I’ve just been reading the UK Account Planning Group’s 2007 definition of an account planner and was struck by Merry Baskin’s section on what Planners “don’t do (well)”
She listed a few things that they don’t do – for example go to client meetings on their own (they’ll get lost), write their contact report (their minds wander) – that no doubt were written with a splash of humour and self-irony, but which do indeed strengthen the image of a planner as a scatter-brained genius.
Someone you can roll out of a dark room occasionally to say something clever to a client. A quote from Nietzsche. Or Baudrillard.
And I wondered how much I actually agreed with this image - so cast my mind over the planners in I know.
Couple of things came quickly to me:
Firstly – I don’t agree with this image. I think it’s a bit dated. Most of the planners I know are very bright, have organised minds, and are certainly capable of tying up their shoe-laces. Literal as well as lateral.
Secondly, I think that it’s potentially dangerous to perpetuate this kind of stereotypical pen-portrait if the future of planning in agencies is to continue to thrive.
Agencies are constantly challenged to be more efficient – deliver on targets, work faster with fewer people. Be switchted on to economic realities. Shoe lace tying is the least one can do.
Planning types that seem to flourish will be those that really can prove their worth – data planners are an example. They are comfortable with large scale segmentation exercises, customer profiling and CRM programmes – the opposite of scatty.
What do you think, planners of the world wide web? Do tell, as Nancy Mitford might have said.
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