The result of our survey among Planners and Strategists at Swedish communication agencies, on everything from the daily job to salary.

1. Planner
2016
APGSWE

2. Welcome to Planner 2016
In the following pages you’ll find the result of APG Sweden’s survey
on the Planner’s role.
The purpose of this survey is to give our industry a better
understanding of planning and strategy at Swedish agencies, as well
as giving us Planners a better insight into each others’ situation.
The data was collected in March and April 2016 via an anonymous
survey using Google Forms. A total of 95 respondents participated.
The amount of respondents in sub-groups such as students,
freelancers and from the client-slide was too limited to be analyzed
and reported separately, but are included when relevant.
We are seeing a trend that some respondents have the title
Strategist rather than Planner, but to simplify the text we are naming
it Planner throughout this report.
This is the first year we are conducting the survey in this format, but
our ambition is to make it an annual survey.
We hope it will be useful, enjoy!
Content
The average Planner
What do we Planners do?
The state of the Planner?
The Planner’s education?
How much do we make?
Who participated?
3
4
9
18
22
32

3. Executive summary
The average Planner 2016
The best part about
my job is woking with
insights and continuously
learning new things
We spend most time working in Keynote,
and our assignments are mainly:
Brand strategy
Consumer analysis
Desktop research
Briefs and briefings
Qualitative research
46 300 sek
Monthly salary (before tax)
Experience
5.5 years
Has a Bachelor’s degree
from Stockholm University
in Marketing, and has also
taken Strategic Communication
at Berghs School of Communication

4. What do we Planners do?
How we explain it

5. Creates the
framework for
communication based on
trends, human behavior
and product / brand
Find out who the
customers are, what their
needs are and how best to
reach them
I make sure the
advertising makes a
difference
Turn business
objectives into
creative solutions
The thought behind the
idea, that makes it brilliant
How do we explain what we do
to someone outside the industry?
insights
relevance
people
research
brands
effect
target audience
create
analysis
advertising
behavior
possibilityideas
help
understand
value
trends
creative
direction
communicates
consumer
creatives
market
context
challenge
client’s
integrate
problem
convert
works
measure
responsibility
talk
right
make sure
reachcompetition
question
campaign
message
better
business
starting point
framework
team
inspiring
engage
society
growth
trust
company
emotional statistic
planfocus
profitability
offer
perceived
respect
earned concept
useful
leverage
decision
clarify
product
interesting
recommendations
goal
business problem
turnover
answer
behov
map
identify
the thought
design
develop
observe
solutions
receiver
Q: Hur förklarar du vad du gör för någon utanför branschen? öppet svar i fritext (underlag 78st Planners/strateger på byrå)

6. Good ideas
without strategy may win
awards. But good ideas with
a strong strategy builds
business
Trying to answer the
question: why should anyone
care about what we do?
Defines the problem the
communication will solve
I make your job easier
I'm the consumer's voice
in the project
How do we explain what we do
to our colleagues?
insights
creative
ideas
analyzing
target
people
brands
communication
consumer
inspiring
creatives
business
client’s
market
help
relevance
create
consumer behaviorfoundation
context
understand
brief
concrete
talk
trends
meaningful
needs
competition
explain
voiceframework
qualitative
listen
quantitative
depth
research
process
solve
defines
goals
difference
future
problem
map
Google
easier
detective
deserve
goal
understandable best
trust
value
information
measurablesimplifyeffective
form
build
find
impact
team
change
buyer process
focus work out behavior
investment
depend
project description
responsibility
Q: Hur förklarar du för en kollega vad du gör? öppet svar i fritext (underlag 78st Planners/strateger på byrå)

7. Google a lot,
think a lot
As a part of the full
team I help develop
brands
I turn human
understanding into
business advantage
I'm making ideas
easier to sell to the client,
ideas that are hopefully more
effective than if I had not
been there
Listen, watch, read, observe,
question, conclude, fantasize,
explain, argue, twist and turn and
formulate
What do we actually do?
analyzing
read
research
creative
ideas
trends
insights
writes
Googling
briefthinks
people
trends
client
brands
meetings
market
audience
try
behavior
process
help
direction
presentations
problem
sell
rational
relevance
social
explain
qualitativedig
listening
therapist
argumentation platforms
builds
eavesdrop
workshops
rational
look
reflects
slides
surveys
affect
value
fact
identifies
phenomenas
fire-fighter
simplify
goals
articles
brainstorming
competition
quantitative
selling
talk
inspiring
develop
new biz
formulates
keynotes direction
sounding board
interviewing
question
effective
testing
message hierarchy
easier
thinkingclarifying
smart
evaluating
fantasizing
statistics
context
test
trust
optimizing
concept
consumer
consultant gibberish
respects
information
emotional
problem
procurement
Q: Vad gör du egentligen? öppet svar i fritext (underlag 78st Planners/strateger på byrå)

