sacrificing creativity. Ron Harding profiles companies that have effectively enforced accountability on their agencies and demonstrates proven internal systems for controlling the advertising process--and its associated costs--from the initial spending plan through the final examination of actual expenditures. He also offers a pragmatic discussion of the procedures, timetables, and contracts managers need to put in place to ensure that all sectors of the agency--account, creative, legal, production, and business affairs--act in the best interest of their client and at the highest levels of their capability. All major categories of spending receive thorough coverage: television, print, talent, and media.After an introduction which highlights the problems of runaway costs and mismanagement that plague many advertisers today, Harding presents a step-by-step guide to controlling advertising expenditures. Among the topics addressed are: how to create realistic spending plans and make them strict buying guides for the agency; how to spot successful advertising; how to make creative groups accountable; how to run a successful copy meeting; how to stop cost overruns in television and print; and how to streamline and strengthen the brand management system. Harding fully reviews how to cut costs at each stage--from the project initiation form, through copy and storyboards, to editing and final production. Written in clear, conversational style, the book focuses throughout on a pragmatic approach to advertising management while recognizing the central importance of creativity. In fact, Harding argues, by understanding the creative-cost equation and how to manipulate its variables, advertisers will necessarily reap the benefits of better advertising.

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