THINKING about the next act is the key to success in most industries.

You manage to do well in a category. Eventually you reach saturation with just about every customer that you're going to get to buy your product. Even if it's a fast-moving consumer good that everyone needs more of in short order, sales growth is going to plateau at some point. Think of breakfast cereals. Do you need 12 varieties of Special K? No.

But those odd-coloured berries got your attention, didn't they?

Mack, an Atlanta-based adman who has worked on some big-named clients in some decentsized ad agencies including BBDO, here does the tried and tested thing for a pro - lifting the lid on some trade secrets that the amateur may be able to use to good advantage.

The key to Mack's thinking is innovation - that product innovation absolutely has to be hand in hand with marketing. Marketing might actually suggest new products for the bank, not simply be an outbox for some back-office guy's ideas.

It's not a particularly earth-shattering insight, but Mack writes it up in plain English, offering tips and tricks that can help a general business reader who perhaps doesn't want to spend hundreds of thousands of euro on brand consultancy just to have someone come back to her and tell her exactly the same thing.

Well worth a jolly good read.