8. Planner
67.2 %
Strategist
32.8 %
What do we call ourselves?
Three out of ten has the title Strategist
Q: vad kallar du dig idag? envalsfråga (underlag 78st Planners/strateger på byrå)

9. The state of the Planner?
Our workplace and daily job
+

10. 1. insight work
2. learning new things
3. the creative process
4. when strategy meets creativity
5. the variation of projects
31 % of respondents
22 % of respondents
17 % of respondents
15 % of respondents
13 % of respondents
+
+
+
What do we find the most fun with our job?
We are driven by the insight work and learning new things
Q: Vad tycker du är allra roligast med ditt jobb? öppet fritext-svar, kodat utifrån vanligast förekommande (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

11. Brand strategy
Consumer analysis
Desktop research
Briefs and briefings
Qualitative research
Business strategy
Creative inspiration
Quantitative research
Data analysis
Result evaluation
Trend reporting
Segmentations
Client responsibility
Direct reports (manager)
Creative strategy
44.7 %
61.2 %
64.7 %
64.7 %
68.2 %
72.9 %
72.9 %
74.1 %
77.6 %
80 %
84.7 %
85.9 %
90.6 %
91.8 %
15.3 %
What’s included in our daily job?
We have many different things to do, but few have managerial responsibility
Q: vad ingår i dina arbetsuppgifter? flervalsfråga (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

12. Keynote PowerPoint web browser e-mail program Excel/Numbers Word/Pages Other
36.5 %
17.6 %
22.4 %
10.6 %
3.5 %
2.4 %
7.1 %
In which program do we spend most of our time?
54,1% spend most of their time building decks
Q: i vilket program spenderar du allra mest tid? envalsfråga (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

13. No
6 %
Sort of
8 %
Yes
86 %
Is there anything limiting us?
Most say there are factors limiting them from
doing the job as good as they would like to
Q: Finns det några hinder för dig för att kunna utföra ditt jobb så bra som bara möjligt? vad? fritext-svar (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

14. No
6 %
Sort of
8 %
Yes
86 %
What is it that is limiting us?
It’s mainly that we are experiencing a lack
of prioritization in budgets and time plans
Not enough
time
Not enough
time
Not enough
time
Not enough
time
Not enough
time
Not
prioritized in the
budget
Not
prioritized in the
budget
Not
prioritized in the
budget
Not
prioritized in the
budget
Not enough time
Not enough budget
The client’s budget is
usually to small to include
money for research
Creative-driven agency
that does not consider itself to be in
need of planning
Limited time blocks
my thinking
Hard to concentrate when in an
open floor plan
I get involved too late in the
process –”Oh, right, we need some
planning too”Ignorance at the clients’
marketing departments Not enough time to get outside
the office talking to people
Lack of understanding and
ambition at Swedish clients’
Too much daily small stuff to focus
on the broader perspective Colleagues who hasn’t worked
with Planners before and has limited
knowledge on how strategy works
Too little time
and too much to do
Ignorance
Q: Finns det några hinder för dig för att kunna utföra ditt jobb så bra som bara möjligt? vad? fritext-svar (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

15. Where do we work?
The majority of survey participants work at an Advertising agency
reklambyrå*
digitalbyrå*
varumärkesbyrå*
PR5byrå*
Mediabyrå*
Frilans*
Kundsidan*
Övriga*
Q: På vad för typ av ställe jobbar du? envalsfråga (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)
Advertising agency 56 %
Other 6.9 %
Client side 7.1 %
Freelance 8.2 %
Media agency 1.2 %
PR agency 4.8 %
Brand agency 7.2 %
Digital agency 8.4 %

