doing my job for me, part one

I had a very respectable breakfast the other day, with Scamp, famed copywriter of this parish. And we agreed to do some kind of cross-border blogclash. His original suggestion was that we would trade insults about our respective trades but frankly, I've had enough of that through the years and hoped for something less likely to descend into a sprial of vitriol. I like his current suggestion a lot more; Six Things Creatives Need To Know About Planners, (and he's organising Six Things Planners Need To Know About Creatives.)

It'd be very easy for this to slip into the same old cliches but I'd like to avoid that if possible, I think for every 'we never get any decent briefs' we could respond with 'you never do any original ads'. And that might be funny for a while, but then we'd conceed to preserve their fragile egos (see it's starting already, I take that back) and no-one would actually learn anything original except the correct size for logos. (Oops, I did it again.)

So please contribute to the comments if you'd like to, but try and keep it useful. Northern Planner has already made a fascinating contribution here. Once we're done with some commenting I'll do a sum-up and take out (or add in) the vitriol, just to get the right level of spleen.

Comments

[Ben]

Sounds like you may have started a trend.

I might write a "Six Things *blank* Need To Know About Designers" blogclash.

[Richard]

I can't believe people are still having this debate but advertising seems to be going backwards at an alarming rate so maybe we are back to the relationship between planners and creative circa 1996. And if we are here are some ideas from a decade hence.

Planners are here to help make the work better - by which I mean more orginal and unusual. We ensure that creatives can't help but produce interesting work by making sure that the thinking that informs the work is interesting. And that means eradicating redundant, bland cliche before it gets anywhere near a team. Good planners help good creative produce great work.

Planners have a nose for what will work and what won't. This has go nothing to do with research and everything to do with planner savvy.

Planners are the only people in the team with no concern for cash or playout dates and so are the only people who never surcumb to expedience. They are paid to tell it like it is.

Planners don't want to be creatives and they sure as hell don't want to be suits. But they do want your ads to surprise them and delight them. No wonder they get 'all creative' it you don't satisfy this demand.

R

[Rob @ Cynic]

I know this may sound like a piece of hippy-shit, but all the agencies I've worked at have produced famous work because the planners and creatives worked together rather than against eachother.

What upsets me is that alot of planning seems to be falling into Management Consultancy crap ... so their appreciation of creativity [what it is and how great is can be] is almost zero - hence all the arguments going on between disciplines.

So whose fault is it?

My view is that the agencies who have sold the value of creativity down the river are to blame.

They are now so desperate to raise income, they push planning to be like management consultants because clients will pay for that rather than creativity ... despite ideas being the only legal means to change the World regardless of cost, heritage or monopoly.

I am a pro-creativity planner and I am proud of it.

[James B]

planners like obscure things, details, tend to be contrary, are the embodiment of the desire to both open out [explore, think laterally] and close down [define] and have an inflated sense of their own worth.

planners think the concept is king. mess with this and their world falls apart.

Planners tend to work in isolation. But this is bad. They do their best work when plonked in with creatives and abused.

:-)

[Rob @ Cynic]

Planning is not exclusive ..
Planning is not a science ..
Planning is not about models ..
Planners are not intellectuals ..
Planners shouldn't be called planners ..

[Faris]

O O O O

Can I play?

Can I do 6 things advertising agencies folk need to know about comms strategists?

[Rob @ Cynic]

Go on Faris - give us your worst! Ha.

[Rob @ Cynic]

Oi Faris - just seen you're at Naked. Be nice or I'll ask Niku to bash you over the head with a piece of his furniture.

Cheers mate ...

[Rob Mortimer]

Furniture fight!

Being (currently) on the edge of the advertising world I think it is/should be something like this:

(Creative / 2)+ Researching ability x Common sense = Ideal Planner

Whats the point in selling the planner as a account manager? Why not just push the planner for the skills they bring; after all, isnt that what ad agencies are supposed to be doing to your products?!

[Rob @ Cynic]

Rob - you won't be on the edge much longer, it's not possible, you're too good.

While I agree Planners are not Suits ... that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to help the 'team' throughout the process.

There's a few planners who seemingly live in an ivory tower then hide the moment something goes wrong.

