1. MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE?
WHAT AGENCY HEADS WANT FROM PLANNERS
(OR, HOW TO CONVERT THE NON-BELIEVERS)
2020 Contagious
APAC Bootcamp
Andreas Krasser
CEO, DDB Group Hong Kong

2. Today’s Rundown
01 02 03
Mission Briefing Intelligence The Plan

3. MISSION BRIEFING

4. - Chris Kocek
WE PLANNERS ARE
ASKED TO DO SO MANY
THINGS THAT IT’S FAIR
TO SAY WE DO IT ALL.”
“

5. HOW ABOUT
AGENCY HEADS?
What do they want from planners? Do
they care? Does it matter if they do?

6. (I’m guilty myself)
In Asia, Planning is often
under-appreciated by agency
leadership. Leveraged yes.
But also given away for free.

7. “Despite evidence that clients need strategic help
more than ever, many strategy departments have
seen cuts. There are fears of a growing disconnect
between the jobs strategists do in agencies, and the
brand strategy clients are looking for. This is
accelerating the feeling that strategists are
undervalued and mis-sold in agency structures.”
Source: 2020 WARC Future of Strategy Report
THE STRATEGY PARADOX

8. YOUR MISSION, SHOULD
YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT:
How To Sell the Value
of Planning to Agency
Leaders?

9. First, let’s see what some
agency heads from around
the world have to say…

10. INTELLIGENCE

11. The Sample: 61 Respondents
Africa
2%
Middle East
2%
Europe
13%
North America
3%
APAC
72%
Global
8%
Other
7%
PR
5%
Media
3%
Data
2%
Suit
48%
Planning
25%
Creative
11%
Geography Professional Background
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

12. Importance of Planning
Within Agency Setup
0
10
20
30
40
Extremely important Very important Somewhat important Not so important Not at all important
For Growth Agenda
0
10
20
30
40
Extremely important Very important Somewhat important Not so important Not at all important
Number of responses (not percentages) Number of responses (not percentages)
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

13. Planning is the difference
between good and great.
Get it right and wonderful,
more unexpected and
valuable things happen.”
Nicole Taylor
CEO, C14torce
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

14. Nothing worthy happens
within our agencies, our work,
our clients without strategic
insight and direction.
COVID-19 has made this point
even more crucial.”
Wendy Clark
Global CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

15. Without strategy we have no
substance, no grounding, no
map toward our north star. It
is a fundamental part of our
DNA, and our future.”
Matt Parry
MD, Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

16. Overall Expectations: Top 05
Q: What are you specifically expecting from your planners (choose up to three)?
45 42 22 14 10
Brand/Campaign/
Comms Strategies
Consumer
Insights
22
Thought Leadership/
Agency Positioning
Business
Consulting
Research
& Data
Inspiration
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
Number of responses (not percentages)

17. We need planners to research
like journalists. Collaborate like
music producers. And defend the
creative to clients like public
defenders. I may not be the first
to say this. Just the most recent.”
Rob Schwartz
CEO, TBWAChiatDay NY
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

18. What I really require from planners
is "Brutal Honesty" - I don't want
them to exist in the grey areas.
They keep us all honest - how we
then decide to dress this up - well
that's down to me.”
Tony Harris
CEO, BBDO Hong Kong
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

19. The role of the planner has become
incredibly demanding in today's
agency. We need them to be multi-
faceted in so many ways - generalist
and specialist, old world and new
world, hunter and farmer, creative
and commercially savvy.”
Brandon Cheung
CEO, McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

20. In this time of massive uncertainty, I think
agency planners have a critical role to play in
getting to the crux of their client marketers'
problems, uncovering the consumer insights
that can be acted upon. And then packaging
these in an inspirational way that captures
the clients' confidence and empowers
freedom of creative thinking.”
Richard Bleasdale,
Outgoing Managing Director, The Secret Little Agency
“

21. Growth Contribution: Top 05
How do you believe can planners help the agency drive growth (choose up to three)?
31 29 25 23 22
New Business
Pitching
Upstream Consulting:
Business
25
Upstream Consulting:
Innovation/Data
Organic Growth
Opportunities
Upstream Consulting:
Brand
Thought
Leadership
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
Number of responses (not percentages)

