First, the account director must truly love marketing and promotions.  He/she must be a student of our industry and should be considered an ‘expert’.  The AD must demonstrate his/her passion for the business daily.  Love of what we do is paramount.  We want curious ADs.  ADs who aren’t satisfied with what they know today about marketing and promotions, who want to know more.

Second, the AD must love and appreciate the agency profession and our agency.  He must love how we do what we do.  What is agency life?  Simply, it is always ‘living in the possibility,’ always knowing that things will get better, always searching for that next big solution.  It is being fueled by emotion; it is being friends and also being carnivorous.  It is always driving quality and client satisfaction.  It is doing right things, and doing them the right way.  It is all the stuff we’ve said- overdelivering, taking it personally, being innovative, not accepting ‘the good’….

The most successful ADs live in the amorphous land between Order-Taking on one end and Obstinance on the other.  Order-taking is death to an agency as it transfers all ownership and responsibility to the client, such that the agency loses any perceived value.  Obstinance is also death, as clients grow weary of being told they’re wrong all the time.  There is a middle-ground, where great ADs know how to maneuver.

These first two points are absolutely critical- “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care”, in the words of Sam Walton.  Loving the industry, loving the profession, loving the agency, are the costs of entry.  After that, the rest are skills to be honed over time.

Third, the AD must operate as a true partner to the creative director.  The AD must do everything possible to make sure the CD is successful.  The two of them should work very closely together and have a strong working relationship.  No bullshit, no zooming, no turf.  When this one happens well, everything else (the work, client satisfaction, team morale, revenues) falls into place.  Drive-up windows, emailed instructions, AD art directing are all bad signs.

Fourth, the AD must be a skilled problem-solver.  Problem solving is what AD’s do all day long- client problems, staffing problems, priority-setting problems, billing problems, creative problems.  The AD must be adept at seeking the truth, untying the knots, pulling the right people together, finding the options and the right answer, and making sure everyone is in the boat who needs to be in the boat.  Problem-solving must be done personally sometimes, and must be facilitated at other times.  The AD must have strong instincts about when to push, when to be quiet, when to end the discussion.  And the AD must employ more than just ‘my gut tells me to’ as the means to problem-solve.

Fifth, the AD must be goal-oriented.  This means being proactive, planning what is next, and knowing what is left to be done.  All too often, we wait for the clients to set our priorities, to call the shots.  This is following, not leading.  Following is good a lot of the time.  The client and the team also want to be led.  Just being a conduit to get the work done isn’t enough.  The great AD needs to be looking ahead to further opportunities.  The great AD must have a plan, an agenda, a written definition of success, for the client and the team.

Sixth, the AD must be client-focused.  The AD must know the clients’ business, should be able to finish the clients’ sentences, and should have strong instincts about what will and wont work.  The AD is NOT the surrogate client at the agency, but is the agency representative at the client.  The AD is the person who brings all of the agency’s knowledge, experience and expertise to the client, and who guides the team to work on behalf of the clients’ needs.

Seventh, the AD should be a great salesperson.  Not used car sales.  The AD should know how to get the client to buy what the client needs, and make the client feel like what we’re selling is what he wants.  Sales in this business is connecting the dots between our work, what the client needs, and what the client wants.  The AD must be motivated by winning, and must learn from any defeats.  Being carnivorous and aggressive in order to drive our business   It is very hard.

Eighth, the AD must be a team leader and team player.  Sometimes this means being a dictator, and sometimes it means being a cheerleader.  The AD must rally the team to tackle the next assignment, even when the past three didn’t go well.  The AD must be the one to keep the flame of optimism burning all the time, without being hokey or out of touch.

Ninth, the AD must help others learn and grow.  Sometimes, this means passing along words of wisdom.  Sometimes this means kicking some ass.  Sometimes this means just a wink and a smile.  The AD needs to know how to grow others.  ‘Managing the team’ is such a sterile-sounding thing.  The great AD rallies the team, and also works hard with each team member to make him/her better.

Tenth, the AD must be a good communicator, because communications is the glue that holds it all together, internally and externally.  In writing and spoken.  Formally and informally.  Saying the right thing at the right time in the right way is crucial.

