Who is the author of Truth, Lies and Advertising?

Jon Steel is the author of Truth, Lies and Advertising.

Marketing & Sales

Truth, Lies and Advertising Book Summary - Truth, Lies and Advertising Book explained in key points

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Truth, Lies and Advertising summary

Name: Truth, Lies and Advertising
Rating: 4.4 (17 reviews)
Author: Jon Steel

Jon Steel

The Art of Account Planning

4.4 (17 ratings)

13 mins

Brief summary

Truth, Lies and Advertising by Jon Steel is an insightful book about the advertising industry. Steel shares his experience working in advertising and provides valuable lessons on how to create effective campaigns. A must-read for anyone in the industry.

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Table of Contents

Truth, Lies and Advertising
Summary of 5 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 5

What’s in it for me? Discover how an account planner works magic in advertising.

Why do the oddball geniuses in advertising get all the credit for great projects? Probably because we have a romantic notion of Don Draper characters sitting around in skyscraper penthouses, ruminating on society and coming up with beautiful and concise taglines and copy.

The truth, however, is different. Behind every Don Draper genius, there’s an account planner. And without that account planner, Don Draper would be unemployed.

As you’ll see in the following blinks, the account planner has arguably the most important job in advertising: he stands between the client and the creatives, does research, collects feedback and does everything to ensure a client gets the great campaign they’re paying for.

After reading these blinks, you’ll find out

how the author was instrumental in the “got milk?” campaign;
why you should be skeptical of whatever a consumer tells you; and
when you’ve done enough research.

Account planners bring together the client’s business interests, the agency’s creative team and consumer needs.

Ad people have a bad reputation for being untrustworthy and unethical, almost on par with snake oil salesmen. But not all ad agencies are trying to hoodwink you or overwhelm you with ads; some strive to connect with their audiences on a human level. And for this kind of next-level advertising, an account planner is crucial.

This role is all about researching consumer needs in order to solve client problems. An account planner conducts consumer interviews, develops information briefs or looks into various related factors (like sales figures) that might be contributing to the client’s problems.

Additionally, the account planner is responsible for keeping the creative team on track by sharing information about the target consumer and communicating the client’s needs. In other words, this job isn’t about making the decisions, but rather about making ideas happen.

For instance, when the author was working on a project for the auto company, Isuzu, he hosted focus groups at dealerships to understand the customer base for individual models. When he learned that the Rodeo model attracted adventurous types, he relayed that information to the creative team. Building on that insight, the creatives developed a commercial about a young father and his son visiting a toy store, where they find a Rodeo packaged like a toy car. And the campaign tagline read: “The Rodeo. Grow up. Not old.”

As you can see, the account planner’s job requires in-depth research. And that’s why a planner should ideally work with three clients at a time, max. That might not seem like much, but it’s important that the account planner doesn’t cut corners due to overwhelming workloads or time pressure.

After all, getting the job done right will help the agency create lasting relationships with clients and build an impressive portfolio, which makes it a more profitable strategy in the long-term.

The account planner guides the creative team by conducting consumer research and analyzing the results.

What does it take to effectively liaison between creatives and clients? Well, perhaps the most important aspect of being a good planner is listening well – which also means asking the right questions.

When you talk to consumers, you have to figure out how a product fits into their lives. And asking questions in a logical, methodical way is the best way to do that. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the obvious!

The account planner uses the creative brief to present a simple, powerful idea to the creative team.

How does the account planner’s consumer research turn into a creative campaign? Well, after conducting research, the planner prepares a creative brief – a report with the overall campaign strategy – and presents it to the creative team.

Since the main goal is to communicate with creatives about your work, it’s best to keep it simple and casual, to better facilitate the flow of ideas. But no matter what format you use – oral or written, long or short – every brief should contain the following information:

The account planner works with the creative team to incorporate client expectations into the campaign concept.

Once the account planner has presented the creative brief, what’s next? Now it’s time for the creative team to polish the planner’s preliminary ideas and give them a distinctive flair.

Consider the author’s experience on the Sega account: In his research, he observed that kids preferred Sega’s console to Nintendo’s. So in the creative brief he compared the experience of using the console to getting picked to play in baseball’s Major Leagues, describing it as getting called up to “The Show.”

The author developed the iconic “got milk?” campaign by following the account planning process.

Let’s see how the author used the account planning process described in earlier blinks to develop one of the most famous advertising campaigns of all time.

The client was California Fluid Milk Processors Advisory Board (CFMPAB), a group that wanted to increase milk consumption.

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What is Truth, Lies and Advertising about?

In Truth, Lies and Advertising (1998), leading account planner Jon Steel shares an insider’s insight into the world of advertising. For Steel, the creation of great ads is all about understanding the consumer, and his compelling behind-the-scenes anecdotes illustrate the role account planners play in developing a successful campaign.

Truth, Lies and Advertising Review

Truth, Lies and Advertising (1998) by Jon Steel is a thought-provoking exploration of the advertising industry and the complexities behind creating successful campaigns. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

With insider perspectives and firsthand experiences, Steel sheds light on the reality of the advertising world, offering a unique and authentic glimpse into this fascinating industry.
The book provides insightful analyses of advertising strategies and techniques, helping readers understand the psychology behind successful campaigns and the power of effective storytelling.
Through compelling anecdotes and real-life examples, Steel challenges conventional thinking about advertising, encouraging readers to think critically and creatively about their own approaches to marketing and communication.

Best quote from Truth, Lies and Advertising

Ultimately I believe that any good planner has to be very strong both strategically and creatively.

—Jon Steel

Who should read Truth, Lies and Advertising?

Anyone who’s starting out in advertising or planning
Mad Men fans who want to understand how a real advertising agency works
Business owners want to hire an advertising agency to develop a campaign

About the Author

Jon Steel is currently planning director at WPP Group and chief strategy officer at George Patterson Y&R. He’s spent decades at the top of the advertising industry on three continents – America, Australia and Europe – working with iconic brands like Sony, Budweiser, Hewlett-Packard, Nike and Porsche.

© [Jon Steel: Truth, Lies & Advertising] copyright [1998], John Wiley & Sons [Inc. or Ltd. as applicable] Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons [Inc. or Ltd. as applicable] and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

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Marketing & Sales

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