. Al Achenbaum (1925- ) Canter Achenbaum Associates, New York List No. 92 of 100 Go to the Next Person of the Century When client-agency relationships, ideally viewed as "marketing partnerships," underwent tectonic changes during the fourth quarter of the 20th century, Achenbaum was one of the reasons. A market researcher at McCann-Erickson, Grey Advertising and J. Walter Thompson Co. during his 25-year agency career, Achenbaum added expertise in copy research and economics and set up his consultancy in 1971 with Don Canter. Their evaluations of agencies for national advertisers and their account reviews changed the agency business and angered traditionalists. Ultimately, Achenbaum's approach -- profitable accounts without arbitrary 15% commissions -- prevailed. All Rights Reserved © 1999 & 2005, Advertising Age Crain Communications, Inc. editor@AdAge.com .