an explanation of customer response and why it is so central to the idea of account planning when Stephen King developed his thinking. Both J Walter Thompson and Boase Massimi Pollitt put customer response at the heart of their way of developing advertising. We should continue to do so.

10 If they ain'theard it you ain't said it Customer response

Just making the point that with a single scene we can use the screenplay technique in qualitative research - the example I give is that of the London Eye. But it can also be used as a single scene development in shorter workshops

31 using a single scene in qual research 

Explanation of a postscript in 98% Pure Potato in which we explore the rival claims of David Brent and John Wood of CDP to have started planning before the acknowledged founding fathers - valuable lessons in what planning is. And what it isn't!

20 The rivals who claimed to have started account planning 

Out of the distinction made on the Nov 29th WARC podcast between deliberate and emergent planning we continue to debate the difference between been current and being liked

19 Being current and being liked are not the same

An overview of how far account planning has come since it was effectively invented in 1968. What questions was it set up to answer? Are those questions still relevant now?

Episode 2 Ch 1 Context Section 1: Account planning nears 50 - pause for thought 

With the prospect of Honda closing its factory in Swindon I talk about the way advertising misses the bigger picture (eg factory closures) and tell the story of how we used Swindon to make a point about a new range of Civics, a campaign pulled at the last minute.

15th podcast Honda advertising and the Swindon campaign

Tony Stead

Today Tony Stead's death was announced. As he was the one who came up with the name Account Planning it seemed appropriate to remember his contribution. John Griffiths talks about his meetings with Tony Stead one of the only interviewees for 98% Pure Potato who he encountered as a young planner

Special - Remembering Tony Stead

The first in a series of podcasts which comes from the introduction and first chapter of 98% Pure Potato - a book about the origins of account planning - the strategic role which chooses the message for advertising and considers how the advertising should work. The function was invented in 1968 starting in 2 London advertising agencies at the same time thought they were very different. The largest agency at the time J Walter Thompson and the start up Boase Massimi Pollitt.  98% Pure Potato is based on interviews with the first ever planners who did the job working at these advertising agencies and others.  This is not a text book but a kind of oral history which explains how the job was first carried out at a time when the UK made better advertising than any where else. It should be of considerable interest to advertising practitioners and those studying advertising. This introduction explains how the book came about and why it is called 98% Pure Potato

Episode 1 Introduction to 98% Pure Potato  

the remaining interviewees on whom the book was based which includes not only planners but some of the most influential advertising people in the UK these last 50 years

7. Interviewees for 98% Pure Potato Part 2

Talking about the dangers of planners being too clever for their own good. With a story from Adam Lury which somehow didn't make it into 98% Pure Potato

15 When being clever isn't very bright

Blog based initially on 98% Pure Potato the book about the origins of account planning. Now focusing on the 50th anniversary as a lense to look at some of the contemporary issues.

John Griffiths' Podcast

So how does an ad written by artificial intelligence actually perform? Here's a piece by Adweek which explains what the AI did: https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/an-ai-tried-to-write-the-perfect-lexus-ad-heres-a-scene-by-scene-look-at-what-it-was-thinking/ And a piece by System 1 which explains how well the ad tracked with real people: https://system1group.com/blog/advertising/robot-revolution-how-good-are-ai-ads?utm_campaign=S1G%20Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_4M6SJNshWEF7RuTDamIg-5Kmb4Yr6WdepkMO1e49h-ldo4CMOJB_2lyg5lo0-VkKJuLxZGFruIrBdQKaHMFqnr_WXHg&amp;_hsmi=71453334&amp;utm... And I discuss the implications for how we might use AI to make ads that are brilliant not just better than average

So how does an ad written by artificial intelligence actually perform? Here's a piece by Adweek which explains what the AI did: <a href="https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/an-ai-tried-to-write-the-perfect-lexus-ad-heres-a-scene-by-scene-look-at-what-it-was-thinking/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/an-ai-tried-to-write-the-perfect-lexus-ad-heres-a-scene-by-scene-look-at-what-it-was-thinking/</a> And a piece by System 1 which explains how well the ad tracked with real people: <a href="https://system1group.com/blog/advertising/robot-revolution-how-good-are-ai-ads?utm_campaign=S1G%20Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_4M6SJNshWEF7RuTDamIg-5Kmb4Yr6WdepkMO1e49h-ldo4CMOJB_2lyg5lo0-VkKJuLxZGFruIrBdQKaHMFqnr_WXHg&amp;_hsmi=71453334&amp;utm_content=71453334&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;hsCtaTracking=61eab5e8-cd0d-4705-97e5-107013e93dcd%7Cf1e1a2eb-780f-45d7-a610-23ec85a5cdf4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://system1group.com/blog/advertising/robot-revolution-how-good-are-ai-ads?utm_campaign=S1G%20Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_4M6SJNshWEF7RuTDamIg-5Kmb4Yr6WdepkMO1e49h-ldo4CMOJB_2lyg5lo0-VkKJuLxZGFruIrBdQKaHMFqnr_WXHg&amp;_hsmi=71453334&amp;utm...</a> And I discuss the implications for how we might use AI to make ads that are brilliant not just better than average

Lexus Car ad - written by an AI program

Haagen Daz

the famous ice cream brand has to appeal to a younger generation appalled that parents might find it sexy. The solution to take the sex out and focus on simple luxury instead.

