Before there was the hit TV show “Mad Men,” before Coca Cola was ‘the real thing,’ before branding became a marketing buzzword, there was Phil “Deals” Geier. The story of how this visionary, who created the modern advertising holding company and brought The Interpublic Group from $500 million to $5.6 billion in revenues, is shared for the first time in SURVIVE TO THRIVE: Sustaining Yourself, Your Brand, and Your Business from Recession to Recovery (ISBN: 1-4392-4129-5).
In addition to sound business wisdom, SURVIVE TO THRIVE reveals an insider’s take on the glamorous real world of 1960s and 70s advertising and features a veritable “who’s who” of mid-20th century luminaries.
Part business bible, part advertising history and part personal memoir, Geier tells all and doesn’t flinch as he recounts his career, pointing out mistakes as well as triumphs and sharing the takeaway lessons that led to his success and that of many others on both the agency and client side. As the man who created the blueprint of the global network, Geier was named Chairman and CEO of Interpublic, the parent company of his original firm of McCann-Erickson, by the time he was 45. During his 20 years with the company, Interpublic stock experienced a compound growth of 22 percent.
Geier’s saga of the advertising industry’s evolution to meet the challenges of modern globalization provides some deep insight into dealing with change, revealing how his relentless focus on the client’s concerns changed the model of the effective account person.
“To succeed in business,” he writes, “you need to be able to use your own personal strengths in a wide variety of situations. You need to be able to listen as well as to make yourself heard. You need to earn people’s trust. You need to be able to make the right impression on people in a way that is always true to yourself.” At the core, Geier says “success is all about people.”
What other business leaders are saying about the book…
“From recessions to corporate calamities to actual heart-stopping moments, there’s no kind of crisis Phil Geier hasn’t lived through. He offers a 5-star meal made up of powerful business messages, rules of leadership, personal stories, the value of family, friends, as well as giving back.” — Bob Wright, former Vice Chairman, GE and Chairman of NBC Universal
“As the CEO who built Interpublic into a global advertising powerhouse, Phil Geier always was a great competitor. I was very happy when he retired.” — John Wren, President and CEO, Omnicom Group Inc.
“As someone who has been deeply involved in media and advertising for half a century, take it from me: Phil Geier has nailed it! He explains how to build long-term success by combining smart ideas and disciplined execution with a relentless client-centric focus.” — Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Vice Chairman and CEO of the Hearst Corporation
“Phil Geier’s SURVIVE TO THRIVE will help you make smart business decisions in today’s recovering global economy – and compete successfully in a fully integrated and highly competitive world.” — Glenn Hubbard, Dean, Columbia Business School
To buy the book go here.
About Phil Geier
Throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, Geier and his Interpublic colleagues worked with clients ranging from Coca-Cola and Exxon to GM, L’Oreal and Nestle through a fast-changing world. In his 20 years as CEO, Geier grew Interpublic from revenues of $500 million and 8,000 employees to a truly global enterprise with 650 offices in 127 countries, revenues of $5.6 billion and 50,000 employees, making Interpublic the world’s #1 agency holding company for many years. He is currently Chairman of The Geier Group, a New York-based marketing communications and venture capital firm that works with Lazard, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Geier serves as director on the boards of five non-profit and charitable organizations including Save the Children, Autism Speaks and Memorial Sloan Kettering. He also served as a Chairman of the Ad Council and was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2004.
