Posts tagged planning advice

Be more than just a magpie. To quote a great planner I spoke to recently, “It’s all about connecting the dots, mate!” When I first started out in planning, I was like a magpie. Magpies constantly collect shiny, interesting objects. Like a magpie, I was constantly searching for new and interesting things in the world - Things such as emerging trends, products, brands and ads. But I just wasn’t connecting the dots. One of the most important things I’ve learnt is that you need to dig much deeper than that! There are always going to be shiny, interesting things out there in the world. Shiny things aren’t hard to find. Anyone can do that. Our job as planners is to dig deeper and understand what they actually mean. We need to understand the cultural significance of them. We need to understand why they are emerging, and how and why they are connected to other ‘shiny’ things. It’s just so easy to be a magpie and look for shiny things with no real understanding of what they mean. But proper planning is all about connecting the dots in seemingly disconnected ideas in order to create something truly brilliant.

Be more than just a magpie.

To quote a great planner I spoke to recently, “It’s all about connecting the dots, mate!”

When I first started out in planning, I was like a magpie. Magpies constantly collect shiny, interesting objects. Like a magpie, I was constantly searching for new and interesting things in the world - Things such as emerging trends, products, brands and ads. But I just wasn’t connecting the dots.

One of the most important things I’ve learnt is that you need to dig much deeper than that! There are always going to be shiny, interesting things out there in the world. Shiny things aren’t hard to find. Anyone can do that.

Our job as planners is to dig deeper and understand what they actually mean. We need to understand the cultural significance of them. We need to understand why they are emerging, and how and why they are connected to other ‘shiny’ things.

It’s just so easy to be a magpie and look for shiny things with no real understanding of what they mean. But proper planning is all about connecting the dots in seemingly disconnected ideas in order to create something truly brilliant.

Life with no ‘off switch’A few weeks ago, I attended a networking night that was organised by Monash University’s marketing student society. I was there representing the strategy & planning agency that I work at. The idea behind the event was to allow students to speak with people from various marketing backgrounds in order to gain an insight into the many pathways that a career in marketing could take them down.I really enjoy going to these events, and not because of all the free food and alcohol! What I love is being able to provide some real world, no-BS advice to the students. I remember how lost I was when I was finishing uni. So unsure of where I wanted to go with my career. Even though it’s only been three years since I graduated, there are so many things that I know now, that I wish I’d known back then. It’s nice to be able to pass on some ‘wisdom’ to the next generation. You get asked all sorts of questions when you’re at these kinds of events. There was one question that really made me think - “What does it feel like to be a planner?” This was my answer:Being a planner feels like you’re living without an off switch. You’re always ‘on’. It means that even when you’re not in the office, you’re mind is still in a constant state of ‘awareness’. This is because, as a planner, you’re trying to understand people and what motivates them. Why do they do the things they do? What makes them tick? What are their hopes and dreams? What are the tensions in their lives? What’s keeping them up at night? It’s the reason that we do research - To help us find the answers to these difficult questions. It helps us to understand consumers better.While research is a powerful tool, it doesn’t always give us all the answers. But that’s the great thing about planning – The people we’re trying to understand are all around us. They’re waiting for the train to take them to work in the morning. They’re sipping lattes in cafes. They’re in bars, sinking beers after work. They’re everywhere! And that’s why planners need to observe, observe, observe! Planners need to notice the beautiful little moments that happen around them every day. The things that others would generally ignore. Planners listen in on conversations between a group of people while they’re ordering their morning coffee. They notice the items people are buying at the supermarket checkout. They watch how people use and interact with certain products. They do this because they know that insights can come from all kinds of places - Not just from focus groups.Being out there in the real world, interacting with the very people they’re trying to understand and influence provides planners with a broader frame of reference from which they can begin to connect the dots in the seemingly disconnected ideas. So for all you budding planners, give it a try! Get in the habit of being aware when you’re out and about. You’ll see that over time it will become second nature. You’ll always be ‘on’.So, open your eyes and ears to the world around you. You never know what you’ll find..

Life with no ‘off switch’

A few weeks ago, I attended a networking night that was organised by Monash University’s marketing student society. I was there representing the strategy & planning agency that I work at. The idea behind the event was to allow students to speak with people from various marketing backgrounds in order to gain an insight into the many pathways that a career in marketing could take them down.

