"Shortcuts to the Obvious" is a how-to book and a seminar program, both aimed at delivering actionable advice on how to get more effective advertising much more efficiently.

The book opens with Murrow's timeless quote, "The obscure takes time to see, the obvious takes longer." Regrettably, the obvious lessons that took time to learn in the advertising business are rarely being taught. Most big agencies today are too pressed for profit to do the kind of studying or training they could once afford. "Shortcuts to the Obvious" fills the gap by teaching the critical lessons that count most at each step of the way.

"Shortcuts" will be short on the abstract, long on the real world, with some of the most successful campaigns ever serving as the real teachers. Key chapters include:

• Positioning - What to know in under three pages
• Creative Strategy - The most important chapter
• The Initial Exploratory - What to look for, what risks to take
• How to pre-test advertising without getting burned
• How to get a great test score, and still get a great ad
• Producing a full-up commercial - The five key issues
• When to change ads, When to change campaigns
• The elusive media threshold - How to find it
• Ten obvious things to know about media planning and buying
• The Internet - An advertising work in progress
• How to get your agency's best, and what to pay for it

These chapters will serve as the platform for a seminar program that will be offered form time to time publicly but also at clients, agencies, and academia.

Mel Sokotch is a 30-year veteran of 3 major agencies: Ted Bates, Grey Advertising, and Foote Cone & Belding. He's led many national accounts, including: Campbell Soup, Colgate-Palmolive, Eli Lilly, Kraft, M&M/Mars, Merck, Nabisco, and Pfizer. He's written numerous articles about advertising and spoken at many industry functions. This is his first book on the subject.