What is Account Planning 2001
Content
What is Account Planning? (and what do account planners do exactly?) A Revised Millennium Definition Foreword It has been over 30 years since the first account planner walked the earth. Since then account planning has developed into a job function that exists not only in the advertising agencies but in client marketing departments, direct marketing agencies, design consultancies, PR firms, media independents et al. It has long since existed outside its London, England birthplace, extending to the US and Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Scandinavia, Chile, Brazil, Europe, even China. And those are just the countries that have approached us about starting their own APG. In the mid eighties, Sev D’Souza (of the then fabulously named Still Price Court Twivy D’Souza ad agency) attempted a much needed and much referenced definition of account planning. It has been distributed to our membership and resided on our website since its inception. The time has now come, given planning’s ascent up the ladder of evolution, to have a stab at updating that definition. It is high time we identified the various sub-species that exist, and predicted the key craft skills and genes that will ensure our successful commercial survival beyond the year 2000. Merry Baskin Baskin Shark APG Chair 1998-1999 April, 2001 Contents A Brief History: Where it started and why the origins of the title the evolution of marketing What is Planning for?: why you should have some What Roles does Planning fulfil?: market researcher data analyst qualitative focus group moderator information centre bad cop (to account management’s/client service’s good cop) npd consultant brainstorming facilitator target audience representative/voice of the consumer soothsayer/futurologist media/communications planner strategic thinker/strategy developer writer of the creative brief
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 1
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think piece polemicist social anthropologist insight miner knowledge applicator
What Planners don’t do The Ideal Account Planner: recruitment spec A Brief History of Account Planning Where it Started and Why Stephen King of JWT and Stanley Pollitt of BMP are the undisputed forefathers of account planning. In separate agencies, but at pretty much the same time, they started a revolution in the advertising world which has spread from the UK to other countries and from ad agencies to management consultancies, direct marketing, PR, design and client research departments. In 1964, Stephen King, dissatisfied with the workings of both the media and marketing departments within his agency, developed a new system of working (the T-Plan or Target Plan) which concentrated on combining consumer research and insights to create more effective, creative advertising. Stanley Pollitt in 1968, was concerned at the enormity of discretion given to account management in the writing of the creative brief, and felt that they were using data either incompetently or expediently. He wanted a research person at the elbow of the account man. For Stanley, the voice of the consumer was of paramount importance, and using consumer research to clarify the issues and enrich the advertising development process was an essential component. When BMP was formed, each of its three accounts was managed by an account director and a (line function) account planner. Both Stanley and Stephen shared a desire to reorganise the media planning, market research and marketing departments. Stephen initially by a process, and Stanley via a person. Both were led towards the creation of a new department and a new discipline. The Origins of the Job Title The name ‘account planning’ was coined by Tony Stead at a JWT awayday in 1968, attended by media planners and account people from the marketing department. He simply merged the two titles together as Stephen’s new department was to comprise a hybrid – selected folk from both disciplines. And so we have been saddled with one of the most obfuscatory job titles ever since. Our North American friends in adopting the discipline have strived to better it with the likes of ‘Brand Planner’ and ‘Strategic Planner’ (preceded by the usual Senior Executive Vice President tosh, of course) but none of these appear to have stuck. Perhaps we rather enjoy the mystique of having a job title that implies crystal ball gazing without a clearly defined handle?
