When account planning first originated in the latter part of the 20th Century, it was a revolutionary new recipe for delectably blending research and creative. It was intended to (as Chef Emeril Lagasse would say) “kick it up” with regard to finding new and unusual ways to target advertising and marketing at the desired consumer audience.
Remember that in the 1960s, research was idolized as the new way to target advertising for best impact and results. But by the late 1970s, process had taken over from creative thinking, and research was being applied according to rigid, linear guidelines. The result was rote application of information that required interpretation and integration with many other influences. However, the consumer is not one- or even two-dimensional, and rigid systems fail to address consumer needs, thought processes, and emotional responses.
So, when account planning emerged as “the next big thing,” it was embraced as a new revolution, the answer to the consumer mystery. And like all new approaches, it worked for a while, helping many agencies to develop resoundingly successful advertising and marketing programs for their clients. But (and there is always a “but”), as the ad industry's new god became entrenched in process, it lost the edge that had made it initially so successful.
Rigid Method
Consider how cultures evolve. Begin with a few disparate groups who have different customs, foods, clothing and beliefs and drop them in an isolated area where they must learn to live together to survive and prosper. Over time, the disparate cultures cooperate and merge, in some cases even inventing new customs and beliefs that accommodate the old while not actually preserving them. To the first generation of this evolving culture, such changes make sense. But several generations down the line, the reasons for the new customs have been forgotten. They are simply accepted as “the way it is done.” What was new becomes institutionalized. Adherence to the customs becomes rigid and unbending.
Account planning, which was once so revolutionary and anti-process, has become in itself just another linear and inhibiting part of strategic marketing.
Bend the Rules
This is the converse of what account planning was meant to do. The keys to account planning are objectivity and adaptability. There should be no preconceived notions about what you will learn or see as you assess the research, focus group results, exit studies and consumer polls, and weigh them against creative and strategy. Nor should there be preconceptions about how to apply the insights account planning should provide. As David Cowan, a BMP* planning pioneer, once said, “…planning doesn't start by laying down rules.” Account planning should bend rules, not set them.
Essentially, account planning should be a creative partner, not a research partner. It was conceived to function as a conduit for channeling a host of complex data, information and intuitive thinking into a coherent plan to generate creative that is both more on target, and more attention-grabbing from the consumer’s point of view.
The minds of consumers work in mysterious ways. Account planning is about figuring out ways to reach through the complexities and deliver clear, exciting messages that generate positive responses from the target audience.
Agencies today need account planning more than ever, but it must be account planning as originally intended—a fresh, intuitive approach to understanding the consumer and creating effective messages. If your agency has made a commitment to account planning, take a long, hard look at how your efforts measure up. Are you bogged down in process? Do you rely too heavily on procedure and linear guidelines? Is there enough leeway for your planners to work as part of your creative team to help shape new ideas and intuitively steer you toward more exciting and effective work?
There is something to be said for processes, but account planning is about reshaping processes. Reshape your account planning department and start your own revolution.
* Boase Massimi Pollitt, the UK agency where account planning originated.
