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I caught up with John Griffiths in London a couple of months ago at an industry event and asked him if he’d be up for participating in an episode of the podcast. John is incredibly smart and always has fascinating stories to tell about his account planning and strategy experience in the advertising industry. He has been working as a planner in advertising for 30 years, and integrated with other marketing disciplines such as PR, promotions, direct marketing, sponsorships and online / digital for the past 20-25 years. He has also won Research Awards for Best New Thinking (2010) and Best Workshop (2011).
John is also co-writing a book with Tracy Follows I was interested in knowing more about and thought it was worth sharing with you. 98% Pure Potato: The origins of advertising account planning, an account of the first people who worked in the first account planning departments in the sixties, created by Stanley Pollitt at BMP and Stephen King at JWT. John interviewed many of these original UK Mad Men and learn how they created this discipline of account planning with the intention of bringing people (consumers) at the heart of the brand communications targeted to them.
I think it’s interesting for anyone to hear about the behind the scenes of how advertising and marketing is made, if ever you were curious it probably worth checking out even if you don’t work in advertising or marketing.
If you do work in advertising & marketing I think this is a must listen and the upcoming book a must-read, you can still pledge for your copy of the book on Unbound. Of course I would say that, just check it out for yourself!
Some of the information mentioned
- Follow John Griffiths on Twitter or check his website
- 98% Pure Potato: The origins of advertising account planning
- John G’s Mobile Weblog: Travels captured on a mobile phone (2005)
- Stephen King, JWT
- The UK Account Planning Group (APG)
- Dave Trott
- Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry
- Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH)
- Truth, Lies and Advertising – Jon Steel
- Bill Bernbach
- DDB Worldwide agency
- Mad Men (TV series)
- “1984” Apple’s first Macintosh advert
- Saatchi & Saatchi
- Hall & Partners
- Method Acting
- Blade Runner
- Ridley Scott & Associates (RSA Films)
- Jungian archetypes
- Joseph Campbell Monomyth / Hero with a Thousand Faces
- Brand architecture (Brand Key, Brand Onion, etc)
- Cranium (board game)
- The Green Marketing Manifesto, John Grant
