“Every agency needs this book.”

In an industry known for Mad Men comes a voice of sanity, experience, and reason. The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning is an extremely well-organized book that provides a thorough and thoughtful approach to a discipline that has been misunderstood for years. Every agency needs this book.

— DAN COHEN, SVP/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLICIS NEW YORK

“This is the best yet.”

Chris has written a book that every planner, communicator, marketer, agency manager and aspiring planner must read. I have worked with legendary account planners, have had my work win top account planning awards, and have generally been in the thick of the account planning revolution for more than two decades, yet I found myself devouring this book from beginning to end in one sitting. I gobbled it up, spit out the pits, then ate the pits like wasabi peas and enjoyed every last one.

The Practical Guide To Account Planning claims to be, and it is in fact, a real world primer for aspiring account planners. It is written in clear, concise, unflashy prose. But, like a few other books that are written as primers - Up The Organization, The Prince and Ogilvy on Advertising come to mind - this has the power to make even the most experienced practitioner of insight-driven communication and innovation aspire once again. I've given my first copy to my chief strategy officer and said, 'This is the best yet.' I've already ordered my own new copy. I'm sure we'll be buying one for each and every planner on our team.

– MARK DIMASSIMO, CEO & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, DIMASSIMO-GOLDSTEIN

“A must read...”

...for anyone looking into Account Planning as a profession. Also just as helpful for those who have been around the block and need to refocus on the job they were employed to do. The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning delivers an in-depth view of a profession that requires one part genius and two parts pragmatism. I wish this was around when I was thrown my first creative brief to write.

— JUSTIN GRAHAM, CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, M&C Saatchi, AUSTRALIA

“If you want to be a killer planner…”

...this is the book to read. If you want to be a killer creative, make sure your planner reads this book.

— ISRAEL GARBER, GLOBAL ECD/MANAGING DIRECTOR, HAVAS WORLDWIDE NEW YORK

“The ideal primer…”

Finally, a no bullshit take on a discipline that — decades in — still lacks proper definition. The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning is the ideal primer for anyone considering a career in Account Planning.

— JOHN GIBSON, VP/DIRECTOR OF BRAND STRATEGY, THE MARTIN AGENCY

“A wonderful little gem.”

The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning is the perfect tool kit to get young planners off and running.

— OLE PEDERSEN, GLOBAL GROUP PLANNING DIRECTOR, DEUTSCH

“I wish I’d had such a guide book when I started in the industry.”

A true to life picture of the mysterious world that is advertising. I wish I’d had such a guide book when I started in the industry. I would have spent more time doing productive things and less time trying to work out what the heck was going on.

— CHRIS POTTS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND STRATEGIST, THE VALUE ENGINEERS

“Absolutely fantastic.”

I picked up this book when I first heard about account planning, to find out more; flipping through it again six months into my role, I had to laugh at how spot on so much of it is, and took more notes. I suspect that my apparent ease and familiarity in the agency can be largely attributed to this book, so *do* pick it up if you're a green-horn like me – a brilliant investment! It's also becoming a fast favourite with my team.

— Vicnan Pannerirselvam, Data Strategist, TBWA Singapore

“Well worth the read!”

Having been a strategic planner for the past 5 years, the day to day definitely gets in the way of a clearly defined role at the agency. It has helped me re-focus on core tenets of planning and also provided a few tidbits that have impressed interviewers while looking for a new job. Well worth the read!

— Tom McAdams, Senior Strategist, T3

"This book is a must have.”

It's so easy to read and PACKED with all of the information you need to decide if planning is right for you, or as in my case if you're already a newbie in the field, it helps you get the big picture of what you are actually supposed to be doing! Clear, concise, SMART, and right on the money. Couldn't recommend it enough!

— Candace Majedi, Senior UX Designer, Deloitte Digital

“This guide dissects every piece of the planner puzzle…”

I wish I had this book to help me navigate the world of planning over a decade ago. This guide dissects every piece of the “planner puzzle” to help new and aspiring planners get off on the right foot. With simple, straightforward prose, it’s an easy-to-understand, honest assessment of an often complex profession.

— ESTY GORMAN, BRAND ACTIVATION LEAD, GOOGLE

"A wonderful tool for anyone looking into advertising as a career.”

Whether Client side or Agency side, Media, Account Management or Planning, this guide helps the reader to understand the basics of driving to good strategy. Practical AND enjoyable to read!

— Nancy Hill, President & CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies

“What does an account planner do and should I become one?”

This book is the perfect place to start for anyone who wants to answer the following question: What does an account planner do and should I become one? The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning is an outstanding review of the sorts of questions planners ask every day and what it takes to be able to answer them.

— EDDY HODGSON, FORMER BRAND PLANNING DIRECTOR, THE RICHARDS GROUP

“The perfect companion to Truth, Lies and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning."

When I received an advance copy, I immediately shared it with a few lucky students and mentees. The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning is full of useful examples, practical tips and tangible scenarios that tackle the mysteries surrounding the ever-changing ‘planning’ discipline.

— CLAY LANGDON, STRATEGIC DIRECTOR, MCGARRAH JESSEE AUSTIN

“Put this guide in your back pocket and then go make some magic.”

Every mission must begin with the basics—all the parts and pieces on the table. The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning does exactly that, giving students a practical start. Ultimately, it’s up to each Planner on their own to live an interesting life and bring their unique ideas and experiences to bear for their Clients. So put this guide in your back pocket and then go make some magic.

