There’s someone I come across regularly outside work who always has the answer. They honestly mean well and pipe up with the best of intentions but whatever the problem (or non-problem) might be, they know what should be done. And feel obliged to share their opinion, expertise and assistance with everyone, solicited or not. Being … Continue reading Butt in, or Butt out?
Category: Account Planning
when you can’t blow your own trumpet
The average agency website or creds presentation will always have a ‘client’ page where they boast about the brands and organisations they work with. It would be fair to say that some of these stretch the truth a bit, encompassing the FMCG brand the agency produced a one-off standee for and the Blue Chip firm … Continue reading when you can’t blow your own trumpet
What are you an Unlikely Expert on?
I had dinner with some Lady Planners last week and was telling one of them that next time she needs to buy a particular item of furniture she should give me a shout, because after a massive project for a retailer I am now an expert on the subject. I then realised that she has … Continue reading What are you an Unlikely Expert on?
It’s all about how you see *yourself*
I’m becoming increasingly interested in not so much what we think about other people/places/things – but how we see ourselves. pic by Paurian on flickr, CC applies My Dad’s friends (in their 60s and 70s) are constantly telling him (and me) that they can’t possibly be as old as the other people their age look. … Continue reading It’s all about how you see *yourself*
Planner teach thyself
Since my last employer went through a fairly wobbly time in the 18 months prior to my departure there wasn’t any spare cash for training. So it struck me the other day that I’d probably gone three years without attending a formal, face-to-face training course. Which doesn’t do much for the whole Continuous Professional Development … Continue reading Planner teach thyself
the Planner’s technical toolkit
When I went freelance, one thing I hadn’t really considered was just how much technology and equipment I’d need. You take for granted grabbing a Dictaphone from the cupboard or hunting down an artwork bag from under someone’s desk. And there isn’t a handy Planners Shopping List you can download anywhere with a list of … Continue reading the Planner’s technical toolkit
Top Tips for Account Planners doing their own focus groups
I’ve been freelancing as a Planner for for nearly a year now and I’m doing a lot more qualitative research than I did as an Agency Type. I think partly this is because I no longer sit in a room full of quallies ready to head off to Milton Keynes with a discussion guide at … Continue reading Top Tips for Account Planners doing their own focus groups
Don’t yell, Storytell
Based on what’s been on my mind this week I was debating whether to blog about Storytelling or Why Communications is about (doh!) Conversations not Shouting – then I realised they were basically the same thing. I’ve been revisting the text of Jeremy Bullmore’s 1972 speech to Kraft, titled ‘The consumer has a mind instead … Continue reading Don’t yell, Storytell
future trends in innovation and friends
Neil Perkin has been doing a series of ‘Future Trends in Digital Marketing Innovation Briefings' for Econsultancy and the roadshow hit Leeds last Thursday. Some of the things Neil talked about included Networked Enterprises and Innovation within companies. In fact it seems to me that the two are pretty much interconnected. The days of organisations … Continue reading future trends in innovation and friends
let’s play Hunt the Brief
There’s something no-one told me about life as a Freelance Planner. You need to be a bit of a detective. You’d be amazed how often I turn up at an agency to find that the person who booked me to come in and work on Client X isn’t there and has left no instructions for … Continue reading let’s play Hunt the Brief