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    Then We Set His Hair on Fire

     
    11/7/2005

    The title of this amusing and instructive memoir refers to an accident involving the hair of Michael Jackson during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial in 1984. The superstar’s hair got in the way of special-effects fireworks, and within hours the accident became news around the world, lending an unanticipated boost to Pepsi awareness.

    Phil Dusenberry, the former chairman of BBDO North America, believes in the power of accidents, or “unintended consequences.” Since accidents are hard to plan for, he mainly focuses in this book on insights. “Insights are not ideas.” “Insights are rarer and more precious than ideas.” “Insights come in all shapes and sizes.” “Insights sometimes come from the most unlikely places.”

    The book is never short of examples, and Dusenberry brings together his own insights gained through forty years of experience working on campaigns for FedEx, GE, HBO, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Visa, as well as President Ronald Reagan’s reelection. He also stresses the importance of professionalism and disciplined thinking. Marketing managers should take a look at his five-step RAISE program, a “linear matrix of research, analysis, insight, strategy, and execution.”

    Dusenberry refuses to draw a line between “instinct and analysis, head and gut” and emphasizes the importance of doing research by “eavesdropping” in cafés, pubs, and even while walking down the street. The book’s message is clear: Rely on your gut and intuition any day over statistics, charts, and hairsplitting analysis.

    - Poping Lin

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