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 2
The Evolution of Marketing A brief note on the nature of marketing in those days: From the 50s, ‘Marketing’ and ‘Marketing Plans’ were in fact executed by the agency (who also did everything else). Ad agencies pioneered market research (JWT started the British Market Research Bureau); they created test kitchens for npd, devised TV programming (think Compton’s P & G soap operas ), PR ladies who lunched etc etc. The 60s and 70s brought dramatic changes as more and more clients restructured along marketing lines, such that nowadays the majority of clients have their own marketing and market research departments in house. These days they look to their agencies for specialist advice on advertising and communications rather than as (media neutral) marketing consultants. More fool them, some planners might say. For that broader brush communications vision is where planning has been heading for some time, and the accountability that planning can bring to the party has now slipped further down the agenda as marketing has ceased to feature at the board room level. Which is unfortunate. And also a topic for another day. What is Account Planning for (Daddy)?* And why you should have some. Almost every communications agency (and their clients) benefits from a disciplined system for devising communications/advertising/commercial strategy and enhancing its ability to produce outstanding creative solutions that will be effective in the marketplace. It is the planner’s job to guide or facilitate this process via the astute application of knowledge or consumer/market understanding. Only oops I mean Planners can do zees. And why can planners do this? Because planners are in a unique position in their jobs because they have an understanding of the audience through research expertise AND an understanding of how it will be applied within their own business thus they provide a crucial bridge. At the core of this task, is the need to understand the consumer/customer (interchangeable) and the brand to unearth a key insight for the communication/solution (Relevance). As media channels have mushroomed and communication channels have multiplied, it has become increasingly important for communication to cut through the cynicism and connect with its audience (Distinctiveness). And as planners move into client companies, brand identity co’s, design co’s and the internet world, the planner can provide the edge needed to ensure the solution reaches out through the clutter to its intended audience. Moreover, to continue the learning cycle, planners must also recognise the need to demonstrate how and why the communication has performed (Effectiveness). Finally, to bring upstream thinking to the brand’s development. Brands must move forward, or they die!
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London
Page 3
*Title stolen with Pride from Jeremy Bulmore’s Inaugural Address at the first APG meeting in 1978. What Roles does Planning Fulfil? Thinking about the portfolio nature of the planner’s working day, we’ve made a list of the various job functions and skill sets a planner often needs to fulfil. Market Researcher
Many account planners have evolved from market researcher origins. Jane Newman (undisputed Queen of Planning, USA) used to say that account planning ‘subsumed’ the agency market research function. We believe quite strongly that market research craft skills (and adherence to MRS Code of Practice principles) are the backbone of the planner’s platform. If you can’t devise, conduct, analyse, report on and monitor surveys objectively, how can you possibly hope to judge their usefulness or commission appropriately? The planner should never assume that the researcher is the sole expert. Elements of questionnaire design, the way a question is phrased, for example, can fundamentally affect the outcome of the study. Black box modelling techniques may be so much theory but they can critically enhance or destroy projects. Planners need to be able to ignore, challenge or exploit such things from a perspective built on understanding or at least something more solid than assertion and prejudice. Data Analyst
The planner is charged with ensuring that all data relevant to the brand’s communication decisions be properly analysed, complemented with new research where appropriate, and then brought to bear on judgements of the creative strategy and evaluation of the communications. This is more than just knowing your way around computer tabs from a pre test, but also sales data, trend data, demographics, etc etc. Knowing how to interrogate data and find a story through it rather than be intimidated by it is the challenge. Common sense, intuition, numeracy and clarity of thinking all help. Think of yourself as detective rather than a plodding copper on the beat ‘conducting enquiries’. Qualitative Focus Group Moderator
Qualitative research (and the ubiquitous focus group) has taken on an increasingly significant role in everyone’s lives. “Let’s do a couple of groups and see what they say” says Tony Blair, Brand Manager to the nation. Moderating your own groups is by far the best way of coming to grips with your target audience, putting yourself in their shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. It also gives the planner a confidence and an authority he/she wouldn’t otherwise be entitled to. It means you are both a psychologist and an interpreter. Information Centre
Knowledge is the bedrock of the planner’s craft. Knowing where to go to find stuff out is key. However much time pressure is brought to bear on your working day, planners should always make time to feed their heads.
