If you're remotely interested in fodder and stuff to help do proper planning, you want to check out Martin Weigel's blog. He's head of planning at W+K Amsterdam and has loads of insanely useful advice. In particular, some sensible responses to recieved wisdom about the role for simplicity and reductionism in planning and the myth…

  Here's Frankie Roberto's talk on Lego from Interesting North. You should take a look, even if you have no interest in Lego. He reminded me that ethusiasm and earnestness is something that doesn't get appreciated enough these days, which is a shame since it can get you a long way. If you don't think…

Right, as discussed, back to some proper, rigorous basics. Let's start with targeting, how to do it and how to make it useful. First off, here's a little wander into recent history. When JWT and BMP invented planning, they were creating a bridge between the creative process and consumer research. Research  in all its guises; qual,…

Right, as discussed, let's get down to some proper planning. Or, perversely, for this post, un-proper planning. Let me explain. Your clients will mostly likely be fully fledged marketeers. They'll have gone through higher education doing a marketing and marketing related degree and build their work around what they learned. Not only is much of what…

WK London are looking for a planner that does. Makes me wish I was good enough and could move to London. You would be insane not to have a go at the challenge laid down here.  

The Narcissism of Differences is a book that persuades you that the US and European nations are far more alike than they would like to believe. It's more a case of how different they aren't – most differences are based on illusionary dogma, received wisdom and untrue stereotype.   I think that's a learning for…