Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: How I learned to be an account planner / Hart Weichselbaum -- The account planning revolution (from Hitting the sweet spot) / Bruce Bendinger -- How I started account planning in agencies / Stanley Pollitt -- Growing pains : planners on planning / Robert Lauterborn -- What is account planning? (and what do planners do exactly?) / Merry Baskins -- How advertising works : new steps on the advertising timeline / Mike Hall -- Defining a brand / Paul Feldwick -- Bedbury on brands : 2 articles from Fast company / Scott Bedbury -- Selections from Testing to destruction / Alan Hedges -- A review of qualitative methods (from Goodthinking) / Wendy Gordon -- When to gather, how to gather, what to gather / Alice Kendrick -- Seven exercises to sharpen your skills / Alice Kendrick -- Getting in character / Lisa Fortini-Campbell -- The coolhunt / Malcolm Gladwell -- Planning the new business pitch : a practical guide / Hart Weichselbaum -- The science of shopping / Malcolm Gladwell -- Above and beyond advertising planning / John Griffiths -- Your next job description : what clients think / Scott Lukas & Stephen Walker -- Not all Europeans are alike / John Heilemann - Writing creative briefs/Hart Weichselbaum.