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 4
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Bad Cop (to account management’s good cop)
Despite the fact that planners are outnumbered by account management by 4 to 1 (source: IPA survey 2000) we tend to work in pairs. Very often, it makes sense to adopt the bad cop/good cop routine with some clients and some creatives in order to deliver some bad/challenging/alternative/unexpected news without ruining the relationship. Since the news is usually grounded in objective fact, the planner should deliver it as constructively as possible. Occasionally, of course, you get to play good cop, too – depending on your agency culture and your client relationships! NPD Consultant
One of the most fun aspects of working on multinational packaged goods brands is the fact that they are still investing in new product development. Being in at the birth of a product through to its positioning, naming, testing and (rarer than hen’s teeth) successful advertising launch, can be one of the most interesting and formative experiences for a planner. Brainstorming Facilitator
What better way than the brainstorm to hot house creativity or to get everyone on the team singing from the same song sheet so the brand and its communications can move forward? More challenging and more exhausting than the average group discussion because you’ll (hopefully) be dealing with the Chairman and the brand manager and the creative director in the same session, it’s also more rewarding. Make sure you have some good warm-up exercises up your sleeve. Target Audience Representative/Voice of the Consumer
It’s the oldie but goldie. The planner’s ‘cocktail party’ job definition. Their job is to ensure that an understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviour is brought to bear at every stage of communications development via continuous involvement in the process. Many of the places we work and the colleagues we work with are not representative of the sorts of people and places where our communications are aimed, so it’s a good idea to be an empathetic sort. Soothsayer/Futurologist
Let’s face it, our job title does have a hint of crystal ball gazing within it. This aspect of the planner’s craft is to have a genuine interest in and capacity to generate knowledge about trends and anticipate social movements that their colleagues can actually use to grow their brands. And then of course, there’s always the Henley Centre. Planners can drive the future by finding gaps and creating interest in things the punter may not have thought of, but may be interested in. Media/Communications Planner
Some might say that this job is the next evolutionary phase of the account planner. Certainly, as integration across media becomes every agency’s growth strategy and understanding how consumers consume communication their mission statement, it is increasingly more important for the planner to understand the strategic role and
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 5
effectiveness of different media, by target and by category, and know when and how it is relevant to use them to achieve the brands objectives. Strategic Thinker/Strategy Developer
If the creative brief is the planner’s tangible output, developing the brand communications strategy is the precursor task. Strategies help us get to the right marketing/communications brief. It ensures the whole team are aware of the assumptions being made and aids evaluation of the work's effectiveness. The planner identifies the key issue and determines the role for communication against a specific target. Writer of the Creative Brief
The brief is widely considered to be the planner’s main product – or ‘key tangible deliverable’ to the creative development process. One of the myths is that all planners do is transcribe the client’s marketing jargon into baby talk so the creatives can understand it. There’s considerably more to it than that of course; clarity, brevity, and fertility being the hygiene factors of a good creative brief. And as the creative brief has the power to spark ideas – and ideas is what our business is all about – then that is a pretty important role. Think Piece Polemicist
There are aspects of the planner’s job that sometimes entail sitting in a darkened room with a towel round your head, mulling over deep thoughts. These times may be accompanied by a passion or a fascination for a certain theme. Write it down, rant about it from conference platforms, get it published. Original thinking is a powerful tool, and when persuasively and compellingly delivered can have real impact on the business you are working on and the people you are working with. Social Anthropologist
Our world is changing at an amazing rate, with technology and information moving at a breathtaking pace. Advertising has always been a young person’s profession and nowadays it is even more important for creative people to be in touch and au fait with rapidly evolving cultural and social trends to ensure their idea’s relevance to the target audience. In the time its taken me to write this, surf wear has probably gone out of fashion, and my Sony VAI0 has been superseded by yet another “wafer-thin” laptop. Monitoring cultural and social trends is a specialist task, and the findings need to be fed in early to brand and creative development. Differentiating between mere “fashion” and genuine cultural trends is not something for the inexperienced – many people can tell you what’s in and what’s out, but planners should be able to tell you why. Insight Miner
This section probably deserves its own book, but deriving insight from knowledge is one of the most important skills a planner can possess. These insights about the client’s business can come from a variety of areas: the consumer the client’s culture
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 6
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the marketplace/category the competition the brand (past, present, future) values the product qualities the advertising and communication conventions of the category
Mining all these areas, (whether sporting a virtual helmet with a lamp on the front or not) peering into nooks and crannies without losing sight of the big picture in order to identify a key insight that can transform a client's business, is a real skill. “At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action, even though his language so often can camouflage what really motivates him” Bill Bernbach Knowledge Applicator
Not wishing to sound like a cosmetic brush (or worse), there are those who believe most passionately that in this new information age it is in the applying of (rather than acquiring and regurgitating) knowledge that the planner truly comes into their own. To paraphrase Jon Steel, finding things out, filtering them, rethinking them laterally and then using that knowledge to help creative people come up with a (better) idea easier or faster means that the planner is doing their job properly and making a difference. Not making a difference in this way is a hindrance and you should move out of the way and let everyone else get on with it. What Planners don’t do (well) Opportunity here for some cheap gags about bag carrying (account man’s job) and the general administrative disfunctionality of the account planning breed. In general, planners are not very well organised. Tidy minds tend to move in a linear fashion, rather than laterally. And while some may feign incompetence so they don’t get stuck delivering proofs to clients at 11pm, it’s not advisable to ask a planner to do the following: go to client meetings on their own (they’ll get lost) write the contact report (their minds wander) act as a shrill for the creative work (unless its grounded in consumer knowledge otherwise integrity and objectivity are compromised) write timetables set deadlines (there might just be some other nugget out there that I’ve still to unearth) Have anything to do with invoices!