16. How big is the Planning department in the agency?
Just under one in ten of the agency staff are Planners,
which is more than in our last survey!
9 %
of employees at an agency are Planners, in average
8.5 %
Ad agency
11.2 %
Digital agency
9.9 %
Brand agency
6.8 %
PR agency
Q: Hur många anställda är det där du jobbar? Hur många är ni som jobbar med planning/strategi? envalsfråga (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)
In the 2012 survey most
agencies had only 1 Planner, but this
result shows that an agency with 33
employees now has 3 Planners,
in average

17. Yes, that’s enough
44 %
No, we would need to be more
56 %
Is that enough?
About half thinks there is a need
for more Planners in the agency
Q: Är det tillräckligt många tycker du? envalsfråga, ingen valde alternativet ”Nej, vi skulle kunna vara färre”. (underlag 89st, alla förutom studenter)

18. The Planner’s education?
The length and orientation

19.
Independent coursework
at University and/or
Ad School
7 %
Degree from
University/College
Full length
Ad School
diploma
Degree from
University/college
+
Full length
Ad School
diploma
Out of which 13
percentage points
also have taken
independent courses
at an Ad School
Out of which 2
percentage points
also have taken
independent
courses at a
University
11 %20 %62 %
Q: Vad har du för utbildning? flervalsfråga (underlag 86st, alla förutom studenter)
How are we educated?
8 of 10 Swedish Planners
has a University degree

20. Q: Vad har du för utbildning? (underlag 69st, alla med examen från universitet/högskola)
Number of years of education on average
4.3 years
Stockholm University 23.1 %
Stockholm School of Economics 20 %
School of Economics at Gothenburg University 8.6 %
Lund University 7.3 %
Uppsala University 7.3 %
University/College top 5
Marketing 36 %
Business and Economics 27.5 %
Behavioral Science 10 %
Orientation top 3
Bachelor 55 %
MBA (Civilekonom) 5.8 %
Master (4 years) 16 %
Master (5 years) 21.7 %
PhD 1.5 %
Degree, amount of respondents
Those who have a degree (ie. those who have only taken independent courses are not included)
The University/College-degree in detail:
How are we educated?

21. Q: Vad har du för utbildning? (underlag 36st, alla som angett att de läst på reklamskola)
Berghs School of Communication 58.4 %
Hyper Island 16.7 %
Miami Ad School 11.1 %
Medieinstitutet 8.3 %
Nackademin 5.5 %
School top 5
Strategic Communication* 38.9 %
Planning course 22.2 %
Digital Strategy 13.8 %
Orientation top 3
*Berghs’ 1 year full-time program that was
previously named Marketing Communications
but was renamed in 2015 to Strategic
Communication is included here.
Also including vocational educations in the field, such as Nackademin. Both full-length diplomas and independent coursework.
The Ad School in detail:
How are we educated?

22. How much do we make?
Salary and benefits

23. Q: Är du nöjd med din lön? Ja / Nej (underlag alla förutom studenter)
Yes!
51.2 %
No…
48.8 %
Most importantly:
Are we happy with what we’re making?

24. 2012 2013 2014 2015
--
(a survey was not conducted)
2016
37 095 SEK
average monthly salary
average years of experience:
3.4 years
41 000 SEK
average monthly salary
average years of experience:
4.6 years
46 300 SEK
average monthly salary
average years of experience:
5.5 years
Q: Vad tjänar du i månaden? (bruttolön). Skala med alternativ (underlag alla förutom studenter)
How much do we make?
The average salary has increased by 13 % since last survey
Until 2013 APG did a salary survey among members, through board member Leon Phang.
The comparative figures for 2012 and 2013 are results from these surveys.

25. Q: Vad tjänar du i månaden? (bruttolön). Skala med alternativ (underlag alla förutom studenter)
Average salary women
38 796
Median salary women
37 500
Highest salary (Head of Planning)
77 500
Lowest salary (Junior Planner)
17 500
Average salary men
50 400
Median salary men
42 500
Highest salary (Head of Planning)
100 000 (or more)
Lowest salary (Junior Planner)
22 500
Average years: 3.7
Average years: 6.4
Are we equally paid?
There is a difference in salary between the genders,
but also in experience
2016
46 300 SEK
average monthly salary
average years of experience:
5.5 years

