The Planner Survey 2011

THE
PLANNER
SURVEY
2011

1

Author’s note
Welcome to the 7th annual Planning Survey Report.

I have just completed my freshman year as head of planning
at StrawberryFrog Amsterdam. I survived! But more than
that, I thrived.

This year had many significant milestones: I had the chance
to put on a workshop at Cannes with my strategy cohorts in
the New York and São Paulo ponds (thanks for the wonderful
experience Ole and Patricia!), I was asked to judge the Festi-
val of Media awards in Montreux, Switzerland, and I attended
the digital conference at SXSW which led me back home to
Texas. I have spent more than 30 days in Dubai learning a
new culture and building something truly incredible with a
new client. I was in New York for two weeks preparing for a
crucial client workshop and was so thrilled to see the col-
laboration of one team across two different offices come to
fruition.

Probably the most rewarding aspect of the past year has
been developing my team. I have three of the best planners in
the world and as I reflect, I can’t believe how much we have
been able to accomplish in the past 12 months together. And
I’ve had the privilege to work with a few hired guns who have
taught me a thing or two about strategy, life and the Dutch
language along the way.

I’m in a reflective mood because I have asked all of you to
be reflective. And there were a hell of a lot of you who spoke
up. This is the first year the survey has crossed over 2,000
respondents. The final tally was 2,113. Incredible.

This year we take a closer look at the younger planners with
a special focus on students, interns and junior planners.

You are about to dive into the definitive source of information
on planners and strategists around the world. But it wouldn’t
exist without you answering the questions and my brilliant
team of FIVE helpers. Please show them some love by follow-
ing them all on Twitter.

As always, thank you for playing.

Heather

2

Table of Contents
Overview 4

Emotions about our jobs 8

Career path 10

Students, Interns and Junior Planners 11

A note on salaries 14

Salary Results – US 15

Salary Results – Brazil 26

Salary Results – UK 33

Freelance 46

Open-ended responses 46

Closing thoughts 52

3

Overview

2011 USA: 909
The Rest: 1204 2113 completed
surveys
54% 46%

1578 completed
surveys

USA: 532
The Rest: 685 1217 completed
surveys

0 500 1000 1500 2000

Where do we work?

Full-service Agency 58%
Digital Agency 11% - 2%
Brand Consultancy 3% - 2%
Other 5%
Freelance/Self Employed 5%
Creative Boutique 4%
Unemployed 2%
Multi-cultural Agency 2%
Media Agency 2%
Direct Agency 1%
Client Side 1%
Student 5% - may also intern, first time adding this choice
Numbers don’t always add up to 100
percent due to rounding. Intern 1% - but not in school, first time adding this choice

Unemployed % of people
Surprisingly, there are 34 people out of work this year which is the months
out of work
exact same number as last year. However, divided by the larger
group of 2,113 respondents, that brings the overall unemploy-
ment down from, 2.1% to 1.6%. There has also been a shift
toward fewer months unemployed, a sign that there is healthy 1-2 43%
demand for people. Unemployment is more of a needed break
than anything else.
3-4 23%
5-6 20%
7-8 0%
9-10 3%
11-12 0%
12+ 11%
4

Participants by title (n=1,975):
This year I added two new titles: Global Head of Planning/Chief Strategy Officer and Regional
Planning Director. There were 25 and 41 people that fit these categories, respectively, and I
think we’ve finally landed on a more complete picture of the different levels in our discipline.

CEO
2%
Global Head of Planning /
Chief Strategy Officer
NEW
(There is none higher than
you on strategy) 1%
Global Planning Director
(You must be head of an
account worldwide) 1%
Regional Planning Director
NEW (You look after several countries
but not the whole world) 2%
Director of Planning /
Head of Planning
(this may be the highest role
in your company or just your
office location) 15%
Group Planning Director
(You look after several pieces
of business, but you still have
someone more senior to
you, your title may be
"Planning Director") 19%

Senior Planner

22%

Planner

25%

Assistant Planner

13%

Participants by company size (n=1,844):

Tiny Small Medium Large
(I work with myself or (Less than 200 (Less than 2000 employees, eg. W&K, (Global network eg, BBDO,
with a few people) employees) The Martin Agency, AKQA, CP+B) JWT, Leo Burnett)

5% 34% 22% 38%
4% 4% 3% 4%

5

Ethnicity (select all that apply)

Caucasian - 74%

Asian/Pacific Islander - 10%

Hispanic - 10%

Other - 9%

Black/African American - 3%

Native American - 1%

Age

18-24 - 11%

24-34 - 58%

35-54 - 31%

55+ - 1%

Not planning babies

The trend continues - It's very hard to stay in the game and have children.

I have children living at home:

Men Women
31% True 21% True
69% False 79% False

6

What would you say is your
company’s reputation in the Excellent Good Fair Poor
?
Unknown
industry?
28% 44% 20% 4% 5%

What is the size at your
office location? d ep ar tm ent
0 departments over
20 people in Brazil

1 3-5 11-15 21-30 20+ size departments
8% 28% 11% 6% mostly found in the
USA and London

2 6-10 16-20 30+
11% 23% 6% 8%

Strong planners
In your opinion, which one agency has the strongest planning group?

