In the past few years I’ve come across quite a few aspiring planners (of all ages) and ‘I’m strong strategically’ senior agency people who seem to be under the impression that the only place that strategic thinking can possibly come from is the pages of a book. You know the ones, they have 50+ marketing … Continue reading Strategy is not just about book smarts
I know that the future is looking wobbly for lots of Planners/Strategists at the moment and I personally know several who have already been made redundant. It must be particularly hard for Junior Planners to work out how to make themselves indispensable/employable as quickly as possible, especially if they’re already on furlough. So I’ve come … Continue reading A little advice for junior strategists & planners who are nervous about their job prospects
When meeting prospective Planners, I always try to find out if their brains are wired the right way to be a great Planner - are they interested in what makes people tick, problem solving, investigation and communication? Do they appreciate the link between brand comms and the bottom line? And perhaps most importantly, have they … Continue reading for Planners, gut instinct matters however experienced you are
I increasingly feel like Planning as a discipline/specialism within agencies is over-complicating things. Never mind thinking about what's changed since Planning's inception in the 1960's, so much has shifted in the UK even just the last 20 years. Back in the 90's (yes, I've been a Planner for that long), clients liked seeing the thinking behind the Big Idea - in pitch … Continue reading Planning needs to go back to the Old School
I spoke at London Strategy Unit’s 1UP training course for junior and aspiring Planners earlier this year. LSU are running another 1UP, plus a new 2UP for more experienced Planners this Autumn so as an LSU training evangelist I thought I’d better spread the word. 1UP: The strategist as original thinker is about the practical … Continue reading more plannery strategist training coming from LSU
Apologies for the recent silence but I’ve been busy trying to get my head around a new client. This particular organisation and it’s challenges has required speedy generation one of those Planner’s To Do lists where the short term and long term To Dos are very similar, but the urgent stuff will have to be … Continue reading why clients and their agencies need to look back to the future
So I went to see Frankenstein last night, as part of National Theatre Live, the idea being that instead of schlepping down to London and forking out megabucks for a theatre ticket you can watch the show at your local cinema instead. It’s a genius idea really – if your ‘product’s’ audience is constrained by … Continue reading great minds think alike – two Frankensteins in search of new audiences
‘If it was my money I’d…’ has to be one of my most over-used client-meeting phrases. But there’s a good reason why - especially when you’re dealing with Outside London sized marketing budgets it’s easy for clients to try to be all things to all media channels, and master of none. I’d always advocate for … Continue reading if it was my money…
In almost every agency credentials meeting I’ve ever been in a Process chart has been pulled out. You know, the ‘our unique approach to reaching marketing solutions’ chart that renames every process, procedure and department to bring it all in line with the particular agency’s positioning. They come in all shapes and sizes, from flow … Continue reading simplifying the Agency Process Chart