The Ideal Account Planner – Recruitment Spec The following is an excerpt from a recruitment brief from my days at Chiat/Day in the US. Were I to be setting up a department from scratch, I don’t think I would change
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London
Page 7
any of it, except perhaps to substitute the word “communication” where it says advertising. With thanks to Rob White and Jane Newman. Key Characteristics Curiosity about what makes people act and think the way they do; capable or real insights into motivation; someone who understands that what people say is not necessarily what they believe or do; someone who is detailed enough to examine a problem from different perspectives without losing sight of the big picture; logical and analytical, yet capable of lateral thought; views research as a means to an end; not technique-oriented; pragmatic approach to problem solving. Ability to conceptualise and think strategically; ability to clearly identify problems (getting to the nub of it); capable of taking a commercial and making a reasonable judgement/guess on its intended effects (role of advertising, target consumer, desired responses); intuitive about people, brands and advertising; able to portray a target consumer without immediately stating demographics; an understanding of advertising as only one tool in the marketing mix, its potential uses and its limitations; an ability to see alternate strategic routes for a given problem/brand. Numerate. Able to visualise the meaning of numbers and generate hypotheses, or draw conclusions; an eclectic user of information, with a desire to draw on all sources rather than just the most recent; someone who accepts nothing at face value, and challenges assumptions until the whole picture (sales, quantitative, qualitative, competitive info, etc) makes sense. Advertising orientation; passionate about the subject, “I’ve always been interested in advertising”; above all, someone who enjoys talking about advertising. Presentation skills; able to argue a point of view coherently and concisely; not afraid of big or senior audiences; able to ‘win’ an argument without making the protagonist (client) feel like a loser; quick-thinker; able to speak authoritatively, without seeming dogmatic or inflexible. People skills; a team player; someone who can appreciate and use inputs from others; someone who knows when to push and when to relax. Great personality! Must be able to see the funny side of it all; to be a participant, not an observer; involvement must be genuine, not forced; must to able to deal with pressure, unpredictable circumstances (like jumping on a plane to Wichita at a moment’s notice), an informal, loosely structured work environment, and (occasional) criticism; not territorial nor defensive nor paranoid. Finally, there is an aphorism, to which I subscribe, that there is no such thing as a “junior planner”. Joseph Heller would approve. The problem is that the planning role (in most agency cultures) is imbued with such credibility and authority that whatever a planner says can be construed as pearls. And as with most professions, the more experience you have (in terms of not just breadth of categories worked in, years on the clock but also craft skills accumulated), the more useful and productive you can be. The following therefore is a list of ideal experience and craft skills for a full grown adult planner.