Don't
Know 25% 5%
20% 5%

14% 1%
9% 2%

6% 6% 6% 1%

W+K is on top of the world right now and
some of our favorites are slipping. I'm still
waiting for the new star to emerge.

7

How do we feel about our jobs? (n=1,845)

I think we are easily enticed by the novelty of a new challenge. Last year, the number one reason for leaving our
last job was boredom. But do we try to keep the love alive in our jobs? Do our agencies want novelty as much
as we do?

How much do you like your Hate it - 1% Have you changed jobs in
current job? Don’t like it - 7% the past 12 months?
Like it - 36%
Really like it - 38%
Love it - 19%
YES
How likely are you to Not at all likely - 29% 37%
change jobs this year? Somewhat unlikely - 20% 4% NO
Neither likely or unlikely - 16% 63%
Somewhat likely - 21%
Very likely - 14% 4%

How long have you 6 months or less - 22% 2009: YES = 32%
worked at your current company? 1 year - 27% 8% 2010: YES = 35%
(Round to the closest number) 2 years - 16%
3 years - 12%
4 years - 7%
5 years or more - 16% 2%

How often do you feel:

38%
45%

32%
- An emotional high in
your work life?
- You get to do things you
really like to do at work?
22% 18%
21%

11%
8%
3%
1%
every day weekly monthly few times a once a year or less every day weekly monthly few times a once a year or less

47% 43%

- Worried about work when
you should be relaxing?
- Anxious and emotionally
drained at the end of
26% the day? 22%
19%
13%
13%
12%

3% 3%
every day weekly monthly few times a once a year or less every day weekly monthly few times a once a year or less

8

Do you work locally
or globally? (n=1,976)

I mostly work on clients...

9% Within a region of my country

54% In the country where I live

15% In the country where I live plus a few nearby

8% In a region like Europe, Latin America or Asia

15% That are global

I would take a position if it were right for me 53%

I am happy working in my home country 31%

I am already on ex-pat 18%

I am actively seeking opportunities to work abroad 18%

My family situation makes it unlikely for now 14%

It is really difficult to get work in another country 8%
How do you feel
about working
abroad? (n=1,976: more
than 1 answer possible)

9

Career Path

33% of us went straight into planning. The other 67% got their start in a number of interesting places. Lots in accounts,
creative, media and PR but here are some of my favorites:

DJ
farmin
g/hyd
you raulic
rprised onjour s spe
cus (su counts!)
B
ir cialist
Ran a c o into ac
didn 't g

ator
transl archaeologist

arch
itec
barber t

ientist
rch sc
resea
r
dance
ballet

iner
ton tra
badmin

code monkey

I found my current job:

Through someone I know contacting me: 40%
Through a recruiter: 21%
Through my own effort contacting the company: 17%
5%
Through interning here first:

From a job posting on a website: 4%

Through a Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn status: 3%
PLANNER
Other: 10%

10

Students (n=108)

This was the first year that students were able to participate
in the survey. 109 students from all over the world found the
survey, but the schools with the most participants all have some
connection to me – either I attended (University of Texas) or I
have been a teacher or guest speaker. I look forward to seeing
more students from places like HyperIsland and Boulder Digital
44%
Works enter our work force. 56% true
false
Where did you go?

Academy of Art, San Francisco, CA 27 students
The University of Texas at Austin 6 students
I am currently interning
VCU Brandcenter 4 students
Miami Ad School 3 students

Why did you choose your school?

Perhaps I shouldn’t be, but I was surprised to see that location was the
number one factor in choosing a school. The program and its reputation
were also reasons, of course, and were mentioned almost
as much as location.

Which companies would you like to work for?

W&K; Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; DDB; BBH; AKQA.
Still many of the usual suspects in the agency world, but themes
emerged of students seeking experience in digital communications and
preferring to find a smaller company to call home.

100

85%
80

want to work for
60 agencies

40

20
17%
want to work
client-side
0

11

Interns (among the students above and the people who are just interning) (n=73)

Compensation

74% are financially compensated for their work. The sample is quite
small, but to give you an idea of what interns are paid per month:

Brazil (n=8): average = R$700 France (n=6): average = €550 USA (n=25): average = $1,325
lowest = R$275, highest R$1142 lowest = €155, highest €1000 lowest = $250, highest $2400

# of internships % of interns

1 20%
2 42%
3 16%
4 11%
5+ 12%
How did you find your internship?

