Comments on: Wanna be a Planner? Straight talking advice for graduates.

By: Planning: 5 Things in the Day Job « wanky planner blog

Planning: 5 Things in the Day Job « wanky planner blog — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:11:42 +0000

[...] planners rather than reading lists and skill sets to have. Gemma’s already written 3 posts (1, 2 and 3) so if you want to work as an account planner, it might be a good idea to see what someone [...]

By: yet more straight talking advice for aspiring account planners (part three) « (almost) always thinking

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:07:18 +0000

[...] another instalment (if this sounds like your kind of thing and you haven’t done so already, read part one and part two [...]

By: Straight talking advice for Grads who want to be an Account Planner – part 2 « (almost) always thinking

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:04:02 +0000

[...] Looking through my old blog posts recently, I came across this one from two years ago, dolling out some (very) straight talking advice for Graduates who fancied a career as an Account Pla…. [...]

By: almostalwaysthinking

almostalwaysthinking — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:45:03 +0000

Good point Babett :-) Maybe I should have written ‘be interested in why people are interesting’.

By: Babett

Babett — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:49:24 +0000

Hi,

Im a so called junior planner looking for a job abroad. The people Im working with really like what im doing, appreciates my thoughts and inputs. Im still struggling with the introduction in a job inquiry because I think my work could improve itself.
Actually planning blog tips for beginners are the scariest thing ever:)
Just a little thing: Im wondering who can be brave enough to decide who is interesting and who is not. I strongly believe that everybody is interesting. Its like an axiom. If I didnt think so I wouldnt work a planner.

By: Olle

Olle — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:31:42 +0000

I agree there are planners out there who need to read this post perhaps, but more importantly planning directors need to pick people who they see fit as planners at their agencies – not only picking from planners or aspiring planners. That, I think, is the way to go. In line with Russell’s interesting thoughts. Pick interesting people with interesting backgrounds and thoughts, not just planners per se What’s a creative?

What’s required from a planner changes and varies quicker than any schoool for planners (whatever that is in GBR) can evolve. Media planners, account planners, experience planners etc….

This is probably why our industry still, after 40 years, spend so much time trying to define what it is we really do… which is quite amusing.

By: almostalwaysthinking

almostalwaysthinking — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:39:53 +0000

Great points Mark, thanks for the response. I got a bit freaked when a graduate confidently told me she’d be a great Planner because she was a very logical thinker…

By: Mark Hadfield

Mark Hadfield — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:46:16 +0000

All very very true. If all planners were the same.

We could sit here and discuss the merits and pitfalls of planners that know ‘the industry standards’ v planners who are a bit different.

I guess that’s the difference between what a friend and I call ‘taught planners’ and ‘learned planners’ – a taught planner has been taught to carry out a systematic approach to a problem. This (generally) leaves little capacity for original, fresh thinking. If it’s not in the TGI stats and it wasn’t reflected in the focus group, don’t do it.

However, if some companies have the balls to give some rope to different, unoriginal, (parallel?), backgrounds then who knows?

However, I absolutely take your point about planners not being necessary and in the current climate it’s all about proving ones worth.

I was chatting to some friends this week and saying I’m thinkign of taking all planning feeds off my RSS. The conversations seem to be about the same things. The books that are suggested are the same. I think there’s real scope to truly find inspiration in different areas, instead of looking to the same blogs and working once-removed from the original source.

I guess what I’m trying to say in a ‘rambling because it’s Friday afternoon kind of way’ is that pigeon-holing account team members is sort of easy. Pigeon-holing creatives is sort of easy. Pigeon-holing planners IS easy but I sort of wish it wasn’t. In order for the practice to remain relevant, interesting and exciting then I hope it doesn’t go that way. Risks are good. Diversity is good. If we can convince employers of this we can (with their help) get to work on the clients and attempt to come up with original, exciting, fresh work.