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 8
The Ideal Craft Skills and Experience Market Research Practitioner – Bedrock Conversant with the key methodologies and practitioners Understands how to use the research tool; its potential and its limitations. Qualitative skills – able to translate research objectives into a discussion guide, experienced moderator, comfortable dealing with parties both sides of the one way mirror. Good facilitator (brainstorms, awaydays etc) Quantitative skills Brands Has been involved with decisions about brands, as opposed to decisions about research. Has understanding of brands and their brand values. Advertising and Communications Has direct experience in the development and production of commercial communications, preferably not just 30 second ads. People Management To have had client contact experience at Marketing Director level (minimum). Able to present points of view or research findings to this level of audience. Team catalyst – not just a good team player but able to “lead” teams via persuasion, facilitation rather than command and control leadership. Comfortable working with a broad church of types – junior to senior, creatives to media, clients to secretaries, teenagers to businessmen. Able to train, motivate appraise and “bring on” juniors, not simply delegate their menial jobs to them.
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London
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© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 1
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think piece polemicist social anthropologist insight miner knowledge applicator
What Planners don’t do The Ideal Account Planner: recruitment spec A Brief History of Account Planning Where it Started and Why Stephen King of JWT and Stanley Pollitt of BMP are the undisputed forefathers of account planning. In separate agencies, but at pretty much the same time, they started a revolution in the advertising world which has spread from the UK to other countries and from ad agencies to management consultancies, direct marketing, PR, design and client research departments. In 1964, Stephen King, dissatisfied with the workings of both the media and marketing departments within his agency, developed a new system of working (the T-Plan or Target Plan) which concentrated on combining consumer research and insights to create more effective, creative advertising. Stanley Pollitt in 1968, was concerned at the enormity of discretion given to account management in the writing of the creative brief, and felt that they were using data either incompetently or expediently. He wanted a research person at the elbow of the account man. For Stanley, the voice of the consumer was of paramount importance, and using consumer research to clarify the issues and enrich the advertising development process was an essential component. When BMP was formed, each of its three accounts was managed by an account director and a (line function) account planner. Both Stanley and Stephen shared a desire to reorganise the media planning, market research and marketing departments. Stephen initially by a process, and Stanley via a person. Both were led towards the creation of a new department and a new discipline. The Origins of the Job Title The name ‘account planning’ was coined by Tony Stead at a JWT awayday in 1968, attended by media planners and account people from the marketing department. He simply merged the two titles together as Stephen’s new department was to comprise a hybrid – selected folk from both disciplines. And so we have been saddled with one of the most obfuscatory job titles ever since. Our North American friends in adopting the discipline have strived to better it with the likes of ‘Brand Planner’ and ‘Strategic Planner’ (preceded by the usual Senior Executive Vice President tosh, of course) but none of these appear to have stuck. Perhaps we rather enjoy the mystique of having a job title that implies crystal ball gazing without a clearly defined handle?
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 2
The Evolution of Marketing A brief note on the nature of marketing in those days: From the 50s, ‘Marketing’ and ‘Marketing Plans’ were in fact executed by the agency (who also did everything else). Ad agencies pioneered market research (JWT started the British Market Research Bureau); they created test kitchens for npd, devised TV programming (think Compton’s P & G soap operas ), PR ladies who lunched etc etc. The 60s and 70s brought dramatic changes as more and more clients restructured along marketing lines, such that nowadays the majority of clients have their own marketing and market research departments in house. These days they look to their agencies for specialist advice on advertising and communications rather than as (media neutral) marketing consultants. More fool them, some planners might say. For that broader brush communications vision is where planning has been heading for some time, and the accountability that planning can bring to the party has now slipped further down the agenda as marketing has ceased to feature at the board room level. Which is unfortunate. And also a topic for another day. What is Account Planning for (Daddy)?* And why you should have some. Almost every communications agency (and their clients) benefits from a disciplined system for devising communications/advertising/commercial strategy and enhancing its ability to produce outstanding creative solutions that will be effective in the marketplace. It is the planner’s job to guide or facilitate this process via the astute application of knowledge or consumer/market understanding. Only oops I mean Planners can do zees. And why can planners do this? Because planners are in a unique position in their jobs because they have an understanding of the audience through research expertise AND an understanding of how it will be applied within their own business thus they provide a crucial bridge. At the core of this task, is the need to understand the consumer/customer (interchangeable) and the brand to unearth a key insight for the communication/solution (Relevance). As media channels have mushroomed and communication channels have multiplied, it has become increasingly important for communication to cut through the cynicism and connect with its audience (Distinctiveness). And as planners move into client companies, brand identity co’s, design co’s and the internet world, the planner can provide the edge needed to ensure the solution reaches out through the clutter to its intended audience. Moreover, to continue the learning cycle, planners must also recognise the need to demonstrate how and why the communication has performed (Effectiveness). Finally, to bring upstream thinking to the brand’s development. Brands must move forward, or they die!