Through my own effort contacting the company 44%
Through my school 19%
Through someone I know contacting me 16%
From a job posting on a website 8%
Through twitter/facebook/linked in status 3%
Other (including: "doing an internship here before", "family") 11%

12

Just among junior planners (n=260)

Describe the level of difficulty finding your first planning job:

It was a struggle and I'm really lucky to have this job: 35%
I had to meet a lot of people and knock on doors, but everything worked out: 30%
No problems, this job was waiting for me upon graduation: 23%

Do you feel you know
what is expected of you 24%
as a junior planner? completely
46%
not really

Take a wild guess - where will your career in planning go? (more than one answer possible)

Head of Planning: 46%
Start my own agency/company (hiring other people): 36%
Senior Planner: 33%
Freelance Planner (working for yourself): 23%
Managing Director: 18%
Other: 19%

53% 38% 8% 1%
How long do you expect
to be a junior planner?

1 year 2 years 3 years 3+ years

13

Salary Results
First off, just a reminder, I am talking about annual salaries
on the following pages. Second, I’d like to comment on
what you’re about to see.

The numbers indicate that the typical lifespan of a planner
is 10-14 years. Perhaps you can stick it out a bit longer if
you go global. So are planners growing up and getting out
after 12 years? The top UK folks for instance might have
20+ years work experience, but their planning years have
a ceiling of about 12. Interesting.

At the same time, we just saw that 46% of junior planners
see themselves rising to Head of Planning along their ca-
reer path. One top planner I spoke to reacted to that figure
expecting them to be disappointed, thinking that there are
not likely enough positions to go around. Perhaps there
are if the ride only lasts a few years. Anecdotally, I know
many Heads of Planning who went on to freelance, start
their own businesses and/or have families. Given what
Dan Pink tells us in his book Drive, we are most motivated
by autonomy, mastery and purpose. And I can see how
a Head of Planning spot will provide that challenge and
freedom at first. But it’s in our nature to grow accustomed
to our situation. Most people I’ve known at this level are
pretty smart and keeping them challenged is,
well, challenging.

14

Salary Results - USA

15

Asst. Planner results - USA (+legend)

type of agency and no. Total
within who took survey 82

max. salary in group $72K

salary $57,195
years planning upper quarter
1.7 5.2
years working

$44,499
average
1.3 3.7

$33,045
lower quarter
1 3.2

min. salary in group $28K

Small & Tiny Medium Large
18 19 39

$58,275 $66,500 $51,600

1.8 5.2 1.3 2.9 2 3.8

$46,589 $44,732 $44,281

1.3 4.8 1.2 2.9 1.4 3.6

$36,125 $29,025 $36,270

0.8 5.3 1.1 2.8 1 2.3

average of previous year

$39,067 $38,219 $43,036 $42,334 $43,197

1.2 3.4 1.5 2.7 1.6 3.3 1.6 3.7 1.3 3.7

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

16

Planner results - USA

Total
184

$128K

$86,674

3.6 7.7

$64,395

2.8 5.7

$44,274

2.4 4

$19,550

48 59 62

$88,904 $87,281 $81,000

2.9 6.8 4.4 9.1 2.6 7.2

$67,046 $67,542 $61,473

2.9 5.6 3.2 6.5 2.4 4.6

$45,542 $49,183 $43,785

2.7 5.3 2.4 4.7 2 3.3

$60,311 $58,476 $61,684 $58,573 $57,671

2.6 4.9 2.6 5.3 3.1 5.4 2.9 4.9 2.7 4.5
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

17

Senior Planner results - USA

Total
180

$210K

$134,995

6.1 11

$98,689

5.1 9.3

$68,822

4 7.6

$50K

53 68 52

$141,385 $135,821 $133,942

5.5 12.4 5.3 10 6.4 11.9

$100,745 $98,721 $97,098

4.9 9.3 4.7 8.5 5.4 9.3

$67,231 $67,844 $69,500

4.1 9.3 3.2 6.2 5 8.5

$94,347 $104,084 $96,590 $101,154 $100,200

5.9 9.9 6.0 9.7 5.9 9.8 5.9 9.8 5.6 9.8
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

18

Group Planning Director results - USA

Total
188

$400K

$246,461

12.7 17.7

$167,904

9 14.2

$99,682

6 11.8

$46,500

41 50 94

$200,000 $263,458 $250,120

9.4 12.7 13 14.6 12.6 18.5

$136,744 $175,616 $177,653

7.5 12.1 9.1 13.8 9.5 14.9

$77,825 $109,827 $117,725

5.4 9.9 7.4 12.8 6 11.4

$157,310 $163,382 $168,879 $166,546 $166,469

9.9 13.7 9.7 14.2 9.2 14.7 9.8 14.5 9.9 15.1

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

19

Head of Planning results --USA
Head of Planning results USA

Total
103
One rock star is making nearly
double this top salary. Took
$510K them out to make numbers
representative.