I believe planners need to be part of the process - and part of the team - from start to finish ... helping develop better ideas then helping sell them.

That last bit is important because if we don't, it is little wonder so many creatives think many planners are nothing more than jumped up Management Consultants.

[Casper]

Planners want “that invitation” as the 3rd member of the team (or the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th depending on other creative disciplines are in the mix).

In trade for this invitation they are willing to:

- Do their best to be interesting
- Give lots of stimuli
- Find insights in the brand, corporate history or audience
- Freeze out the unnecessary and clichéd
- Work out the strategic argumentation for your solution
- Help you kill your unworthy darlings
- Share their outlook on new media and service channels
- Fight for your work

Really a rather helpful member of the team

[Rob Mortimer]

Rob:

Of course I agree a planner has to be an integral part of a team.

The A Team wouldnt work without Mr T, but it wouldnt work with just 4 of him.

There is no point in a planner that runs in signs of trouble. To truly work as a team the credit and punishment has to be shared, otherwise it will never stand up for long.

They should help the creatives to get the best ideas and simultaniously help the account manager to go back to the client with a great sell on that creativity.

[Rob Mortimer]

Oh and thanks for the "big up" :)

[Rob @ Cynic]

SOMEONE HIRE ROB MORTIMER BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE GETS HIM ... HE'LL BRING GREATNESS TO YOUR OFFICE!

[gemma]

Planners are there to help make the rest of the agency look good.

[Ben]

Most designers are wankers.

If that helps.

[Rob's Missus @ Cynic]

Ben.

I am a designer and when Rob passes similar comments, he suddenly crawls up into a little ball and complains his balls are in agony.

If you don't want the same experience, shut it.

I am going to kick Rob on your behalf.

[Rob @ Cynic]

This is for Ben.

Ouch.

[xurry]

Hi all,

In contrast to the others, i have no answers, but only questions that i hope some of you could answer...

perhaps i am missing something, but isn't the point of the creatives and the creative director, and not the planner, to make the work more "original and unique?" Can great strategy really be great strategy without great execution? And if not, is it really "great" strategy? if a planner is "pro-creative", what's the difference between him (her) and a creative? (They're both looking for a creative solution to a business problem). Why is there a 2 step process in advertising (brief from client to agency, and then brief from planner to creative, vs brief directly to creative)? And finally, if both planners and creatives are "creative problem solvers," why do creatives work in a seperate team (AD/CW) from the planner, rather than a team of 3?

Apologize if these questions seem naive...

[Faris]

Will do. Right, now I just need to think of them...

I'll keep my eyes open for Niku creeping up behind me with a bizarre lamp ;)

[Rob's @ Cynic]

Yes Faris ... my finger is hanging over the 'send' button - ready to launch an email to Niku ORDERING HIM to lamp you round the head with a errrrrm, lamp.

[Jennifer]

Planners are not here to give the consumers veto power over your creative.

[Rob Mortimer]

Good questions Xurry.

In essence, the planner has to give the creatives a good brief to work from.

The planner pretty much takes the business objectives that the account management and client have; and filters it into an idea or concept which the creatives can then create around.

I often like to think of a planner as a lens through which creative is focused until it lights up the business objectives of the client. No matter how bright the creative, it won't burn unless it is properly focused; but the quality of one can sometimes make up for flaws in the other!

[xurry]

Thanks Rob! If we look at planners as the lens which creative is focused, are creatives basically at the (for lack of better word) "mercy" of the planner? (no matter how great the creative, if the brief is wrong, the work is wrong?) Also, if creatives are focused on just solving the brief vs the business problem directly, are we in danger of losing "media neutral" thinking? As in, maybe there are creative solutions that don't fit the brief, but answer the business problem brilliantly. However, if creatives have to stick to the brief, are we missing a trick?

[Rob Mortimer]

Well, thats why planners need to be good at both the creative and business elements; to make sure that the brief is good, and easy for the creatives to sieze upon.

Creative work can still shine without planners, but it may not shine in the right place. Likewise work can be dull but extremely well targeted. The key is to get them both. Look at WK for a good example, they do really creative work but extremely well targeted and focused upon the business objectives.

Hopefully all agencies are waking up to idea of being media neutral (or at least less tv-print biased).