Sponsor (July-Dec 1955)

hardworking itrata. With thai foreword, the curtain rises. The place', an intimate-type office with s desk and chair, lows of shelved books, a couple <>f academic certificates on (lie wall and another (hair located at the head of a long black-leathered conch. The conch and aearb) chaii are presently occupied*! The characters: a psychoanalysl and his "subject," an account executive. The lime: Immaterial. The analyst speaks: "Comfortable? Wecan now proceed. As \ < > 1 1 were starting to sa) when we broke olf our previous analysis then then came a drastic turn of events in \oiir professional lite. 1 OU go on and tell it in \our own way and I'll tr\ not to Interrupt.*1 Account executive: "All right. Now. jus! Fancj \ «>urself an account executive — or an BCCOUnl supervisor. "You've spent aboul 20 years in the advertising field. You've gol n broad knowledge <>f the creative Function. You've learned how to interpret the client's Deeds in terms of consumer selling through cop) and media. You've saturated yourself, among other things, with what there is to know about television and radio as sales tools. "You've mastered the complexities of agenc) procedure, the art of administering a sizable account, or j:roup of accounts, and the knack of keeping both your client and your co-workers stimulated and happy. You've got a good record of performance and have earned a certain amount of prestige at your trade. ■'Then something separates \ ou from your job. Or. you wonder why you were overlooked when the big new account landed in your shop. "in the formalized custom of your field you make yourself 'available1 for other agency pastures. You come in contact with people who make a business of recruiting personnel for key jobs such as yours in the bigger agencies. "You learn through these sources — management consultants and executive employment agents — that the prime requisites for account men have changed. 'Sure,' they tell \ou. 'we're interested in a man with a sound advertising background, but. sorry, we're under instructions to focus our recruitment beam on men who've had experience as product managers, sales managers or general marketing executives for some big packaged goods manufacturer (say P&G or General Foods) . . . people who have been close to wholesaler and retailer channels.' "You're pu/zled by all this, but then you recall a theme they've been featuring at recent ANA and 4A"s meetings. Something about the "marketing revolution' and the need for agencies to gear themselves to it. Like identifying themselves more intimately with the advertiser's over-all marketing picture through offering broader and more specialized marketing guidance and services. You put one and one together and you realize that vour career has run right smack into the 'marketing revolution,' or vice versa. Analyst: "\ ou talk as though this were an unsurmountable upheaval. " Account executive: "'It's not as bad as that, but before you can understand what this all means to me in terms of human as well as professional relations. I'll have to recall what it was like in the pre-marketing era. or the old days. "In those days we were supposed to know all the answers by ourselves. We could exercise our own initiative and judgment on copy, layout, research, media and even on our (Article continues next pi: 26 DECEMBER 1955 FOR A SUCCESSFUL iGENCl iCCOl NT EXECUTIVE IN THE MARKETING ERA Profiled from employer-stipulated qualifications gathered 6) bponsoh in interviews with management consultants and other services that recruit /-''> [»•'• sonnet for major agencies in onler oj importance 1. He must have a broad knowledge <>f marketing obtained a a product, brand, Bales oi merchandising manager for an outstanding manufacturei in the [>aek • i good field (for instance, P&G or General Foods). 2. He must have at hi finger lip a tua- of information about his client's product and market and bow to take advantage of all the marketing-specialist supports available to him in the agency. 3. He mibt have a strong leaning for research and a trained capacity to analyze and evaluate the facts, after they've all been* collected, and to translate his findings appropriately to the client. 4. He must be a good administrator and bu-ir man, affable with people hut firm in his purpose, decisive in his viewpoint and able to support hi opinions with facts, logic, and felicity of expression. 5. He must be a pretty mature person and well integrated so that when he's under extreme pressure lie can think straight and administer bis job with maximum effectiveness and control. 6. He must possess a good deal of drive and a determination to succeed. At the same time he must be honest with himself and the people around him and not resort to rationalization when in error. 7. He must be capable of handling details, hut at the same time capable of delegating tasks, and not function as a compulsive do-it-yourselfer. Also capable of creating ideas and judging the ideas of other-. 8. He must have a diversity of cultural interests, such as music, art and literature, with this ultimate objective: a better means of communications with his contacts in business — not to mention socially. 9. He must have the intelligence, scholastic background, breadth of intellectual-recreational inter and appreciation of the finer things of living that will rate him among the "top 5%" of the population. 10. He must be personable, in vigorous health, possess the requisites for organizational advancement and happily married to a women who helps him socially.