I was browsing the APG website the other day when I came across a document entitled 'What Is Account Planning'. Curious to know how they described the discipline I read on and was particulary intrigued by their discussion of New Product Development. 'Being in at the birth of a product through to its positioning, naming, testing and (rarer than hen’s teeth) successful advertising launch, can be one of the most interesting and formative experiences for a planner. Don’t forget that it was Stephen King who invented pretty much every aspect of Mr Kipling, right from when RHM came to the agency and said our flour mills are producing a surplus, what shall we do with it?'Why did this resonate so much with me? Frankly, it was the simplicity illustrated by the Kipling example. One agency in charge of a brand - not even just one agency, one man for god's sake. That was a time when there were no internal marketing departments; a time before the multitude of media channels we have today. Back then it was one voice coming down from on high... 'Mr Kipling does make exceedingly good cakes'. Simple. Today this kind of simplicity is nigh on impossible to find. On top of the ongoing fragmentation of media happening all around us, this recession has created a further fragmentation of the agencies themselves. The ongoing slew of redundancies in the creative, design and advertising sectors is creating a hot melting pot of opportunity for individuals with all the right skills to go out and make it on their own. They're getting together and forming their own small creative shops to undercut the big boys. But a word of caution: while brands may rub their hands together at the thought of saving money, further fragmentation of agencies makes the need for a Master Plan even more crucial. More than ever, planning needs to focus on marshaling different stakeholders as much as on strategy. As more and more agencies, internal stakeholders, external consultants etc become involved, it's starting to look like a full time job to get everyone to play nice in the brand playground. I think this is where Master Planning can help.
Simplicity depends on vision, responsibility for one's actions and bravery, something that is in short supply.
I'd echo Ged's comment: reading the post I was struck not by the question of whether marketing departments exist/help or not, but rather that a bold, simple and well-presented idea could galvanise a business into action. After all, Mr King does write exceedingly good yarns.
Jeremy Brown
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Member since: 09 Dec 2008
Last login: 17 Nov 2009
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