One of the most valuable gifts I've ever been given at work was from the retiring planning guru, who bequeathed me a powerpoint document containing every chart he'd ever used. I don't think I realised at the time just how useful it would turn out to be, both for those 'how do I show this insight in … Continue reading toolbox – the gift that keeps on giving
Category: Planning
nine things I didn’t know last year
One of the coolest things about being a Planner has to be the opportunity to become semi-expert about a new subject very quickly. Nine things I didn't know last year: Aloe vera can help bolster the immune system of puppies If small, cream coloured maggots with brown heads have eaten the roots of your shrubs, … Continue reading nine things I didn’t know last year
respect your account handler
Due to various illness/holiday type-absences, as last-client-contact-standing I've been a lot more involved in the day-to-day running of one of my clients than I would normally. Its been a real eye-opener. Its easy to forget just how many hurdles a piece of work has to go through between concept and execution. And how many opportunities … Continue reading respect your account handler
slipstreaming into the plannersphere
Russell Davies has posted about social slipstreaming – essentially 'stalking' someone who is more into something than you (like music or gigs or politics) and using them as a guide to the subject. It struck me that this Planning web/blog/twitter/wiki/coffee morning/interesting conference malarkey is a kind of work slipstreaming. We Planners tend to plough a … Continue reading slipstreaming into the plannersphere
Here we go round the brandwagon again
photo by Bowbrick I was talking to a colleague about the whole trend for back-to-basics, good-clean-fun, simple, rural, old-fashioned-values entertainment and events that seems to have gained momentum recently – best embodied by the Innocent Village Fete. He made the very good point that its all very well for Urbanites to be thrilled to rediscover … Continue reading Here we go round the brandwagon again
Learned behavior
My horse has got a bad back. So I have to do some simple physio on him before we can go out for a ride, which mainly involves manipulating his legs to stretch his muscles out. He's learned the order this all happens in and gets terribly miffed if I get distracted and miss something … Continue reading Learned behavior
We have charts and graphs to back us up
Heather has sent out the results of her annual Planner survey. It makes very interesting reading, but I especially liked the front page:
Why don’t Planners exist in films?
A link from the (other) plannersphere to this very funny ad from monster.com reminded me that Planning is the worst represented department whenever a film or TV program features an advertising/marketing/design agency. The worst offender has got to be What Women Want, where Mel Gibson as an Creative of some kind produces a campaign for Nike Women … Continue reading Why don’t Planners exist in films?
Information Overload
Is it too easy to get hold of information? With online news and creative databases, google, technorati and consumer reviews sites like dooyoo all only a mouse click away, its easy to find yourself buried under a mountain of information. But theres a difference between information and insight. The nugget that points us in the … Continue reading Information Overload
All for one and one for all
Working in an integrated agency has its pros and cons. On the upside, there is the opportunity to think media/discipline/channel neutral (and really mean it). To actually recommend what is in the client's best interests. To take learnings from one discipline's activities to another via a chat in the office kitchen rather than a … Continue reading All for one and one for all