$324,423

14.1 18.4

$207,832

11.6 17.8

$106,447

7.8 15.2

$58K

46 23 18

$324,727 $347,000 $391,000

10.7 16.1 15.2 20 16.6 21.4

$184.500 $231,283 $256,667

9.7 16.2 13.4 19.9 12.6 18.6

$95,091 $146,600 $125,000

5.9 13.2 11.8 19.6 8.6 15.8

$172,188 $167,421 $181,159 $197,643 $193,198

11.1 15.3 9.3 15.8 10.3 15.9 11.0 17.2 10.9 17
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

20

Regional Planning Director results - USA

Total
10

$552,500

$370,667

11.3 17.6

$225,900

10 15.9

$125,667

7 11.3

$100,000

2 3 4

$270,000 $190,000 $172,500

18.5 21.5 10 19 7.5 15

21

Global Planning Director, Global Head of Planning / Chief Strategy Officer,
CEO results - USA

10 of these work for 9 of these work for 9 of these work for
large companies small/tiny companies small/tiny companies

Global Planning Global Head of
Director Planning CEO
12 12 10

$425K $450K $800,000

$328,333 $341,667 $510,000

12 18.3 16 21.6 13.3 22

$246,818 $233,182 $272,400

13.6 18.6 11 17.4 15.6 22.8

$175,000 $130,000 $106,333

10.6 12.6 4 13.6 12 17.6

$155K $115K $74,000

22

Location
Salaries are not clearly linked to cost of living but there are
certainly more planning gigs in the obvious places.
MINNEAPOLIS
Asst. Planners (5) : $39,480
Planners (6) : $68,750
Sr. Planners (10) : $73,500
Group Planning Directors (8) : $158,375
Heads of Planning (11) : $146,727

SAN FRANCISCO BOSTON
Asst. Planners (8) : $53,125 Asst. Planners (5) : $42,200
Planners (16) : $67,594 Planners (9) : $62,722
Sr. Planners (16) : $130,895 Sr. Planners (7) : $94,600
Group Planning Directors (12) : $178,302 Group Planning Directors (6) : $128,333
Heads of Planning (9) : $220,242 Heads of Planning (0)

LOS ANGELES NEW YORK
Heads of Planning (8) : $248,250 Heads of Planning (26) : $240,889

TEXAS CHICAGO
Heads of Planning (3) : $194,167 Heads of Planning (7) : $367,429

23

Gender - USA

no. within who 36 45
took survey
salary $44,154 $44,782
Assistant Planners years planning
1.3 2.9 1.4 4.3
years working

66 117

$67,210 $63,326
Planners
2.8 5.9 2.9 5.6

79 108

$100,681 $97,238
Senior Planners
4.9 9.3 5.3 9.1

100 98

$174,957 $160,780
Group Planning Directors
8.5 13.7 9.7 14.6

59 42

$208,352 $207,076
Heads of Planning
11.1 16.8 12 18.7

24

Beyond the US
We had 1,145 completed surveys from the rest of the world. 17 new countries participated for the first time.
The colored areas are a rough representation of the Planning Survey’s reach.

Afghanistan: 1 Ireland: 6 Sweden: 17
Argentina: 28 Israel: 5 Switzerland: 8
Australia: 62 Italy: 11 Taiwan: 1
Austria: 1 Japan: 10 Thailand: 1
Belgium: 4 Malaysia: 10 Turkey: 5
Bulgaria: 1 Mexico: 12 UAE: 11
Brazil: 255 Netherlands: 40 UK: 227
Canada: 69 New Zealand: 9 Uruguay: 1
China: 25 Nigeria: 3 Venezuela: 7
Columbia: 9 Northern Ireland: 1
Costa Rica: 1 Norway: 3
Croatia: 2 Pakistan: 4
Czech Republic: 2 Panama: 1
Denmark: 7 Peru: 4
Dominican Republic: 1 Philippines: 2
Ecuador: 2 Portugal: 17
El Salvador: 1 Romania: 11
Finland: 2 Russian Federation: 6
France: 44 Saudi Arabia: 4
Germany: 45 Singapore: 23
Greece: 5 Slovenia: 1
Hungary: 2 South Africa: 20
India: 29 Spain: 43
Indonesia: 12 Sri Lanka: 1

25

Salary Results - Brazil
The increase in salaries in Brazil over last year is the biggest jump this
survey has ever seen. After talking it over with a few people, it seems that
the combination of increased demand for planners, especially with more
digital work, as well as rising inflation has raised salaries dramatically on
average. If you’re in Brazil and haven’t seen a raise in the last year, take a
close look at these numbers.

