When I started planning I had little idea what my job was. Like, I knew the theory that I'm curious, a problem solver etc. etc. but what do I actually DO every day. Plus, most planning happens in people's heads, so unlike account management, it's hard to watch and learn. I've put this together in the hope that it explains what a planner does. At least, after showing this to my husband he said he finally understands what my job is... I've included photos I found online. I don't claim to own these, I've borrowed them. If one's yours and you don't want me to use it, please let me know and I won't. The original presentation has gifs. If you can tell me how to keep this alive while sharing please let me know.

1. An introduction to planning*
Getting from a client brief to finished advertising
by @verity_williams
*Also known as strategy. A planner does strategy, so strategy is more
descriptive, but planning is the traditional name

2. The point of planning

3. The point of advertising is to connect an audience with your product
/ message
Connect an audience in want
or need of something
With a product / message that
answers that want or need

4. ‘smart because it’s made that way’ doesn’t mean much, but I’m
not sure it means a famous naked bottom in the clouds at all
Therefore, you need to present your product in the most compelling and
relevant way

5. N is also for new pizza, new dress, new anything, really
It should feel interesting and show off the product in its best light

6. So the point of planning is to ensure the ad has a clear, logical and
compelling core message
aka, the ‘PROPOSITION’
Typically, a simple short sentence the planner gives the creative team
that tells them the one single message their creative idea should convey

7. A very quick planning overview

8. What does a planner do?
Take a client brief – the business challenge they think advertising will solve
Decide the most effective way and compelling message to answer this challenge
Give that compelling message (the proposition) to creatives to turn into something beautiful
Ensure the final ad sticks to your message and visually and tonally reflects the brand

9. Rough overview of creating an ad*
A planner should keep the message simple and clear; so here’s a simplified ad timeline
based on a planner’s role
Get brief
Ask qu.s
Ponder Write brief.
Get team
approval
Creatives
create ad ideas
Accounts sell ad
to client
Research:
creative
development
Craftspeople
add magic
Write rationale
for work
Post production
add magic
Track ad
performance
Client brief Advert created Advert live
Research:
potential
areas

10. *Disclaimer* the real shape of the journey is more like this, and has
many roles beyond both planning, and the ad agency
Advertising is a team game, not just within the agency, and between
agency and client, but between agency, client, and independent
craftspeople, e.g. directors / post production (who make the creative
idea come alive, hopefully beautifully). Forget that at your peril

11. The planning process in more detail

12. This arrow runs along each page to show you where you are in the ad process

13. Start with the client brief, which hopefully gives you a clear and
credible business challenge
This is crucial - it tells you what your
communications need to achieve and
how your success will be judged

14. The planner decides how to answer that business challenge, and finds
the argument that will convince the audience to do what you’re asking
(You give this to a creative team, who add the magic and think up the creative idea; the
creatives give their idea to craftspeople, who make their creative idea come alive )

15. But don’t worry. You’re
paid to find AN answer,
not THE answer
Make a call based on
what you know, now

16. You’ll find your current answer by being thorough – think about
it through fresh eyes
“I have no special talent. I am
only passionately curious.”

17. Be honest
You need to be credible
You’re giving people a
judgement criteria – once
they’ve met the product, it has
to do its job
Product experience outweighs
any 30 seconds of spin

18. This is the benefits ladder
as my first boss taught me
Remember the value of
brands. They bring: trust,
reliability, quality,
accountability
Start with the
product

19. Consider your brand world – how does it look, sound and feel?

20. Read everything
From old planning
papers, to the news,
to weird websites, to
the company’s annual
report
Do your homework.
Before you make an
argument, you gather
the evidence

21. People watch
Take time to understand
your audience. Have
empathy
No-one wins over a room
of strangers by
patronising them

22. Understand the competition. Where are they strong? And weak?

23. What have
you missed?
Think broadly.
What would
happen if you
did the
opposite?

24. Sit and ponder. Bounce ideas off
people in your team

25. Ideally around now, you’d do positioning research with the client
You test different ways to position the product – typically called territories – by
holding research groups with normal people. You’ll find out what they think is
interesting and will make your product stand out