22. Future growth sits at the
intersection of brand, business,
culture, and experience
strategy. Planning departments
play a key role in the integration
of these disciplines.”
Tuomas Peltoniemi
EVP, Managing Director, APAC at R/GA
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

23. Agencies have a great asset within their
strategy department. Unfortunately most
planners are already too busy with daily
campaign business and pitches that business
opportunities in upstream consulting services
are not properly leveraged. This is where
consulting companies will take their slice of
the pie. A piece of pie that is growing while
agencies stand by watching.”
Nina Rieke
MD, whatsnextnow
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020

24. SOME OTHER
THEMES…

25. “Stop sharing all your smarts,
just the most compelling bits.
Think icebergs, not text books.
Anonymous
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
Qmboofst◢!!
Mpoh.xjoefeoftt

26. “Just having a clear strategy and
vision just isn’t enough. The
long term key to success, is the
creative execution every day of
the week.
Aimee Dean
CEO, The Generals Daughters
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
Mbdl!pg!!
fyfdvujpobm!
lopxmfehf!

27. In the bad old days, agency planners were
mostly the quiet ones sitting in the office corner
and being the ghostwriters of the suits. In the
digital age, there are more planners successfully
transforming themselves to be the mastermind
of an agency. Both sides of their brain could
work fluidly with any department of a company,
including finance.
Rudi Leung
Director & Founder, Hungry Digital
“
Bcjmjuz!up!!
gmvjemz!!
dpmmbcpsbuf

28. One of the difficulties I find
with planners is their lack of
knowledge of their own role
and scope of work within the
agency, and their tendency to
try and do everything -
including creative work.”
Tarik Guisser
MD, DDB Morocco
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
Mbdl!pg!!
tfmg.bxbsfoftt

29. In my vision, traditional account
servicing will go extinct. Senior
Strategists shall front clients
and talk business, supported by
project managers who manage
the day in & day out.
Jan Cho
MD, TBWA Hong Kong
“
Source: What Agency Heads Want From Planners Survey, September 2020
B!ofx!gpsn!!
pg!bddpvou!!
tfswjdjoh

30. THE PLAN

31. Based on the inputs from
our 61 leaders and some of
my own thoughts, I have
developed 6 ways to sell the
value of planning to non-
believing agency heads.

32. THINK ABOUT THE
THINGS NO ONE
ELSE THINKS ABOUT
01
Take the long-term view on things. Show where
you believe the market will be going, what it
means to brands as well as the agency, and how
businesses can already now future-proof
themselves.

33. BRING THE
CONSUMER
TO THE TABLE
02
Make sure your insights go beyond
artificial category desires, and
draw a vivid picture of who the
audience really is…I’m talking
human beings, not bar charts,
social media handles or hashtags.

34. BE A
COLLABORATOR
03
Nobody likes a smart ass. So, don’t be
the smartest person in the room but the
most collaborative one. That’s how you
most likely will have an impact on the
work. And at the end of the day, the work
is what matters most.

35. MAKE THE
BUSINESS CASE
FOR CREATIVITY
04
Help your clients embrace fame-
generating and emotionally-led creativity
as last unfair advantage they’re legally
allowed to take in business.

36. THINK
COMMERCIALLY
05
Besides making the business case for
creativity with clients, you should also be
able to make the business case for
strategy with agency leads, I believe.

37. BURST THE
BUBBLE
06
Clients drink the Kool-Aid
and agency heads do too.
Be the one to bring them
back to reality. Tell them
when they’re a little too far
removed from real life.

38. SHOW
YOU
CAN…
THINK ABOUT THE THINGS
NO ONE ELSE THINKS ABOUT
BRING THE CONSUMER TO
THE TABLE
BE A COLLABORATOR
MAKE THE BUSINESS CASE
FOR CREATIVITY
THINK COMMERCIALLY
BURST THE BUBBLE

39. THIS PRESENTATION
WILL SELF-DESTRUCT
IN 5 SECONDS…