26

Asst. Planner results - Brazil (+legend)


max. salary in group R$392K (really??)

salary R$171,362
years planning
3.6 7.8
years working

R$72,104

4.2 8.3

R$18,726

3.3 7.5

min. salary in group R$6K

26 4 15

R$117,500 R$30,325

3 5.5 6 11.3

R$69,258 R$33,667 R$20,449

3.6 7.2 5.3 8.3 4 8.4

R$40,725 R$8,875

3.5 7.6 1.4 4

average of previous year

R$23,763 R$24,492

1.8 4.2 1.9 3.9

2009 2010

27

Planner results - Brazil

Total
57

R$420K

R$256,854

7.1 13

R$104,377

4.3 8.8

R$19,379

3.4 7.2

R$12K

32 7 15

R$245,619 R$26,875

7.4 12.4 3.8 6.3

R$131,522 R$40,640 R$20,087

4.6 9.5 2.4 5.2 3.4 7.1

R$53,078 R$13,600

3.3 6 1 3

R$49,500 R$49,016

3 6.7 2.9 6.4

2009 2010

28

Senior Planner results - Brazil

Total
47

R$520K

R$277,175

5.6 10

R$122,736

4.7 8.6

R$27,100

3.8 7.8

R$10.8K

19 12 14

R$374,288 R$166,667 R$197,555

6.5 11.5 2.7 6.3 8.3 11.7

R$165,823 R$74,108 R$95,190

4.2 8.9 3.2 8 6.4 8.8

R$31,460 R$15,100 R$28,867

2.3 6.8 4.3 8 6.5 7.8

R$101,512 R$88,209

5.1 10.6 5.2 9.6

2009 2010

29

Group Planning Director results - Brazil

Total
31

R$545K

R$269,968

4 6.1

R$109,572

4.5 9.9

R$24,274

5.1 13.6

R$17K

8 4 17

R$328,436

3.3 5.5

R$116,775 R$81,425 R$121,084

3.2 7.1 7.5 13.7 4 9.4

R$25,773

6.3 14

R$156,880 R$184,663

6.9 11.1 6.8 12

2009 2010

30

Head of Planning results - Brazil

Total
24

R$600K

R$308,389

6.8 11.2

R$133,446

4.8 8.6

R$38,943

3.7 6.4

R$19.5K

15 4 2

R$287,584

4.4 7.5

R$130,693 R$122,375 R$285,000

4.5 7.8 5.4 11 3 5.5

R$46,040

6.8 9.8

R$283,427 R$215,589

7.5 15.3 7.1 14.1

2009 2010

31

Gender - Brazil

no. within who 30 21
took survey
salary R$62,510 R$85,810
Assistant Planners
years planning
3.7 7.7 4.9 9
years working
33 24

R$119,535 R$83,535
Planners
4.8 9.2 3.7 8.1

27 14

R$107,780 R$142,927
Senior Planners
4.1 8 5.6 9.4

22 9

R$108,393 R$112,454
Group Planning Director
4.4 9.7 4.8 10.2

14 10

R$119,681 R$152,716
Heads of Planning
3.7 8 6.5 9.6

32

Salary Results - UK

33

Asst. Planner results - UK (+legend)


max. salary in group £34,000

salary £30,560
upper quarter
years planning
1.3 2.5
years working

£23,491
average
0.9 2.8

£18,400
lower quarter
1.1 3.6

min. salary in group £18,000

7 5 10
+1 jr. planner
at a tiny com-
pany, earning
£26,000 £32,266 £30,433
85000/year,
left that out 1 4 2 2.5 1.2 3.2

£21,735 £59,667 £23,013

0.8 2.9 0.9 2.8 0.9 2.8

£18,800 £19,571 £18,250

0.5 2 0.9 3 2 3

Average of previous year

£24,072 £37,250

1.6 2.8 2.8 5.6
2009 2010

34

Planner results - UK

Total
58

£50,000

£48,300

3.8 6.6

£36,008

2.8 4.9

£24,602

2.2 4.3

£17,000

25 20 13

£45,763 £50,416 £50,409

4 6.5 3.8 8.8 3.8 6.8

£35,680 £36,304 £36,657

2.8 5 2.8 4.9 2.9 4.9

£22,803 £29,538 £22,633

1.8 3.9 2.3 3.8 1.8 2.3

£36,584 £37,250

3.2 4.9 2.8 5.6
2009 2010

35

Senior Planner results - UK

Total
52

£246K

£96,385

6.5 12.3

£66,000

5.9 10.3

£41,000

5.2 10.2

£18K

21 14 13

£88,250 £85,150 £82,250

6.5 11.8 5.7 11.8 4.1 15.3

£66,000 £65,696 £61,781

5.9 10.3 6 10.3 5.9 10.2

£39,364 £44,200 £46,000

5.6 11 6.2 12.2 5.1 11

£56,081 £63,711

5.3 9.5 5.2 8.8
2009 2010

36

Group Planning Director results -UK

Total
38

£135K

£119,334

12.9 17.3

£89,329

9.6 13.4

£62,111

4.5 7.5

£44.5K

£87,857 £87,842

9.9 17.7 9 13.7
2009 2010

37

Head of Planning results - UK

Total
36

£250K

£164,444

16.2 20.1

£107,597

11 18.3

£62,167

5.4 14.6

£49.5K

38

Regional Director of Planning results - UK

Total
7

£200K

£193,500

25 27.5

£121,714

10.8 19

£80,000

12.5 17.5

£70K

39

Global Planning Director results - UK

Total
6

£200K

£182,500

14 16.5

£135,833

13.6 18.3

£85,000

12.5 20

£70K

40

Gender - UK

no. within who 9 13
took survey
salary £23,491 £23,014
Assistant Planners
years planning
1 2.8 1 2.9
years working