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London
Page 3
*Title stolen with Pride from Jeremy Bulmore’s Inaugural Address at the first APG meeting in 1978. What Roles does Planning Fulfil? Thinking about the portfolio nature of the planner’s working day, we’ve made a list of the various job functions and skill sets a planner often needs to fulfil. Market Researcher
Many account planners have evolved from market researcher origins. Jane Newman (undisputed Queen of Planning, USA) used to say that account planning ‘subsumed’ the agency market research function. We believe quite strongly that market research craft skills (and adherence to MRS Code of Practice principles) are the backbone of the planner’s platform. If you can’t devise, conduct, analyse, report on and monitor surveys objectively, how can you possibly hope to judge their usefulness or commission appropriately? The planner should never assume that the researcher is the sole expert. Elements of questionnaire design, the way a question is phrased, for example, can fundamentally affect the outcome of the study. Black box modelling techniques may be so much theory but they can critically enhance or destroy projects. Planners need to be able to ignore, challenge or exploit such things from a perspective built on understanding or at least something more solid than assertion and prejudice. Data Analyst
The planner is charged with ensuring that all data relevant to the brand’s communication decisions be properly analysed, complemented with new research where appropriate, and then brought to bear on judgements of the creative strategy and evaluation of the communications. This is more than just knowing your way around computer tabs from a pre test, but also sales data, trend data, demographics, etc etc. Knowing how to interrogate data and find a story through it rather than be intimidated by it is the challenge. Common sense, intuition, numeracy and clarity of thinking all help. Think of yourself as detective rather than a plodding copper on the beat ‘conducting enquiries’. Qualitative Focus Group Moderator
Qualitative research (and the ubiquitous focus group) has taken on an increasingly significant role in everyone’s lives. “Let’s do a couple of groups and see what they say” says Tony Blair, Brand Manager to the nation. Moderating your own groups is by far the best way of coming to grips with your target audience, putting yourself in their shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. It also gives the planner a confidence and an authority he/she wouldn’t otherwise be entitled to. It means you are both a psychologist and an interpreter. Information Centre
Knowledge is the bedrock of the planner’s craft. Knowing where to go to find stuff out is key. However much time pressure is brought to bear on your working day, planners should always make time to feed their heads.
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 4
-
Bad Cop (to account management’s good cop)
Despite the fact that planners are outnumbered by account management by 4 to 1 (source: IPA survey 2000) we tend to work in pairs. Very often, it makes sense to adopt the bad cop/good cop routine with some clients and some creatives in order to deliver some bad/challenging/alternative/unexpected news without ruining the relationship. Since the news is usually grounded in objective fact, the planner should deliver it as constructively as possible. Occasionally, of course, you get to play good cop, too – depending on your agency culture and your client relationships! NPD Consultant
One of the most fun aspects of working on multinational packaged goods brands is the fact that they are still investing in new product development. Being in at the birth of a product through to its positioning, naming, testing and (rarer than hen’s teeth) successful advertising launch, can be one of the most interesting and formative experiences for a planner. Brainstorming Facilitator
What better way than the brainstorm to hot house creativity or to get everyone on the team singing from the same song sheet so the brand and its communications can move forward? More challenging and more exhausting than the average group discussion because you’ll (hopefully) be dealing with the Chairman and the brand manager and the creative director in the same session, it’s also more rewarding. Make sure you have some good warm-up exercises up your sleeve. Target Audience Representative/Voice of the Consumer
It’s the oldie but goldie. The planner’s ‘cocktail party’ job definition. Their job is to ensure that an understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviour is brought to bear at every stage of communications development via continuous involvement in the process. Many of the places we work and the colleagues we work with are not representative of the sorts of people and places where our communications are aimed, so it’s a good idea to be an empathetic sort. Soothsayer/Futurologist
Let’s face it, our job title does have a hint of crystal ball gazing within it. This aspect of the planner’s craft is to have a genuine interest in and capacity to generate knowledge about trends and anticipate social movements that their colleagues can actually use to grow their brands. And then of course, there’s always the Henley Centre. Planners can drive the future by finding gaps and creating interest in things the punter may not have thought of, but may be interested in. Media/Communications Planner