26. 2010
25 125 SEK
average monthly salary
Q: Vad tjänar du i månaden? (bruttolön). Skala med alternativ (underlag svaranden med 0-1 års erfarenhet)
2011
25 570 SEK
average monthly salary
2012
25 570 SEK
average monthly salary
2013
27 100 SEK
average monthly salary
2016
27 900 SEK
average monthly salary
2014 2015
(a survey was not conducted)
- -
Median salary
27 500
Highest
17 500 37 500
Lowest
Until 2013 APG did a salary survey among members, through board member Leon Phang.
The comparative figures for 2010-2013 are results from these surveys.
At what salary level do we start?
The starting salary for beginner-Planners has increased somewhat

27. Q: Vad tjänar du i månaden? (bruttolön). Skala med alternativ (underlag alla förutom studenter)
How is it developing?
The Planners’ salary curve is pointing upward
SEK before tax per month
years of experience
Trend line calculated on the median salary relative to the number of years of experience.

28. Average years of experience
1 year
Junior Planner
Average number of vacation days
29.4 days
Communication agency
The five most common benefits
(% respondents for each)
Wellness stipend 100 %
Pension savings 50 %
Flexible hours 37 %
Lunch checks 20 %
Health insurance 20 %
27 500 sekAverage monthly salary
27 500 sekMedian monthly salary
Average salary women
Average salary men
27 500
27 500
(Respondenter som arbetar heltid på reklambyrå, digitalbyrå, varumärkesbyrå, pr-byrå och angett att de har titeln ”Junior Planner eller liknande”)

29. 3.8 years
30.6 days
Wellness stipend 81 %
Pension savings 55 %
Flexible hours 55 %
Health insurance 44 %
Personal insurance 22 %
Average monthly salary
Median monthly salary
Average salary women
Average salary men
Planner
(Respondenter som arbetar heltid på reklambyrå, digitalbyrå, varumärkesbyrå, pr-byrå och angett att de har titeln ”Planner eller liknande”)
Communication agency
38 300 sek
37 500 sek
34 700
40 000
Average years of experience
Average number of vacation daysThe five most common benefits
(% respondents for each)

30. 8.5 years
32.5 days
Wellness stipend 75 %
Pension savings 75 %
Flexible hours 58 %
Personal insurance 41 %
Health insurance 33 %
Average monthly salary
Median monthly salary
Average salary women
Average salary men
Senior Planner
(Respondenter som arbetar heltid på reklambyrå, digitalbyrå, varumärkesbyrå, pr-byrå och angett att de har titeln ”Senior Planner eller liknande”)
Communication agency
54 800 sek
52 500 sek
44 500
61 700
Average years of experience
Average number of vacation daysThe five most common benefits
(% respondents for each)

31. 9.5 years
33 days
Wellness stipend 100 %
Flexible hours 66 %
Chance of bonus 58 %
Pension savings 58 %
Salary exchange 50%
Average monthly salary
Median monthly salary
Average salary women
Average salary men
Head of Planning
66 600 sek
70 000 sek
69 100
65 800
(Respondenter som arbetar heltid på reklambyrå, digitalbyrå, varumärkesbyrå, pr-byrå och angett att de har titeln ”Head of Planning eller liknande”)
Communication agency
Average years of experience
Average number of vacation daysThe five most common benefits
(% respondents for each)

32. Who participated?
Let’s round of with some quick demographics

33. 64.7 % 35.3 %

34. Other parts of Sweden 1 %
Malmö 1 %
Gothenburg 10 %
Stockholm 88 %

36. APGSWE
Account Planning Group (APG) is an international
network of Planners, Strategists and like-minded in the
Communications Industry. The network was founded in
London in 1979 and has been in Sweden as a non-profit
organization since 2005. The organization is kept alive
by the members, and today the majority of agencies in
Stockholm are represented as members.
We work to strengthen the role at large, and everyone
individually. Our goal is to develop and inspire Planners
and Strategists at Swedish Communications Agencies
through inspiring lectures and interesting workshops,
by driving the industry’s knowledge of Planning
forward, and through each other in the network.
For more information and membership:
The survey was constructed, analyzed and presented
by Erika Fondin – Board Member of APG Sweden and
Planner at M&C SAATCHI Stockholm.
For questions and comments:
erika.fondin@mcsaatchi.com
apgsweden@gmail.com
Twitter: @apgsweden
apgsweden.com

37. APGSWE
Don’t miss out on next year’s survey, or any of the
other interesting things happening within APG Sweden.
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