40 18

£29,538 £36,042
Planners
2.3 3.8 2.8 4.9

33 19

£66,000 £62,357
Senior Planners
5.9 10.3 5.8 10.2

16 22

£89,329 £88,349
Group Planning Directors
10.7 14.7 10.7 15.2

26 10

£109,257 £101,280
Heads of Planning
11.2 18.3 10.2 18

41

Salary Results -
Australia, Canada, France,
Germany, The Netherlands

42

Australia (AUS$) (+legend)
Asst. Sr.
Planner Planner no. who Planner
3 19 took survey 10
max. salary
$100K $180K
in group

$39,353 salary $73,737 $118,500
average
years planning
0.8 1 2.6 6.5 4.4 12
years working
min. salary
$53K $70K
in group

Group Planning Head of Regional Planning
Director Planning Director
8 17 3

$250K $400K

$187,500 $215,882 $205,000

6.6 13.6 10.5 17.9 17 20.7

$160K $70K

Canada (Canadian $)
Asst. Sr.
Planner Planner Planner
14 13 14

$55K $110K $150K

$43,671 $71,997 $92,871

1.1 3.5 2.3 5.8 4.4 9.9

$28K $45K $55K

Group Planning Head of
Director Planning
10 13

$275K $250K

$133,000 $163,077

7.1 13.8 7.9 13.5

$85K $110K

43

France (€ Euro)
Asst. Sr.
6 13 7

€33K €51K €80K

€28,333 €36,562 €61,286

1.3 3.3 2.3 4.1 6.3 8.7

€27K €29.8K €30K

Group Planning
Director
7

€120K

€86,429

9.9 14

€60K

Germany (€ Euro)
Asst. Sr.
9 11 8

€42K €70K €95K

€31,978 €43,655 €65,750

1 3.2 3.7 5.6 7.4 8.5

€27K €32K €46K

Group Planning Head of Regional Planning
Director Planning Director
3 8 3

€160K

€75,267 €106,000 €160,000

9 10 10.9 14.9 14.3 15.3

€60K

44

The Netherlands (€ Euro)
Asst. Sr.
5 12 8

€40K €70K €100K

€32,360 €53,693 €58,638

2.1 3.5 3.6 8.3 5.5 8.8

€25.6K €34K €36K

Group Planning Head of
Director Planning
5 9

€140K €144K

€92,400 €114,889

6.2 11.6 11.7 15.6

€65K €80K

45

Freelancers
Payment info only for US planners due to number of participants.

How many freelance planners Holy smokes! It seems
are currently employed by your hired guns are all the rage.
company, in your
office location?

More than 10:64%
Don't know: 13%

One: 13%

Two: 5%

Three: 2%

Four: 1%

Five: 1%

46

Assistant Planner results - USA (+legend)

$48K

4 $40,250 salary 1. $400/day Freelancers shared
2. $25/hr their average hourly
years planning 3. $20/hr
0.9 3.8 or day rates.
4. $350/day
years working

$33K


$80K

4 $43,375 1. $40/hr
2. $25/hr
3. $17/hr
3.4 3.4 4. $50/hr

$19.5K


$150K

6 $109,167 1. $65/hr
2. $115-$175/hr
3. $450/day
9.3 15.7 4. $150/hr
5. $100/hr

$90K

Group Planning Director results - USA

$325K
1. $500/day 8. $1500/day
2. $1000/day 9. $800/day
14 $138,000 3. $1500/day 10. $200/hr
4. $500/day 11. $1500/day
9.6 17.9 5. $1700/day 12. $100/hr
6. $75/hr 13. $1200-$1500/day
7. by project 14. $160/hr
$23K

Planning Director results - USA

$400K
1. $2500-$3000/day 6. $1500/day
2. $125/hr 7. $350-$500/hr
12 $190,848 3. $200/hr 8. $150/hr
4. $250hr, $1000- 9. $100/hr, $125/hr moderating
$1500/day in office, 10. $2500/day
15.2 20.1 $1500-$2000/day 11. $200/hr
in field 12. $120/hr
5. $1300/day
$90K

47

Open-ended responses

I know one of the most compelling reasons to read this
report is the salary information. We are all curious if we
are being paid “fairly.” But I find one of the most intriguing
things about working on this survey project is the richness
I get out of understanding the vast diversity within our dis-
cipline. Diversity in terms of what we do, where we come
from, and how that influences our approach.

This year’s open-ended questions begin with a perusal
of what we really do.Younger planners will find particular
value in the appendices I've posted on SlideShare. We do
a hell of a lot of different things and still carry the same
general title. Just goes to show there is room in this world
for all types.

We also asked about our pursuits outside of work in serv-
ice of making us better planners. Perhaps you’ll get an
idea of something that will expand you.

