Under the Radar: Talking to Today's Cynical Consumer

They advertised soft drinks on fruit and underwear on sidewalks. They employed Ed Koch to bring Snapple to the American heartland. They even used Imelda Marcos to sell Kenneth Cole shoes. Advertising innovators Jon Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum have come up with more outrageously clever ways to get past consumers' detectors than anyone else in advertising today. And now, they're finally ready to reveal their methods.

In Under the Radar, Kirshenbaum and Bond chronicle their meteoric rise from a one-room, two-man Lower East Side stringer operation to Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, one of today's hottest agencies. They share the lessons they learned along the way and describe the evolution of their unique "under-the-radar" approach to grabbing and holding the attention of today's "been there, done that" consumers.

Under the Radar offers advertising and marketing professionals a deeply probing and instructive look at the nature of advertising and marketing in an age of information overload. Kirshenbaum and Bond provide a cogent analysis of how the world has changed since David Ogilvy laid down his ironclad rules for successful advertising. And, using in-depth critiques of many of today's best (and worst) ad campaigns, they describe what it takes to break through the defensive screens of a population bombarded by 1,500 ad messages each day.

You'll learn all about cutting-edge research techniques KB&P and other front-running agencies have developed for getting inside the heads and hearts of real people, and, just as important, how to use that knowledge to get ad-weary consumers to tune in rather than zone out. You'll also learn about the latest trends in integrated marketing, media planning, and guerrilla marketing, as well as new ways of structuring an agency in order to stimulate "under-the-radar" thinking.

Offering valuable lessons from the founders of one of today's most innovative and successful advertising firms, Under the Radar is essential reading for absolutely anyone involved in selling to consumers, from self-employed copywriters to marketing VPs at Fortune 500 companies.

"Under the Radar: Talking to Today's Cynical Consumer is a valuable and important new tool for the advertising industry from two pros at one of the hottest shops in town. Jonathan Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum offer valuable insights and creative solutions on how to break through the clutter to make sure the consumer gets the message."
―O. Burtch Drake, President and CEO American Association of Advertising Agencies

"Kirshenbaum and Bond's genius is their capacity to cut through informational clutter and reach the grass roots. In the war to save New York's drinking water, Kirshenbaum and Bond showed us how to speak truth to power--and be heard!"
―Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

"This book is the next best thing to actually working with Bond and Kirshenbaum. They are good! They know when to listen and when to argue with a client. They're not just smart and creative, they are serious strategic thinkers."
―Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, Fox News

"If you want to understand how ad executives create smart, innovative advertising, Richard and Jon's book is a must read."
―Valerie Salembier, Publisher, Esquire magazine

"Any book that helps a company deal with our over-communicated world is worth reading. Under the Radar is definitely one of those books."
―Jack Trout, Trout & Partners Ltd. author of The New Positioning: The Latest on the World's #1 Business Strategy

JONATHAN BOND spent his early years in advertising at packaged goods stronghold Jordan, Case & McGrath, Korey, Kay & Partners, and his own start-up agency, Grossich and Bond. Bond also worked for famed marketing consultants Trout & Ries, inventors of the concept of “positioning.” At age 25, he was named to Adweek’s Best People Under 30. Currently, he is cochairman and cofounder of Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, a $225 million agency behind such memorable campaigns as Snapple, Kenneth Cole, Citibank AAdvantage card, and Target stores. Bond and his partner Kirshenbaum are guest lecturers at Harvard Business School, and have appeared on Today, 20/20, and CNN. He was recently elected the youngest board member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

RICHARD KIRSHENBAUM is one of the few creative entrepreneurs today, combining a rare business acumen with a widely respected creative reputation. As cochairman and chief creative at Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, he has won numerous Clios, One Show, and EFFIE awards. At 29, he won the Young Entrepreneurs Organization Award where he placed #2 in the nation and was recently elected to the board of The One Club for Copy and Art. Kirshenbaum gained his experience at J. Walter Thompson as senior copywriter on Burger King, Reynolds Aluminum, Showtime, and Prodigy (which he, in fact, named). He also produced award-winning work for Korey, Kay & Partners, and for Deutsch. He has been profiled in the New York Times, and Crain’s and Wired magazines, and has appeared on ABC, MTV, and CNBC.