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Myth # 1. Account Planning ele-vates the "thinking" of account teams to higher levels Implicit in this is the notion that ac-count planning improves on activities traditionally the realm of account management, and that account man-agers are somehow inadequate. This demeans not only account managers, but also planning which deserves a more enduring differentiation if it is

to be established as a meaningful discipline.

Planning should, bring an entirely dif-ferent set of skills, responsibilities and viewpoints to the process -- complementary to the role of account management. Planners should not absolve the account group of its criti-cal role of business planning: it is the responsibility of the account team to

Back to Basics Series: Account Planning -

Added value or lost opportunity

In Canada, Account Planning, or as it is often called, Strategic Planning, is in danger of mutating into a confusing amalgam of account management, research and fantasy. If the process is to be a meaningful addition to the advertising development process - one which adds value both to the creative process and the agency bottom line - we need to take a fresh look at where the discipline came from, and where it can go to. Account planning originated in the UK in the sixties as a response to what creative directors felt was a barren research discipline that did not provide the intuitive understanding of the consumer that they needed. The phrase "account planning" or (more aptly) "creative planning" was coined, resulting in the enhancement of the creative product through a more disciplined approach: centering the development of the creative idea on a strategic definition of the creative task - hence the "Creative Strategy" which under-lies the planning process.

This structure has been introduced in many agencies with greater or lesser success, and the reasons for this are likely to differ in every case. However, there are five common myths about account planning that can account for some of the problems experienced by agencies:

SUMMARY ♦ Myth # 1.

Account Planning elevates the "thinking" of account teams to higher levels

♦ Myth # 2. Planners are the "guardians of the brand."

♦ Myth # 3. Planners produce magical "nuggets" and mystical "insights."

♦ Myth # 4. Account Planning is about "outputting a creative brief"

♦ Myth # 5. Planners provide "inspiration"

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develop a focussed business strat-egy, clearly outlining business objec-tives, competitive landscape, etc. Ac-count managers are trained in the marketing functions of business - they are business partners of the cli-ent, and representatives of the busi-ness in the agency.

A useful paradigm for understanding this delineation of roles interprets the advertising process in three discreet but interwoven units:

I. Account management under-stands the business problem and determines what the target must be persuaded to do if these ob-jectives are to be met, culminat-ing in a concise "Role of the Ad-vertising" statement, incorporat-ing a specific advertising "task."

II. Planning, through a singular consumer-centric focus, deter-mines what the communication should say in order to get the consumer to do what the busi-ness plan calls for. This culmi-nates in the "creative brief," in whatever form it takes.

III. Creative and the media groups, including digital and social media (contact planners) determine how this message will be ex-pressed and communicated.

Clearly this is not a linear or inde-pendent set of events. Great commu-nication results from collaboration at every step, but it also requires a clear understanding of where each discipline plays takes the lead.

Myth # 2. Planners are the "guardians of the brand." A "brand" is an abstract construct in the minds of individuals, consisting of the intersection of three "inputs": the product, the company that makes it, and the way each individual relates to these. Every discipline involved in the design, manufacture and market-ing of a product is "the guardian of the brand." Planners assist by travel-ling through the the consumer's mind and heart, discovering what the "brand" is, and understanding ways in which it can be guided. Rather than "guardians of the brand," plan-ners are "brand mentors."

Myth # 3. Planners produce magi-cal "nuggets" and mystical "insights." Planners use a variety of tools to un-earth attitudes, beliefs and behav-iors. Planners identify salient points, combine these points and develop a

“...this is not a linear or

independent set of events.

Great communication results from collaboration

at every step, but it also requires a

clear understanding of where each

discipline plays takes

the lead.”

Protean Strategies is a Toronto based management consulting firm specializing in developing brand strate-gies and providing a full range of con-sumer research services. Since its in-ception in 1997, the firm has provided breakthrough strategies for leading Ca-nadian and US brands, including Gen-eral Motors, Fairmont Hotels, Canadian Tourism Commission, American Ex-press, Dell Canada, Energizer Batteries, Unilever , Procter and Gamble, Allstate Insurance and advertising agency part-ners in Toronto, Calgary, New York City, Chicago , London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Shanghai.

www.proteanstrategies.com 416.967.3337

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point of view. But this point of view is only one, and effective planners take into account those of the other disciplines as well.

Planners are like traditional "Rainmakers" who bring together en-vironmental, human and spiritual components to make rainfall inevita-ble. Planners bring together elements -- human, mathematical and spiritual - that, in concert, force an elegant proposition to crystallize -- possibly out of the ether. Mystical? Maybe. But certainly not magical - by com-bining ingredients to transform ideas, planners become, in effect, brand al-chemists.

Myth # 4. Account Planning is about "outputting a creative brief" Often the "product" of the planning department is defined as the creative brief - but the value to the agency actually stems from the process it-self, and the ability of the planner to wrap the creative department into the process, so that the output is in effect a unified understanding. This happens when the planner under-stands that no matter how "insightful," or "nuggety" a strategy is, it's of no value until it's absorbed into the creative psyche.

Myth # 5. Planners provide "inspiration" Who knows where "inspiration" comes from, but it's probably not any single source, such as a planner. Planners define consumer frame-works within which creative can be developed -- parameters, even limi-

tations, leaving open gates for crea-tive exploration, and implanting guideposts to show the way toward "inspiration."

A strong planning discipline adds value to the agency by enhancing the creative product and by nurturing an environment that takes the commit-ment to the consumer seriously. But only by careful integration can agen-cies ensure the discipline does not become a substitute for effective ac-count management or an excuse for mediocre creative.

“Planners bring

together elements --

human, mathematical and spiritual -

that, in concert, force

an elegant proposition to crystallize -- possibly out of the ether.

Mystical? Maybe. But

certainly not magical.”

♦ Laurence Bern-stein is the foun-der and managing partner of Protean Strategies/The Bay Charles Con-sulting Group Lim-ited. He has been a leading propo-nent of the “new order of differen-

tiation” and has written and lec-tured on the subject of experien-tial branding and intrinsic/extrinsic research methodologies in Canada, the US and China.

♦ Laurence has held senior positions in major global agencies Saatchi and Saatchi, TBWA, Young and Ru-bicam. In addition he has worked on the client side with Westin Ho-tels and was the EVP of the Cana-dian Restaurant Association.

♦ Laurence attended the University