We asked about company perks, but there wasn’t much
surprising here. For a creative field, we are generally lack-
ing in creative perks.

Finally, we pressed for stories of personal expansion. We
wanted to know those moments when you stretched your-
self. Again, it's worth reading the SlidesShare appendices
for more details, but there’s quite a lot of inspiration to
push yourself beyond your comfort zone. I hope you feel a
bit inspired.

48

Describe your day
Think about your last full day of work. Describe in as much detail as possible exactly what you did.
I think this question is good because it removes some of the illusion of books like Truth, Lies and Advertising.
Those stories are seductive, but they are not the full picture. A lot of what we do isn't really that sexy. And per-
haps listing it like this makes it too dry. But this isn't a travel brochure - it's a state of the industry.

I spoke to a brilliant planner friend about this and he said: “I can turn to many blogs and slideshares and see all
the wonders of planning, but what about the 80% of the job that is ... well, a job? Most planners are just regular
ad-people, not the sharing super-stars we are used to reading. I know we want to elevate the industry, but it is
not where it currently sits.”

"Started off the day with a department status meeting (We
are planning for our Planning offsite.) Half an hour of work
time. Prep for my next meeting. Lunch meeting on mobile
opportunities for our client. I think it's great but a lot of work
has already been done by a team and client hasn't bought
it yet. Work Time: I'm finessing a positioning deck to be
presented next week. Did timesheets (We have to have them
in each Friday). End of Day creative review: this takes a few
hours. "This a bit contentious. The team's work is 'on brief'
but it doesn't culminate in a compelling idea. I spend the
next two hours and part of the weekend discussing feed-
back and suggestions for ways to approach the work."

What we do breaks down into the following types of activities:

- Brand positioning, architecture, taglines & visual identity (creating, presenting)
- New business activities: pitch, proposal
- Campaign & initiative: writing brief/reverse-brief, giving feedback, evaluating creative work,
concepting, production, presenting & dealing with client
- Qual & quant research (prepare, moderate, analyse & write report): focus group, survey,
product/campaign testing
- Workshop (set-up, activities, report)
- Understanding target, trend & industry: research, interview, segmentation, report
- Brain candy/inspiration hour: social media, book, video, RSS feed, exhibition, conference
- Creative brainstorm (participant and/or leader)
- Competitive & communication analysis
- Personal tweet & blog
- Client social media strategy & campaign
- Internal strategy & meeting
- Responsible for agency's social media activities
- New product & innovation development
- Mentor & support junior planner
- Administration & project management: budget, HR, department proposal
- User experience
- Doing public speaking & lecture in related fields
- Produce creative work: video
- Business travel
- Client side
- Working on award case study
- Looking for a job
- Content and media planning

49

Planning outside work
Beyond the work you do for your clients, what else are you doing that is planning related?
Learn & Absorb
- Likemind meet-ups, workshop & conference
- Social media activity (read & write) e.g. blogs, twitter, linkedin
- Improv class
- Teaching & mentoring
- Book club
- Going to concerts, cinema & exhibitions
- Language class
- Trendwatch

Inner zen & Social karma
- Sport eg. marathon, martial arts, group sport
- Traveling
- Spending time with non-ad people (there's a novel thought)
- Volunteer work
- Planning social group
- Yoga & meditation

Make & Create
- Creative project e.g. photography, design, house renovation,
playing a musical instrument, painting, filmography, crafts
- Running own business or startup
- Writing for publication e.g. magazine, book, website
- Acting
- Keeping journal

Company perks
What, if anything, makes your company unique and a great place to work?

Not much surprise here. I wonder, if you ran your own agency, would you offer something different?

Work life balance
- Flexible working hours & mobility
- Extra holidays/personal day
- Gym, health & wellness perks
- Day off for your birthday
- Massage and manicure pedicure treatment

Personal & professional development
- Inspirational activities (trip, conference, talk, etc.)
- Global agency swap

Fun & entertainment
- Company parties, drinks & food
- Killer music
- Great location
- Inter-agency competition
- Bakery machine
- Unique office design
- Movie nights

Work culture
- Variety of clients & projects
- Travel opportunity
- The culture of openness
- Multi-cultural workforce
- Family togetherness
- Family & pets friendly
- No dress code

50

I believe that life should be a pursuit of stretching ourselves,
growing and learning. And many of you shared similar outlooks.
Here is an overview of some of the more specific stories that
might inspire us all. I will put the full list of responses on
slideshare. Have a read and be inspired that the feeling of
not knowing the answer is in fact what it’s all about.

STRETCHING OURSELVES
There are times in many individual careers where we have to step outside of our comfort zone and do
something we aren't completely sure we can do. In what scenarios have you stretched yourself?

"I got made redundant last Summer, so I went freelance. Best. Thing. I Ever. Did. Better (and more challenging) work, better
clients, less stress and more money."

