It's that time! It's Planners Survey time!

Heather LeFevre's 6th annual Planner Survey is out.

This survey is sent out to planners throughout the world (last year we had 1,217 responses) and we are hopping to reach 2,000 this year!  

This survey has grown over the years and become very important in the community, as it helps paint a picture of the planning panorama.  

Ever wondered... 
- Am I getting paid fairly? 
- Who are the important movers and shakers of the industry? 
- What are the trends moving the profession? 
- How often are others folks changing jobs and why? 
- How can I break into Planning?  

The survey will help you understand these issues and much much more... So spread the word planners: email, post, blog and tweet away.  

You can take the survey here: http://bit.ly/chSKNE  
And sign up to receive the results here: http://bit.ly/drxz0O  
Last years results: http://bit.ly/mntdG


Also thanks to Heather for letting me be part of the Survey Team and play, it's real exciting!

island outliers

Most of us have seen the Internet gain a very dominant role in our lives over the past decade, so it is hard to imagine a life without it. We have accepted that the oh-so-powerful web will write the present and future of our modern societies.

However there are some who live outside, I am not talking about those who cannot access or understand the technology but those who choose a life free from it.  

connections planning in action

Connections planning´s rep has been put on the spot, first it was a boom and now some question its existence and survival. I am for taking things with a pinch of salt but I also believe in balance, so I wanted to share these examples that have caught my eye during my new commuting routine in Madrid.

In my opinion both are a great case in point of connections planning, seamlessly fitting products and services in people´s lifestyle, parting from the following data: Madrid is the city with most public transportation commmuters in the country (50% vs a 21% nation average).

"I'm @ Contemplation"

This recent El País article talks about a new trend, an obsesssion with the question WHERE (no longer the "HOW of the first half of the 20th century, or the WHAT of the golden age of pop, nor the WHEN of the revival age") and it got me thinking about the importance of geo-localization, its implications and consequences.

• Beyond cell phones. Most people still think of "cell phones" when they hear the word mobile. We could break free from this, go past the container and start thinking about the "cloud", seamless easy independence and the greater consequences for our everyday lives. In this aspect I really like the work that Jan Chipchase is doing for Nokia in understanding the intersection of culture and technology.

mediatic enigmatic

Why do channels Antena 3, Neox and Nova, which have totally different content and audience, share media scheduling and buys? Si alguien sabe el porqué, por favor explicádmelo porque no tiene ningún sentido en mi cabeza...

Let me explain, the three channels seem to be synchronized, so not only they get commercial interruptions at the same time they also get THE SAME ADS. So a financial services spot is running simultaneously in three channels where people are watching:

ARCO 2010

For those of you who couldn't attend I wanted to share a quick note with my impressions and finds from the contemporary art fair this year.

• Technology has an indisputable influence, both in the process of art creation and as part of the piece itself. Check out artists like Fernando Gutierrez, Boredomresearch (UK) and Daniel Canogar. With his use of computers, led screens, fiber wires and lights the last deserves at least a mention on Wired.

If (what we knew as) "minority sports" are BECOMING MAINSTREAM... does it mean that traditional sports become then fringe?

If snowboarding (and other extreme sports -and for that matter some music genders as well) are becoming the norm within youngsters, what will those who need deviation seek?

If A turns B, then B becomes A? Or maybe something entirely different? B2 or C?

the art of imitation?

Wasn’t advertising the business of creativity and invention? Aren’t ads supposed to entertain and surprise?

What do you think of these ads that are exact copies of music videos?


Original Sour video HERE.

3 countries in 2 months, an update

I have travelled accross the world in the past months, from San Francisco to Taipei, to Madrid, in the search of the very elussive dreamed-planning position. I have finally settled down in Madrid, Spain. I will be staying here for a little while as I have been invited to join Sra Rushmore in the role of Strategic Planner. Quite exciting. So far so good, so much culture hopping has not yet translated into culture shocking.

As I get settled and slowly crawl my way back into this blog, don´t be surprised at mentions of weird brands or if I start mumbling strange words in another language. It´s all part of the fun.

Planning-ness Vol. II

I have been meaning to write at least a quick recap note about the very cool and memorable experiences that I got to enjoy on day two of Planning-ness. They deserve it just as much as the experiences of day one.

Here are the highlights:

Planning deities, Jason Oke and Gareth Kay, shared their simple yet visionary point of view on Connections Planning. According to them the problem with this discipline is that, currently, it is not focused on brands or people, but on solving an AGENCY problem: the disconnect with media departments and agencies. Looking forward the key for the prosperity of Connections Planning (and this could apply to modern Advertising at large) is "to apply the New Media lens (interactive, interaction) on Advertising, and not the other way around, the Advertising lens (interruption, pushing message) onto New Media". Their presentation is here.