26. Once you’ve found your [current best bet at an] answer, write the creative
brief. This is centred around a ‘proposition’- a sentence with your simple
and single minded argument
A famous planning brief… Sainsbury’s needed +£2.5bn over 3 years
A clever planner figured that inspiring Sainsbury’s shoppers to put one additional item in
their basket every week (an extra £1.14) would achieve this
This brief resulted in the campaign

27. Get the basics right when writing your creative brief
Write as well as you can. Edit
Spell check. Check you’ve spelled and punctuated brands correctly e.g. easyJet (and don’t
let autocorrect undo your diligence)
Get your facts right. Google everything to double check
Talk as a human. Take The Economist’s route: clever people don’t need to hide behind jargon
Even if your higher powers think there’s another answer, be proud of what you’ve created.
It’s got your name on it

28. Now you give this
creative brief to the
creatives
Pre, during and post
briefing, stay positive.
It’s contagious
Any old fool can point out
what’s wrong. It’s much harder
to find the beauty inside and
make it grow

29. When assessing the creative ideas, remember your brief. Will this creative
achieve that business goal?

30. Ideally around now, you’d do creative development
(also read http://www.slideshare.net/mweigel/martin-weigel-salmon-vs-lamposts-the-use-and-abuse-of-research)
This time you test different creative ideas, again asking normal people what they
find interesting and motivating. Use this research to build the creative ideas, and
make them as brilliant as possible

31. Now you’ve got some winning creative ideas, you need the client
to buy one. It’s time to craft that argument

32. You need to write a presentation to take the client from their business
challenge to your proposed solution
Part 1.
Business
challenge
Part 2.
Why your
answer is right
Part 3.
Creative work

33. Writing strategy decks is a constant journey of improvement, but the
better your deck, the easier it is to sell the work
Every mark on every page should contribute to your one argument of why this work is right
Don’t show your homework, or list observations. Show evidence if it supports your points
Keep pages clear and formatting consistent. Can people at the back see the content?
Talk as a human. Take The Economist’s route: clever people don’t need to hide behind jargon
Give yourself time. Formulating a solid strategic argument is a lengthy process, and takes many
drafts

34. Remember, your client has a boss
If this fails, it could
be their job on the
line
They’re spending
their marketing
budget (yes, their
money, not yours)

35. Until the creative is live, keep the message on track. Don't let that little
detail undermine your story

36. Woo hoo. Now the creative is live, encourage your client to do
brand tracking / some econometrics to learn what’s working.
Apply those lessons to future work

37. Write up your experience and enter awards
Enter awards to show off your strategic thinking.
The big guns are Cannes Effectiveness, IPA Awards,
APG Awards, subjectively in that order
Whether or not you win, the papers are publicly
available. Read them to grow your planning wisdom

38. Ads get into and create
culture and culture is
powerful
When you’re blasting
unwanted ads in peoples’
faces everyday, the least
you can do is make them
beautiful
Besides, research by the
IPA, Thinkbox and the
Gunn Report says that
‘highly creative advertising
is the most effective of all’
Finally, aim high

39. Most of the time, planning is a wonderful job. Some days, you’ll sit and your desk
and think, ‘Shit, how did I get this job?’ And smile. Other days you’ll say the same,
but they won’t be happy tears bubbling up.
This presentation is idealised. Yes, it’s the process, but it doesn’t always work as well
as you want. The ad you end up with isn’t always one you want to add your name to,
but you have to try to make it so.
If you got it right every time, you’d be a billionaire, not a salaried planner. But
thankfully, advertising is still magic because we are all irrational, biased, emotionally
driven humans, trying to sell to irrational, biased, emotionally driven humans and
while we know the effect of creativity, I don’t think we know its blueprint. We
respond to things differently. There is no ‘A,B so C’ answer. Which is what makes our
industry such an exciting one.
This was created with the helpful oversight of two of my previous bosses. Because
of most planner’s natures, they’re smart and helpful and generous. Treasure that.
But remember, you’re only human. You can only try