I really enjoy going to these events, and not because of all the free food and alcohol! What I love is being able to provide some real world, no-BS advice to the students. I remember how lost I was when I was finishing uni. So unsure of where I wanted to go with my career. Even though it’s only been three years since I graduated, there are so many things that I know now, that I wish I’d known back then. It’s nice to be able to pass on some ‘wisdom’ to the next generation. 

You get asked all sorts of questions when you’re at these kinds of events. There was one question that really made me think - “What does it feel like to be a planner?” This was my answer:

Being a planner feels like you’re living without an off switch. You’re always ‘on’. It means that even when you’re not in the office, you’re mind is still in a constant state of ‘awareness’. This is because, as a planner, you’re trying to understand people and what motivates them. Why do they do the things they do? What makes them tick? What are their hopes and dreams? What are the tensions in their lives? What’s keeping them up at night? It’s the reason that we do research - To help us find the answers to these difficult questions. It helps us to understand consumers better.

While research is a powerful tool, it doesn’t always give us all the answers. But that’s the great thing about planning – The people we’re trying to understand are all around us. They’re waiting for the train to take them to work in the morning. They’re sipping lattes in cafes. They’re in bars, sinking beers after work. They’re everywhere! And that’s why planners need to observe, observe, observe! Planners need to notice the beautiful little moments that happen around them every day. The things that others would generally ignore. Planners listen in on conversations between a group of people while they’re ordering their morning coffee. They notice the items people are buying at the supermarket checkout. They watch how people use and interact with certain products. They do this because they know that insights can come from all kinds of places - Not just from focus groups.

Being out there in the real world, interacting with the very people they’re trying to understand and influence provides planners with a broader frame of reference from which they can begin to connect the dots in the seemingly disconnected ideas. 

So for all you budding planners, give it a try! Get in the habit of being aware when you’re out and about. You’ll see that over time it will become second nature. You’ll always be ‘on’.

So, open your eyes and ears to the world around you. You never know what you’ll find..

Go Exploring.Explore human behavior. Maintain a child-like curiosity for how people think and behave. Be on the search for what truly triggers a group or a crowd, a person or a brand. Figure out what makes us tick. 

Go Exploring.
Explore human behavior. Maintain a child-like curiosity for how people think and behave. Be on the search for what truly triggers a group or a crowd, a person or a brand. Figure out what makes us tick. 

Heidi Hackemer’s words of caution about working in advertising.  

Caution #1 - Don’t be a cliche. 
Caution #2 - Don’t expect advertising to make you interesting.
Caution #3 - Remember, we’re people talking to people. Keep your humanity.


Words to f#cking live by.

Words to f#cking live by.

nevver

Planning guru Jon Steel on what he values most in a Planner.

BE USEFUL.
It’s your job to be useful. It’s not about being the cleverest person in the room. Cleverness is simply a means to an end. A planner should have the ability to solve problems, and the ability to suggest simple solutions to those problems. 

BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE.
A planner should bring out the best in other people. It’s not about being the one who comes up with the idea. It’s your role to be the catalyst for those ideas. Put your ego aside. You are there to bring out the best ideas in others.

EXPERIENCE REAL LIFE.
You have to understand deeper human instincts and motivations. It’s essential that you experience real life. Spend a decent amount of real life out there in the real world. Riding busses, in stores, in bars, in car dealerships. Anywhere where people are thinking about and relating to the brands you’re working on. There’s no substitute for being out there in the real world, interacting with the people you’re trying to understand and influence. It’ll give you a broader frame of reference from which you can begin to make connections.

DONT THINK ABOUT AUDIENCES. THINK ABOUT INDIVIDUALS.
People say planning has to change because advertising has changed. The mediums have changed and everything is digital now. This is completely wrong. Whether it’s an analogue world or a digital world, the key to success is understanding the basics of human communication. In order to most effectively influence a group of people, you don’t target them. Rather, you engage them as ‘willing accomplices’. It’s the planner’s job in the agency to engage members of the target audience as willing accomplices, both in the process of developing the advertising campaign and also in the execution. It’s the planner’s job not to think about audiences, but instead to think about individuals. 

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