cover image BANG: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World

BANG: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World

Linda Kaplan Thaler, Robin Koval, l with Delia Marshall. . Doubleday, $24 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-385-50816-2

Thaler and Koval, the CEO and vice-president respectively of the Kaplan Thaler Group advertising agency (KTG), share the secrets of their marketing success. In business for six years, KTG has created advertising campaigns based on a philosophy of the big bang, defined here as a strategy designed to make a brand explode onto the marketplace virtually overnight. Although the authors' advice is targeted primarily toward businesses and other publicists, the glitzy anecdotal writing is witty and informative enough to appeal to those interested in advertising and popular culture. Drawing on many specific examples of their accomplishments, Thaler and Koval describe just how the creative process is triggered by innovative thinking. The AFLAC insurance company, for example, was turned into a household name when a member of the KTG team realized that AFLAC sounded like the quack of a duck. The AFLAC duck raised the company's profile from zero to instantly recognizable. According to Thaler and Koval, big bangs are achieved in an atmosphere where rules are ignored, organization is compressed, chaos is embraced and intuitive thinking is encouraged. In addition to useful tips, the authors also highlight pitfalls that can derail a potential big bang, such as failing to rehearse presentations or neglecting to do appropriate homework on the company being wooed. (Oct.)