Some might say that this job is the next evolutionary phase of the account planner. Certainly, as integration across media becomes every agency’s growth strategy and understanding how consumers consume communication their mission statement, it is increasingly more important for the planner to understand the strategic role and
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 5
effectiveness of different media, by target and by category, and know when and how it is relevant to use them to achieve the brands objectives. Strategic Thinker/Strategy Developer
If the creative brief is the planner’s tangible output, developing the brand communications strategy is the precursor task. Strategies help us get to the right marketing/communications brief. It ensures the whole team are aware of the assumptions being made and aids evaluation of the work's effectiveness. The planner identifies the key issue and determines the role for communication against a specific target. Writer of the Creative Brief
The brief is widely considered to be the planner’s main product – or ‘key tangible deliverable’ to the creative development process. One of the myths is that all planners do is transcribe the client’s marketing jargon into baby talk so the creatives can understand it. There’s considerably more to it than that of course; clarity, brevity, and fertility being the hygiene factors of a good creative brief. And as the creative brief has the power to spark ideas – and ideas is what our business is all about – then that is a pretty important role. Think Piece Polemicist
There are aspects of the planner’s job that sometimes entail sitting in a darkened room with a towel round your head, mulling over deep thoughts. These times may be accompanied by a passion or a fascination for a certain theme. Write it down, rant about it from conference platforms, get it published. Original thinking is a powerful tool, and when persuasively and compellingly delivered can have real impact on the business you are working on and the people you are working with. Social Anthropologist
Our world is changing at an amazing rate, with technology and information moving at a breathtaking pace. Advertising has always been a young person’s profession and nowadays it is even more important for creative people to be in touch and au fait with rapidly evolving cultural and social trends to ensure their idea’s relevance to the target audience. In the time its taken me to write this, surf wear has probably gone out of fashion, and my Sony VAI0 has been superseded by yet another “wafer-thin” laptop. Monitoring cultural and social trends is a specialist task, and the findings need to be fed in early to brand and creative development. Differentiating between mere “fashion” and genuine cultural trends is not something for the inexperienced – many people can tell you what’s in and what’s out, but planners should be able to tell you why. Insight Miner
This section probably deserves its own book, but deriving insight from knowledge is one of the most important skills a planner can possess. These insights about the client’s business can come from a variety of areas: the consumer the client’s culture
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London Page 6
-
the marketplace/category the competition the brand (past, present, future) values the product qualities the advertising and communication conventions of the category
Mining all these areas, (whether sporting a virtual helmet with a lamp on the front or not) peering into nooks and crannies without losing sight of the big picture in order to identify a key insight that can transform a client's business, is a real skill. “At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action, even though his language so often can camouflage what really motivates him” Bill Bernbach Knowledge Applicator
Not wishing to sound like a cosmetic brush (or worse), there are those who believe most passionately that in this new information age it is in the applying of (rather than acquiring and regurgitating) knowledge that the planner truly comes into their own. To paraphrase Jon Steel, finding things out, filtering them, rethinking them laterally and then using that knowledge to help creative people come up with a (better) idea easier or faster means that the planner is doing their job properly and making a difference. Not making a difference in this way is a hindrance and you should move out of the way and let everyone else get on with it. What Planners don’t do (well) Opportunity here for some cheap gags about bag carrying (account man’s job) and the general administrative disfunctionality of the account planning breed. In general, planners are not very well organised. Tidy minds tend to move in a linear fashion, rather than laterally. And while some may feign incompetence so they don’t get stuck delivering proofs to clients at 11pm, it’s not advisable to ask a planner to do the following: go to client meetings on their own (they’ll get lost) write the contact report (their minds wander) act as a shrill for the creative work (unless its grounded in consumer knowledge otherwise integrity and objectivity are compromised) write timetables set deadlines (there might just be some other nugget out there that I’ve still to unearth) Have anything to do with invoices!
