Transcript Account Planning

Account Planning
Concepts and Definitions
Account planners…..
• Discover how to connect with consumers
and inspire them to respond.
• Identify behavior patterns and reasons
behind them.
• Determine creative approach for advertising
messages
Conducting ‘why’ research
• Qualitative methods provide subjective insight
into consumer thinking about a brand.
• Planners use focus groups and interviews to learn
what motivates consumers to choose one brand
over another brand.
• Planners look for meanings from which to draw
conclusions about purposes, aspirations, emotions,
feelings and intentions.
Researching behavior
• P&G visits people’s homes to record their
product usage habits on video.
• Nintendo pays teenagers to interpret the
video game world.
• Kowasaki uses an anthropologist to ‘hang
out’ with motorcycle riders.
What is account planning?
• Agency job function as consumer’s representative
• Brings consumer perspective to strategy and
creative development, pre-testing ads and tracking
brand’s progress
• Uses research to guide creative process
• Interprets research to spot openings for
development
Planning evolution
• Invented in 1965 by Stanley Pollitt who
wanted to use research for creative
• 1968 J Walter Thompson established an
‘account planning’ department
• 1985 Chiat Day hired an account planner as
part of the creative team
Events favorable to planning
1. Change in client expectation from agency.
Relevant data to ad decisions became crucial for
results.
2. Change in consumer attitudes. Agencies must
monitor social change.
3. Brand images are more important. Emotional
and practical side to each.
4. Advertising environment has changed.
Consumers want to be entertained.
Role of account planning
• Works with account manager to direct the
ad development process
• Prepares directional creative brief
• Uses diagnostic research to establish a
dialog between creative team and consumer
Campaign planning cycle
• Evaluate existing research on brand
• Commission more research to define strategy
• Conduct diagnostic research on initial creative
ideas
• Rationalize creative ideas to get client approval
• Supervise ad pre-tests for recall
• Track results of awareness and image
Planner’s job
1. Overall:
Be concerned with relevance of
advertising to target audience.
Client says“My product/brand”
AE says
“My client”
CD says
“My ad”
Planner says
“My consumer”
2. Strategy development stage
• Collects and synthesizes data to guide
strategic development to gain insight on
consumer’s relationship with the brand
• Defines the positioning and relevant
proposition to capture rational and
emotional appeals of the brand.
3. Creative development stage
• Commission diagnostic research on rough
ads to measure responses
• Collect feedback on how ad is working
• Interpret responses to stimulate creative
process further
4. Approval stage
• Provide objective justification for creative
• Provide reassurance on how and why ad
execution will work for the brand
5. Post-campaign stage
• Commission and use research to track the
progress of the brand.
• Answer questions:
Is the strategy working? Are objectives being
met? Do new ads need developing? How
should they be developed?
What makes a good planner?
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Passion for advertising creative process
Intuitive curiosity about consumers
Inspiring communication skills
Aptitude for research interpretation
Visionary mind for big idea
Desire for involvement in account team
Mediator between theory and practice