Those are my ten.  Do I know anyone who embodies all of them?  Nope (well, except Darren).  Is there a way to help get there?  Yes!  Be clear on the specs and priorities; be consistent on how you measure/judge them and apply them; publish them and talk about them; recruit for them; and help improve any deficiencies methodically….

What did I miss?

- Godin’s Linchpin: ok, I read it, very inspiring… typical Seth… I read is blog every day and have his app on my iphone

- Brogan’s Trust Agents

- Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project – I’m an avid reader of her newsletter

- Dan Pink’s Drive has come highly recommended

- same for the brothers Heath and their book Switch

- I have started Beyond The Mountain, a mountaineering book that’s awesome

- Checklist Manifesto- how to help healthcare

- The Opposable Mind – about being both right and left brained (which sounds like being ‘confused’, but maybe not)

- Alan Webber’s Rules Of Thumb (he founded Fast Company so you know it’s got to be good)

There’s a wealth of information and inspiration here… just need to dig in!

What’s on your reading list?

How do some companies get it right- finding the proper mix of Vision (direction) and Activation (execution)?  While other companies work their employees to death, but with no vision, direction or purpose?

How do you get to that right mix?  Spend too much time on the vision-thing and it’s navel gazing and an exercise in frustration.  Competitors pass you by, people get tired of waiting for you to come down from the mountain with the prophetic mission statement, and the output ends up being something like “to increase value for all stakeholders”.  Or just fire up the Dilbert mission statement generator.  The point is, too much thinking is not healthy.

On the other hand, too much doing isn’t healthy either.  Being busy is not the same as being productive- we’ve all been there.  I remember my first brand assistant job at P&G, staying up all night to color in maps of the U.S., indicating the various brand development ranges by region.  No one looked at my maps.  Management by treadmill… hamster wheel… You know the drill.

Heaven forbid you get stuck working at a company with no vision and no activation.  They won’t be around long, and you shouldn’t stick around to find out, anyway!  I’ve seen a few, mostly companies paralyzed by some exogenous circumstance – - and frozen in place.

And then there’s the select few companies that seem to have it just right.  They’ve found the balance.  Clear direction and flawless execution. Everyone knows the compass bearings, and they also know how to navigate their way along.  This is the NASCAR team in action – win the race, work together, move as one, know our role, deliver 110%.  Costco and Target are pretty good examples of this.  I think GE is, too, though they are getting bad press lately.  Personally, I am a WalMart fan for their executional prowess – they just flat out get it done better than other retailers.  Any other examples come to mind?

What would you say the percentages are?  Companies with”

- clear vision and focused activation (the A players):

- clear vision but sloppy execution:

- weak vision and strong activation:

- weak vision and poor activation:

What’s also intriguing to me is how a company with a weak (or changing vision) can bring that to life, juice it up, roll it out, get everyone engaged, and spark new enthusiasm.  I guess it’s called leadership!

I’ll leave you with this fabulous quote from businessman and mountainerr Werner Berger, “If I follow my passion and stay in action, my perceived limitations are no limitations at all.”

Let’s do good.  Let’s do better!

What are retailers for?

a) to sell products, or

b) to satisfy demand

Do retailers get rid of inventory, or do they serve the needs of shoppers who come in looking for product(s)?  Push supply or fill demand?

The fastest growing marketing practice right now isnt SEO or ecommerce, it’s ’shopper marketing’.  Shopper marketing is basically ‘making it happen at retail’ – selling stuff and building brand equity in stores, at the same time.

And there is much confusion about the role of shopper marketing in organizations, especially as it sits in between Sales and Marketing.  Is shopper marketing work that the sales organization is supposed to do?  Or is it the providence of the marketing department?

I think you have to begin with your view of retail in general – sell what they have, or meet the needs?

There are all kinds of consultants and agencies and advisors out there that are experts at shopper marketing – some more than others, for sure.  Here are a few to consider:

- The Partnering Group

- 10Red

- The RetailNet Group

- Mars Advertising

- Saatchi X

- RetailForward

- The In-Store Marketing Institute