The Ideal Account Planner – Recruitment Spec The following is an excerpt from a recruitment brief from my days at Chiat/Day in the US. Were I to be setting up a department from scratch, I don’t think I would change
© 2001 Account Planning Group, London
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any of it, except perhaps to substitute the word “communication” where it says advertising. With thanks to Rob White and Jane Newman. Key Characteristics Curiosity about what makes people act and think the way they do; capable or real insights into motivation; someone who understands that what people say is not necessarily what they believe or do; someone who is detailed enough to examine a problem from different perspectives without losing sight of the big picture; logical and analytical, yet capable of lateral thought; views research as a means to an end; not technique-oriented; pragmatic approach to problem solving. Ability to conceptualise and think strategically; ability to clearly identify problems (getting to the nub of it); capable of taking a commercial and making a reasonable judgement/guess on its intended effects (role of advertising, target consumer, desired responses); intuitive about people, brands and advertising; able to portray a target consumer without immediately stating demographics; an understanding of advertising as only one tool in the marketing mix, its potential uses and its limitations; an ability to see alternate strategic routes for a given problem/brand. Numerate. Able to visualise the meaning of numbers and generate hypotheses, or draw conclusions; an eclectic user of information, with a desire to draw on all sources rather than just the most recent; someone who accepts nothing at face value, and challenges assumptions until the whole picture (sales, quantitative, qualitative, competitive info, etc) makes sense. Advertising orientation; passionate about the subject, “I’ve always been interested in advertising”; above all, someone who enjoys talking about advertising. Presentation skills; able to argue a point of view coherently and concisely; not afraid of big or senior audiences; able to ‘win’ an argument without making the protagonist (client) feel like a loser; quick-thinker; able to speak authoritatively, without seeming dogmatic or inflexible. People skills; a team player; someone who can appreciate and use inputs from others; someone who knows when to push and when to relax. Great personality! Must be able to see the funny side of it all; to be a participant, not an observer; involvement must be genuine, not forced; must to able to deal with pressure, unpredictable circumstances (like jumping on a plane to Wichita at a moment’s notice), an informal, loosely structured work environment, and (occasional) criticism; not territorial nor defensive nor paranoid. Finally, there is an aphorism, to which I subscribe, that there is no such thing as a “junior planner”. Joseph Heller would approve. The problem is that the planning role (in most agency cultures) is imbued with such credibility and authority that whatever a planner says can be construed as pearls. And as with most professions, the more experience you have (in terms of not just breadth of categories worked in, years on the clock but also craft skills accumulated), the more useful and productive you can be. The following therefore is a list of ideal experience and craft skills for a full grown adult planner.
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The Ideal Craft Skills and Experience Market Research Practitioner – Bedrock Conversant with the key methodologies and practitioners Understands how to use the research tool; its potential and its limitations. Qualitative skills – able to translate research objectives into a discussion guide, experienced moderator, comfortable dealing with parties both sides of the one way mirror. Good facilitator (brainstorms, awaydays etc) Quantitative skills Brands Has been involved with decisions about brands, as opposed to decisions about research. Has understanding of brands and their brand values. Advertising and Communications Has direct experience in the development and production of commercial communications, preferably not just 30 second ads. People Management To have had client contact experience at Marketing Director level (minimum). Able to present points of view or research findings to this level of audience. Team catalyst – not just a good team player but able to “lead” teams via persuasion, facilitation rather than command and control leadership. Comfortable working with a broad church of types – junior to senior, creatives to media, clients to secretaries, teenagers to businessmen. Able to train, motivate appraise and “bring on” juniors, not simply delegate their menial jobs to them.
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