Brand Central Station

The future of account planning ...

2003-09-18T04:14:00.000-07:00

This week's edition of Advertising Age includes a report on the 4A's account planning conference, held in Boca Raton, FL this past week. Over 600 people attended the conference and commiserated about what's wrong with account planning.

It appears that "with the demand for integrated campaigns, the fear is that planners are expected to be all things - experts in media, accounts, research, consumers and more." This according to reporter Claire Atkinson who filed the story.

Jeff Goodby, who addressed the conference, seemed to sum it up another way, shin gthat account planners were not sufficiently involved in the creative process. Goodby accused planners of "taking the instinct out of advertising."

Does this sound like a common complaint of a creative person?

Granted, Mr. Goodby is an outstanding creative talent and his agency is one of the very best in the world. If you've ever had the good fortune of listening to his presentation of Goodby, Silverstein's creative work and how they integrate insights from their account planners, you know this guy gets it.

But to sum it up by saying planners too often take the instinct out of advertising trivialize what's really wrong with the account planning discipline as it exists in the US today.

The problem, as I see it, is that account planning has been relegated to the role of "uber-research" - allowing the convoluted title to justify the higher hourly rate with little to no definition of the actual benefits provided by the account planner on the team. Big agencies and big clients rushed to build account planning into their groups but did little to define the role the planner played in the entire scheme.

The result, as reported by another 4A's conference attendee (Jeremy Hall of NY-based Hall & Partners), are complaints from clients who think of account planning as a luxury they can rarely afford. Again, we come down to questions about the value of the services and expertise provided by ad agencies to their clients (sound familiar?).

So, what do you think an account planner should do? E-mail me at: mbawden@brandcentralstation.com and let me know. Let's work on re-writing the job description and try to envision the future of this position going forward. I'll add a few of my observations from over the years and from my experiences with dozens of small and medium-sized accounts who, in my opinion, see a much greater benefit to the role of an account planner than many large marketers.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Regards,

Mike Bawden
President
Brand Central Station

This information is (c) 2003, Brand Central Station, all rights reserved. If you are interested in receiving news and analysis directly from BCS, please log onto our website (www.brandcentralstation.com) and sign up for our weekly newsletter, the BCS TuesdayReport.

The end of telemarketing as we know it?

2003-09-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

I'm working on articles for upcoming editions of the BCS TuesdayReport - and one of them is an article concerning the impact of the telemarketing DNC (do not call) registry. Last week's TR included some suggestions as to how telemarketing companies might want to try and survive the arrival and implementation of the DNC. But now, it looks like the DNC might have further reaching consequences than originally believed.

My question: Does the DNC impact new business development efforts for b2b marketers? Can you still do a "cold call" on a company as of October 1 or is it considered a violation of the DNC rules? I haven't seen anything on this and will continue to look.

The implications for marketing agencies are pretty significant, to say the least.

This information is (c) 2003, Brand Central Station, all rights reserved. If you are interested in receiving news and analysis directly from BCS, please log onto our website (www.brandcentralstation.com) and sign up for our weekly newsletter, the BCS TuesdayReport.

An open letter to the editors of Ad Age.

2003-09-17T02:37:00.000-07:00

RE: 4A's takes issue with compensation consultants.

Dear Editors:

It's remarkable to see the topic of agency margins and profits even on the negotiating table with clients and their consultants. Kudos to the 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) for identifying this problem and thanks to Ad Age for framing the real issue in your editorial.

The issue, of course, is not one of price or the source or quality of databases used to negotiate discounts with agencies. The issue is perceived value of the services rendered by the agencies in the first place.

We all know that clients can be hard to read. My conversations with small and mid-sized shops around the world reveal the same problems when it comes to getting clients to set budgets or clearly outline their expectations.

The result often seems to be agencies that let costs get out of hand and clients disappointed with one aspect or another of the agency's service on their business. Duplicated and unnecessary services seem to be the biggest thorn under the saddle and contribute greatly to the inevitable decision to put an account up for review.

I suspect that underneath it all, these concerns are similar to those held by large clients now conducting compensation reviews and triggering the 4A's reaction.

If clients are trying to find ways for their agencies to do more with less, the answer is not to put the squeeze on profit margins but to work with their agencies to optimize their performance. This often entails consultants working on both sides of the relationship to identify areas of overlapping capabilities, spot processes that don't synch up, clarify expectations on both sides and establish budget parameters for work.

The end result can be demonstrable savings, efficiently produced work, a constant flow of new ideas to the client, lower production budgets and, quite often, better margins for the agency.

Mike Bawden
President
Brand Central Station

This information is (c) 2003, Brand Central Station, all rights reserved. If you are interested in receiving news and analysis directly from BCS, please log onto our website (www.brandcentralstation.com) and sign up for our weekly newsletter, the BCS TuesdayReport.