."

"Imagine my surprise when I met David solidly ensconced in the midst of the enemy and having them vigorously support his recommendations for research."

"How did he do it? To this day I am not sure, but reading his reflections on his career will certainly give you some insights."

 

 

 

Warwick Hoare
CEO, ATR - Sydney

 

"As someone who was involved in marketing in the 1970s [at Edgell to be specific], it has been quite a nostalgic trip for me to read David Brent's candid account of the contribution made by planning to the great advertising campaigns of the time."

"Marketers now widely accept that the combination of informed and disciplined planning with outstanding creative produces the best results in advertising communication, and in ideal circumstances the two feed off each other. David's success has been to realise the strength of this combination and tirelessly promote and practice it over the years."

"This article of David's is a 'must read' for anyone connected with marketing today. Experience is a great teacher!"

 

 

 

John Penn
Former General Manager, Edgell Canned Food - Sydney

 

"I found this riveting reading! I had NO IDEA that research and planning had REALLY managed to work that closely with the creatives - and so early in the piece. What a story!"

 

 

 

Comment by Dr Max Sutherland
Author of "Advertising & The Mind of The Consumer"


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