"I think we are tasked with these challenges more often than we think- whether it's speaking up when you're the minority
or trying to accomplish something in a way that hasn't been tried before. In my internship after college I was tasked with a
project that wasn't challenging me. After bringing it up to my manager and being ignored, I had to approach the issue head
on with his boss. When I did this, I risked my relationship with my immediate manager, but in the end, I followed my instinct
and I was rewarded. Out of my request, I was able to prove myself and I was offered a job. The job they gave me was an
entirely new role that they carved out just for me. I learned that speaking up when you're unhappy is the best thing to do,
but in order for it to work out you need to be proactive and you've got to have more solutions ready than you do complaints.
I continue to be open about my opinions and ask for what I need to grow. So far, it's worked out really well."

"A little over a year ago I asked the planning director at my University if he thought that I should stay another semester. He
answered no, because he thought that I was ready to start working after 1,5 years of planning studies in the U.S. But, oh
boy, I still felt unsure of my skills as a professional and wondered if anyone (but my director/teacher) would trust my abili-
ties and actually employ me. Following the advice I left the University and the States to return to my country and get a job.
I took an internship at a small agency, but felt that that wasn't the right place for me. At that time I was wondering if the
planning occupation even was right for me. I ended the internship and worked in a musical instrument shop during Decem-
ber. Wow that was fun. I organized the shop, managed the display areas and tried to be of service to my coworkers and the
customers. One day a man who I know briefly walked in to the store and after a conversation with him I had a name and the
number to the person that later would employ me at the agency where I work now. After some time at this agency I re-
membered why I want to work as a planner. Working felt fun and I was motivated. In short I had learnt: - that being humble
is good but that one shouldn't underestimate oneself - to turn to people I really trust for advice - that trying a completely
different direction might be the answer - that the important thing about working is to feel motivated."

"I went to the TED conference a couple of years ago. I was nervous about being an ad person there, among people doing
much more meaningful work. I was sure they'd see me as pretty superficial. But I was surprised at how that wasn't really the
case, and how those people were actually really interested in the cases where we'd pursued really interesting strategies or
creative ideas - moved our industry forward a little or done stuff of more value than simply 'selling'. My work kind of held its
own which I was surprised about. I guess I learned that when we try to do stuff of value in advertising, it has the capacity to
transcend the shitty stereotypes of our industry. So yeah - keep aiming high and you won't get lynched at TED."

"My background is in engagement planning - more specifically social media and propagation planning. When I arrived at my
current agency I made it clear I wanted to learn much more about brand planning. On my very first day I was given a brand
positioning brief. It was totally unlike anything I'd ever tackled before and completely paralyzed me with fear - however
within two weeks I was presenting back my first brand positioning to client. Collaboration was the key to success - that and
determination to succeed (and not look completely incompetent in front of my peers and the client). Working with the suits
that knew the client inside and out - as well as tapping into the planning dir. Wholly terrifying and satisfying experience."

"I never thought I could work on a particular client’s business because of their negative impact on society. I sucked it up and
took the assignment. And then ended up helping them to transform their business to more positively impact society."

"Not to be trite but personally I hope each project pushes me beyond my comfort zone in some way or another, otherwise
I'm not growing or developing in a meaningful manner. So I try to look for an opportunity in everything I do and that makes
my job all the more exciting/rewarding."

51

Closing thoughts
I’m starting to get a bit more serious about an idea for a book. I’d like to travel around the world and work for
a couple of weeks at different companies to explore how planning/strategy is approached differently around
the world and some of the more innovative companies that are pushing our discipline forward. If you think your
company is doing something cool and you’d like to have me work for you for free in exchange for letting me
poke my nose into your business, please be in touch.

And of course, this report would never have been possible without the help of the team. Please reward their
effort with some follows on Twitter. We are here to answer follow-up questions and love to hear your ideas for
future surveys.

Heather LeFevre Bori Toth
hklefevre@gmail.com tborbala@hotmail.com
@hklefevre @boribora
http://illchangeyourlife.wordpress.com http://flavors.me/boritoth

Julia Lee Megan Averell
julialeek@gmail.com megan_averell@yahoo.com
@hellojulialee @meggatron

Willem van der Horst Yuliani Setiadi
willemvdh75@gmail.com yuliani.setiadi@gmail.com
@hippowill @JuliaBanana
http://www.willemvdh.com

Ayden Abdine - designer
ayden@aydenabdine.com
@ayden_a
http://www.aydenabdine.com

Special Thanks
Many thanks to the individuals who spotted typos and bad grammar in earlier drafts:

Adrian Ruiz-Mediavilla
Anibal Casso
Anthony D’Andrea
Apo Bordin
Ashly Stewart
Ben Culpin
Cameron Maddux
Gabriel Patru
Gareth Kay
Gautam Ramdural
Jon Miller
Lanny Lucas-Stone
Matthew Scott
Mauro Murace
Omar El-Gammal
Rob Campbell
Rye Clifton
Simon Kemp
Tom Bassett

52

Another survey comes to an end. Thanks for reading.

53

The Planner Survey 2011

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The Planner Survey 2011