Flamingo, a very cool international research company, conducted a hands-on workshop on Commercial Semiotics. Through immersive, insightful and plain fun exercises we analyzed commercial advertising messages. We also uncovered Apple as the Mother ship of the Future.

Garry Tan (Posterous) shared his grasp on design and revealed how UI is a conversation and how people treat computers like people. As a consequence, in addition to design aspects, tech companies must pay attention to the human factor and human connections. He pointed out WUFOO—an Internet application that helps build online forms—who replies all customers' inquiries within minutes.

And last but not least Adrian Ho and Rob White from Zeus Jones brought the whole group together to brainstorm on how to take the leap from traditional to modern branding. We all picked our brains and came up with new and more effective marketing/planning tools to build better brands. The brilliant collective outcome can be found here. "Failure Awards," "ARG," "Act Now Think Later," and "Role Playing" are a few examples that demonstrate an interest on dynamic processes.

All of this exhaustingly stretched the limits of my perceptions and gave me a lot to think and to apply from now on.

who needs an ad agency?

... when passion comes from within. And in this particular case from a group of extremely talented, creative and well organized individuals. Great examples of user generated video "ads", below are the winner and two runner ups from the "HANDMADE MOMENTS ARE EVERYWHERE" Etsy contest. I really can't give this organization and community enough praise!

October Holga

Camara: Holga
Film: Fujichrome 400 120 slide film
Technique: Cross Over

Notes:

With this film and settings subjects/objects need to be in direct sunlight.

Greens will over-saturate but this can easily be fixed in Photoshop levels.

Need for a better system to calculate focal distance (see Cactus shot) e.g. LOMOKEV's measuring tape.

Love imperfections. There is only so much you can control with this type of camera. The best thing to do is to let go and have fun, sometimes the results will delight you.

I also found a great book with composition and other useful tips: HOT SHOTS

Can't wait to develop the next roll!

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Similar to Heather LeFevre's Planner Survey this year Cristina Sanchez Blanco from Navarra University, together with APG Spain, have come up with a report painting the strategic planning landscape in Spain. The 76 page report can be found here (en Español).

Strategic Planning is a relatively new discipline in Spain and so this study outlines basics: 1. Planner Demographics, 2. Daily work of the account planner and 3. Relationship with other agents in the communication process. This is one of the first studies covering this matter in Spain and helps define their current state of strategic planning.

YOUNG GUNS

31% of the respondents of the survey were under 30 years of age (that is 20 out of a total sample of 62, a surprisingly high number).

A very high percentage have postgraduate studies in business, marketing or even strategic planning. This study did not provide data on salary, however from Heather's survey we know that salaries in Spain are extremely low, so how are young planners paying off their school debt?

37% have under 3 years of experience. This seems odd, from my personal Spanish network I know how extremely rare junior positions are. Some places even require previous service in account. All this makes me wonder about 37%.


OVERWORKED CREATIVE PLANNERS

22% percent work in places with only one planner and 62.9% are taking care of 5 or more accounts. Woah. This may be a sign that Spanish agencies are somewhat understaffed however we need to remember that this field is still developing. So, how can we help more people get their foot in the door?

When describing every day duties, planners indicated they are highly involved in the "creative Jump" (even more so than in "qualitative research"). Creativity seems to prevail over strategy in Spain.

There is an increasing number of planners in media agencies—Could it be the emergence of Connections Planning? This is supported by planners "looking for consumer in new technologies" and the use of Internet forums and social networks as MAIN research tools.

ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

On a brighter note planners are great collaborators with account, creative and even clients. In contrast there is competition/ animosity towards media and research companies. Collaboration expands between agencies, with 45.2% of respondents stating that they have collaborated with another agency in their same group "very often".

Planners work very close with advertisers, who increasingly value and seek the role of planning. However, planners (79%) have indicated that their clients are looking for short term results (compared to a whopping 3% who is looking for long term ones).

Channel-wise planners are most involved in digital campaigns.


SUMMING UP
Strategic planning is a new discipline but is growing strong. Spanish planners, while lacking experience, have a great deal of vision and are writing the rules as they go. Advertisers seeking short term results still value creativity the most. In this time where Advertising is reinventing itself Spanish planners need to be advocates of the discipline —both internally and externally— and educate about the importance of consumer insights in dictating solid strategic work.

Learnings from Planning-ness

Planning-ness, the 2 day event organized by Mark Lewis (of DDB) to fill the gap and disappointment left by the cancellation of this year's AAAA's Account Planning conference, is over. And it was a huge success. The theme was "Get excited and make things", we had amazing speakers, great energy and most importantly just plain FUN!

