When planning was conceived 40 years ago (or whenever it was), its function was either to conduct research, or act as some kind of creative marketing consultant. And for a long time, I’m told that’s pretty much how it stayed. In other words, if we imagine an adoption curve, planners existed to bring the interests, needs and attitudes of those ‘behind’ agencies, into agencies. Planner as consumer champion.
Increasingly though, the behaviour and position of planners suggests there’s a different kind of role emerging – or rather, a new job description. Planners are more likely to be found circulating links to the latest web sensation or brandishing an iPad than they are moderating a focus group with (gasp) ordinary people. They’re bringing in the brave new world of all the stuff the Board isn’t quite comfortable with. Step forward the planner as agency journalist.
This isn’t a critique. Certainly I’d advise any planner to do some twitter willy-waving (and possibly even consider blogging) in the interests of showing willing and having a CV that doesn’t make you sound like a contemporary of Stanley whatsit or Steven thingummy. And although I am very much pro-empathy (there’s another post due about that) I have some sympathy with the argument that you do really need to be in the game in order to get it. I doubt whether the hard lunching ad giants of the 80s and 90s eschewed TVs.
But having said that, if planners can’t understand or adequately represent that mass of folk who still aren’t on twitter, live outside Zone 2, and are maybe even over the age of 40, then they’re really not that much use to anything but the most techy, fashion or niche brands out there. And that’s got to be a serious handicap.
