Inside Track: The Account Planner

I’ve been asked a few times by clients (including some agency clients) what exactly an SEO / Planner / UX / back-end Dev does.. and why they need to be included (and paid for) on a project. ‘Because’ doesn’t cut it.. So I thought I’d start a new series for 2014 to lift the lid on various roles in the industry. And rather than make this theoretical I’ll be calling on some lovely people who live and breathe their specialism to explain directly what they do .. and also talk about some wider aspects of the marketing / creative services world.

First up is Gemma Teed. Gemma is an Account Planner, based in West Yorkshire.  Following Planning roles at CWG, Brahm and Poulters, she went freelance in 2010 and works for a number of agencies as well as direct clients.

Your Granny is on an elevator : can you explain your role in a sentence?

I help brands communicate better with their customers by understanding more about them.

We’re chatting over coffee : what’s the expanded explanation of your role in the brand development or campaign creation mix?

I generally work on projects involving brand development, positioning territories, proposition development, the customer journey or on big comms pitches.  I’ll be responsible for helping to identify what the client’s problem actually is (which might not be what they think it is), then I’ll lead the insight or brand development process through to briefing in to the relevant team within an agency.

Ideally, I’d stay involved throughout development to ensure that the original insight doesn’t get lost and to act as a one-step-removed sounding board, but sadly some agencies don’t see as much value in paying for Planning at this stage – with some unfortunate results…

How did you get here?… And what keeps you doing it?

I didn’t know Planning existed when I joined my first agency as a PR Exec.  But after a few months at the telephone bashing and press release mailing end of PR I realised the more interesting strategic stuff was happening in other parts of the agency.  Fortunately their Planning Director thought I’d make a better Account Planner than a PR, so he nicked me and trained me up.  At my second agency thankfully my Planning Director was equally supportive as it takes a good 5 years to train up a fully-fledged Senior Planner.

I love the flexibility a freelance lifestyle offers me, but even without that I think Account Planners have the best jobs in agencies.  It’s never dull, there’s always something new to learn about and understand and when you do present a client with an insight that will make a genuine difference to their business it’s a real buzz.

How do businesses typically engage with you – e.g. directly or mediated through an account handler?

Almost all my work is with agencies and most of that came via word of mouth from people who’ve worked with me before.  I work with several agencies on an on-going basis and some of their clients consider me to be ‘their’ designated Planner.

I’m a tight marketer – why should I pay for you (and not just skip your input)?

I’m like a saner Sherlock, I take disparate research, data and client feedback, apply them to your problem, ask the right questions, cut through the clutter and come up with a new answer that gives you an ownable way to connect with your (client’s) customers and other stakeholders.

I generally do my own research, which means insight can be interpreted in real-time, rather than via a debrief document or from the other side of a viewing room mirror.  Being able to go ‘off-piste’ in the middle of a focus group because a respondent has just come up with a great but unexpected nugget is something a researcher who isn’t working on the wider project can’t do.

Grab your crystal ball – how do you see marketing evolving in the next 12 – 24 months?

More freelancers, more flexible contracts and more outsourcing.  If 90% of your role can be done at a desk and it doesn’t require close collaboration or the understanding of cultural nuances then you should be very worried that the role won’t stay on this continent for long.  One agency I work with recently outsourced a load of clipping path artwork overseas for a tenth of the cost of doing it in-house.

How do you keep current and up to date?

I try to read most of the marketing trade press, either online or at the local Central Library, where I can also catch up on Retail Week, The Grocer, Management Today and so on.  I’m also a big fan of meeting for coffee, it’s a great way to stay in touch with fellow freelancers and I always come away with tons of ideas and a renewed sense of enthusiasm and optimism.  And twitter is of course great for encouraging you to discover stuff that’s outside your usual titles and websites.

Most Planning conferences are far too expensive for some who is self-employed to fund (with travel costs few come in at under £800 for the day), but I really enjoy the more down to earth, not-for-profit get-togethers like the Interesting conferences and I’ll happily speak at gigs in return for the opportunity to listen in on the rest of the day.

Have you got any advice for wannabe Planners?

Loads! It’s all here:

http://almostalwaysthinking.com/2008/10/03/wanna-be-a-planner-straight-talking-advice-for-graduates/

http://almostalwaysthinking.com/2010/12/06/straight-talking-advice-for-grads-who-want-to-be-an-account-planner-%E2%80%93-part-2/

http://almostalwaysthinking.com/2011/12/09/yet-more-straight-talking-advice-for-aspiring-account-planners-part-three/

But above all, be interested in the world around you and be prepared to prove to potential employers why your brain works in the right way to make a great Planner.

And finally..

Make like a magpie : what website / app / service has caught your eye recently? Any genre: work related or not.

As I’m freelance I haven’t got access to an artwork team or creative department that can be persuaded to produce smart charts, illustrations and all the other visual bits and bobs that make things like powerpoint presentations look so much better. I’ve been scouting round for cost-effective solutions for ages and on recommendation from other self-employed types now use both fiverr.com and canva.com.  With fiverr you’re sending briefs to creatives overseas so being good at creative brief writing helps enormously, while canva is a practically foolproof do-it-yourself option.

 

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