— MATT GOLDBERG, FORMER SVP/GROUP PLANNING DIRECTOR, BBDO NEW YORK

“It should be mandatory reading for every marketer…”

I loved this book! It literally is a pocket guide that you can take around with you from client to client and project to project. It should be mandatory reading for every marketer or corporation or advertising agency in the business. It is full of valuable insights and helpful guidelines and disciplines to help you better hone your ability to position a brand, product or service, with better results, higher efficiencies and a more fluid work process. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the barrage of marketing messages that assault them every day. Whether you are in marketing or advertising or not. 

— Terry Balagia, UT Austin

“This book is a must for any professor teaching communication strategy or research.”

As both an industry professional and now as an advertising professor, I whole-heartedly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about the real lives of Account Planners. Chris does a phenomenal job of breaking down the basics, getting into the nitty gritty, and creating a full picture of what Account Planning is all about. What is refreshing about this book is that it rings true across both spectrums of learning and educating: 1) it is absolutely accurate in the portrayal of agency life and day-to-day requirements of planners today - from client requests, to research methodologies, to real-world examples, and 2) it breaks down strategy essentials and expectations into bite-size pieces for the reader. This book is a wonderfully simple and refreshing cornerstone for anyone interested in learning about Planning - whether they have agency experience or not.

Further, I can attest that my college students loved reading it as part of the course assignments. It’s written in everyday language, gets right to the point, and arms them with a clear understanding of the fundamentals of Account Planning. My students said this book helped them gain a clearer picture of agency life and the Planner’s role in it. And their exam scores proved that they truly did understand it! 

— Melissa Jane barnes, university of miami

“Great reference tips for new students and ad professionals….”

I teach an Account Planning class at a public university. I've struggled to find a book that both accurately portrays Account Planning in the post digital age and provides an interesting primer to the field. This book accomplished both of those things in buckets. The book is written in an easy to understand and interesting format. It's a breeze to run through and has a lot of great reference tips for new students and ad professionals looking to gain a better understanding of the world of planning.

— Michael D. Kuhl, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

“...Provides real world examples and practical ideas to improve planning skills.”

I'm always slow to require students to buy a book for class, as I understand how much school and books cost. After taking The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning for a test drive for a couple semesters, though, this is something I'm going to be requiring my students to buy in the future. This book is an excellent resource for teaching students about account planning, as I could see the difference it made for students who bought this as a recommended/optional reading. A one semester course doesn't give enough time to cover everything possible about account planning, so this book is a great tool for students - it reinforces things that get covered in the classroom, provides real world examples, and practical ideas to improve planning skills.

— Mike Mackert, UT Austin

“...Required reading for my creative strategy students.”

With over a decade of account planning experience I found this book to be a useful read. Planners are supposed to make the complicated simple and this book goes a long way towards accomplishing that when it comes to examining the day to day. As an adjunct professor at the Academy of Art's Advertising School, I have made this required reading for my creative strategy students. In some ways, this is the book that Jon Steele should have written!

— Shawn Utterback, Academy of Art Advertising School

“Funny, honest, and informative…”

After toting The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning for just a few days, I learned more about the field of planning and strategy than I had from three years of advertising classes at the University of Texas. Before anything else, this book gets you up to speed with an Account Planner’s day-to-day roles, context within an agency, and overall importance. Funny, honest and informative--this book breaks down all the mysteries and ambiguity that seem to surround this fascinating career.

— Jennie Lee

“This book beats the rest.”

Amazing read for anyone in the advertising world. Before reading Chris Kocek's guide, account planning was some mystical unicorn to me, but after the read it is a better understood mystical unicorn. He explains everything so thoughtfully and tells a great story. You can learn more about how to be a great planner in this book than a semester of college classes could teach you. I recommend it to everyone...even my parents, because nobody understands my occupation. Especially in an industry where everything changes so quickly and digital has taken over, this book beats the rest!

— Emily Jones

“Get a good look at what planning is all about.”

After holding several internships in advertising as an undergrad, I landed a jr. planner position. With four weeks into the job, I can tell you Chris gets it right. Especially the part about the day-to-day-life of a planner. It changes all the time. So far I've written briefs, personas, have listened to one-on-one interviews for concept testing, wrote a POV for a client last week, finished writing my first long form white paper today, am working on two new business pitches and just today I was told I might be involved in creative testing in the near future. Organized chaos, I would say so. If this sounds at all appealing to you, read Chris's book and get a good look at what planning is all about.

— Sofia Morales

“Get this book!”

This book is a must read for any young planner like myself. I can say first-hand that there are certain things you just can't learn in a classroom (even if you have incredible professors!). That's where this book comes into play, helping to bridge that gap in knowledge. In a straightforward and honest way, Chris paints a clear picture of the planner's role in an agency. For any current students or recent grads interested in planning, get this book!

— Michelle H.

“The best ‘textbook’ I have ordered so far.”

I had to order this book for a class and I would say it is the best "text book" I have ordered so far. Kocek brings humor and honestly to the field of account planning and offers a slew of helpful tips for those in pursuit of this career. Each section is also broken down into simple language that anyone can understand and supporting illustrations give breaks for the eye to rest and many also contain humor. Would definitely recommend this book if you need a quick insight into this particular field and will keep my copy handy in the future."

— Ashley

Endorsements are the opinions of the cited commentators and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their agencies.