Below are some of the themes that resonated with me the most:

DAY 1

Grant McCracken's notion of Corporation Respiration: breathing culture in and out.

David Brown on making documentaries: the key is the story and its compelling characters, casting will be critical and spending time with the actors will dramatically improve results.

Mary Jane Stevenson and Emily Duncan from "Organizing for America" presented narrative as an organization tool in grassroots movements and storytelling as the most powerful weapon in creating connections and engaging all kinds of audiences.

Ken Eklund, creator of many ARG including "World without Oil", on the importance of the state of play, experimentation and collaboration.

I was very thankful for the opportunity to volunteer at the event and very glad to see the Academy of Art University getting involved in this kind of events. This was all thanks to Cameron Maddux, faculty and director of Account Planning, who is promoting the importance of ART in advertising, business and schools.
RIGHT: At the Barrel House photo from Cameron.

Knowledge comes from everywhere

What could city planners and leaders learn from a bunch of hippies.

Recycling Architecture

Financial and safety concerns aside this is an applaudable example of local architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello putting the 3 R's into practice. They propose to repurpose the Bay Bridge's old infrastructure into sustainable low-cost urban housing. The Bay Line to be added to the eclectic list of SF neighborhoods.



Why I like their proposal
Overpopulation and the food crisis are two of the biggest challenges ahead. In both of those challenges LAND will play a preeminent role. The recycling of architecture provides with possibility—think of the tons cement awaiting demolition in the US today—and at the same time puts a break on the continuous invasion of the land and endangerment of animal and plant life. While we cannot undone the damage caused by decades of industrialization we can aim to maintain the balance of our ecosystems. We are recycling just about everything else these days and if we can figure out how to safely recycle infrastructure and reuse land we could be taking great steps to solve some of the challenges laying ahead of us.

A little bit Sci-Fi. A lot of cool. Personally I would still rather live on the firm land...


Read the BAY LINE project proposal here.

Still Analog

Yesterday Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPods. The most expected announcement was was revolving the video cameras: the new Nano has it, the Touch doesn't. Get over it. To my delight another announcement was made regarding the NANO: the model now incorporates FM Radio. This will be the first radio ever on an iPod.

One mystery remains. Why would Apple put an FM tuner into an iPod, something it has refused for almost 10 years? The answer comes with iTunes-Tagging. In addition to live pausing of the radio stream (and rewinding up to 15 minutes through the buffer) you can tag tracks by hitting the center button. If a radio station supports it, the song info is saved and later you can see a list in iTunes alongside, you guessed it, the option to buy the song. Of course, the fact that the new Zune HD has an HD radio inside may also have influenced Apple’s decision. - WIRED

Economic and competitive reasons aside here is another example of consumers clinging on to tradition, and marketers combining digital with analog.

it's a billboard, it's an ad.... what is it?

Advertising is redefining itself. Advertising is not advertising anymore.

This Target Billboard in New York's Times Square is a piece of art produced by NY collage artists: Michael Anderson, Josh Goldstein, Laurie Rosenwald and Charles Wilkin. Free for collective enjoyment. But this piece of art will later be recycled to become Anna Sui bags, sold in Target stores.

This is a magnificent example of the mentality of our times—sustainability, responsibility, efficiency, collectiveness—and of what advertising can become. Bravo Target.

(I am very curious of the role, if any, of the ad agency in this process... anyone?)

the countertrend

I thought one good thing was coming out of this horrible recession: people seemed to be interested in doing good, in being efficient and, most importantly, responsible (perhaps to make up for years of our reckless industrial society).

However last night, I bumped into yet-another-reality-tv-show that was a setback to my original thought.

Set in Detroit, the auto capital of the world, "CRASH COURSE" consists of a series of driving challenges in which the participants use old clunkers to drive recklessly (there is no real driving ability required in their obstacles). Although I can certainly understand the momentary thrill it provides these stunt-men-and-women-wanna-be one can argue on the kind of example it is setting for younger drivers (ABC seems like an odd choice, I was thinking more SPIKE?) and in the middle of an energy crisis.



My question is... Could we possibly find more constructive and responsible ways to recycle our old cars? Perhaps in the area of energy? housing? education? and providing jobs for the unemployed? Something to ponder... Maybe we are not as good, efficient and responsible as we could/should be.

On the importance of the 6 senses

- Look. There's Saturn. Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun...How many of the satellites of Saturn can you name? There's Mimas, Titan, Dione, Hyperion of course...

- I can't name any of them and fortunately they never come up in conversation.

- Sigh... Facts. I got a million facts at my fingertips.

- That's right. And they don't meant a thing, Because nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind. Everything really valuable has to enter through a different opening... forgive the disgusting imagery. The brain is overrated.

Manhattan, Allen