7th Podcast Haagen Daz taking the sex out of icecream

This week we look at the De Paul Unheard campaign on Spotify using playlists to highlight the plight of homeless young people and to build empathy.Here's the campaign page: https://uk.depaulcharity.org/spotify-playlists-tell-depaul-stories And here's the landing page: https://uk.depaulcharity.org/unheard and I talk about calls to action and  measures

This week we look at the De Paul Unheard campaign on Spotify using playlists to highlight the plight of homeless young people and to build empathy.Here's the campaign page: <a href="https://uk.depaulcharity.org/spotify-playlists-tell-depaul-stories" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://uk.depaulcharity.org/spotify-playlists-tell-depaul-stories</a> And here's the landing page: <a href="https://uk.depaulcharity.org/unheard" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://uk.depaulcharity.org/unheard</a> and I talk about calls to action and  measures

Depaul digital Unheard campaign for young homeless

Here's the commercial Amazon are going to be showing at the Superbowl this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA1rqEn_7YU It takes all the things which people worry Alexa is going to do wrong and magnifies them. I talk about why advertising does this and the likely effect.

Here's the commercial Amazon are going to be showing at the Superbowl this year. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA1rqEn_7YU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA1rqEn_7YU</a> It takes all the things which people worry Alexa is going to do wrong and magnifies them. I talk about why advertising does this and the likely effect.

Alexa promoting product failings 

A podcast which makes the simple point about the way account planners - even junior ones- can make a major contribution. The best way to introduce planning to clients.

Pitching for new business - the planners advantage

There's a dust up at JWT about straight middle aged middle class male white creatives being let go in the interests of diversity. Cue a discussion about the diversity and elitism that clings to advertising and how the first planning agencies addressed that.

Diversity and elitism in advertising now and then

Talking about the likeability of advertising - when its useful and when its not. And doing a comparison with the approach to advertising of the first ad agencies with planning departments at Boase Massimi Pollitt and J Walter Thompson. Drawn on interviews used for the book 98% Pure Potato

Likable advertising - does it matter?

What I am doing now in the revived podcast is focussing on today's issues for communications looking back to compare how the first planners addressed them. You can of course find out lots more by getting hold of a copy of 98% Pure Potato but there is plenty of the ancient wisdom via these podcasts.

The second podcast from the 50th anniversary

The week account planning started in 1968 with BM@P opening its doors and J Walter Thompson launching its planning department on Nov 1st. Where are we now? I talk about the significance of the beginning and how it differs from today.

The birthday broadcast: Account Planning turns 50

something I have been meaning to say for ages - the book 98% Pure Potato started its life in 2012 but it took until 2016 before it came out. So here are some learnings for fledgling authors

12 things I wish I had known when I set out to publish via Unbound

explaining how we move from storytelling back into marketing to look at the new ways the brand has learned to behave and how we bring those to life.

32 Turning the screenplay workshop into marketing outputs

Genre is what makes a screenplay come alive - I explain how I use genres giving some examples

27 Selecting a genre for your brand screenplay workshop

In which I introduce the 3 book ideas I want to be bringing out either as ebooks or print on demand. Brand screenplay workshop how to, waggle dancers - how to move ideas through organisations, and a memoir of my life as an account planner - nothing like setting targets for the new year!

23 Planning Book projects scheduled for 2018

the year account planning got going. As we approach the anniversary year 2018 it seemed a good idea to outline the key events in 1968 which ended with 2 agencies J Walter Thompson and Boase Massimi Pollitt having planning depts. The year it really got going.

22 That was the year that was 1968

Stephen King

Stanley Pollitt

Explaining 3 characteristics that were embedded in account planning from the very start that made sure it lasted. The pretenders who claimed to have started it didn't use these 3.

21 How the legacy of Stephen King and Stanley Pollitt has made account planning last 50 years 

As a curtain raiser to next week's webinar with WARC I talk about the pressures productising planning thinking, playing right into the hands of the consultants. To register for webinar Nov 29th 3pm GMT go here: https://lnkd.in/eJhkPdh

As a curtain raiser to next week's webinar with WARC I talk about the pressures productising planning thinking, playing right into the hands of the consultants. To register for webinar Nov 29th 3pm GMT go here: <a href="https://lnkd.in/eJhkPdh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/eJhkPdh</a>

18 Is planning dead from the neck down now?

in which we talk about how long you can do the same job. What comes next?  And what comes later!

17 Life after account planning

A question we asked our first generation of planners: is digital and social a whole new ball game. And they explain what they make of the new communication channels

16 Is digital and social a whole new planning game

The best podcast episodes on physical health. Episodes talk about your diet, sleep, exercise and all the things that people do to improve their physical health and live a healthier life. This topic is for everyone, with applications in all of our everyday lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Physical Health & Your Body

The best podcast episodes on Startups. For anyone working in a startup, or anyone interested in the incredible stories behind how people built companies like Instagram, and Facebook. Offering both practical advice and insights, as well as the stories for how many of the biggest startups got to where they are today. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!