NORTHERN PLANNER

Walking for the paper I discovered that I live in a Sherlock Home.

Not everyone in our village relies on mobiles and emails.

A genuine Channel 4 moment.

Here’s a fascinating website that shows visual representations of music. From Bach to Madonna. The images are beautiful.

I’ve worked on quite a few briefs with account handlers recently. I think we both found it useful since they got to do something different, and I got some input from the client perspective. I think I get on well with suits since I was one, but what’s it like for other people?

When you’re learning to be a planner, there’s plenty of guidance for stimulating creatives but not for working with suits. It’s a shame because they have a big say in the decisions that count and they can also help you get your thinking through the client. Being a former account handler, I really appreciate them doing contact reports and organising things too.

In the end, dealing with suits isn’t any different to dealing with creatives. Russell Davies says that in both cases, planners are always an optional extra, you have to make yourself the guy they want it the room. I’ll have a think about what those things actually are (might be useful for creatives too).

Just had Quba in to chat about the future of digital marketing. The most interesting bit was how the next wave of mobile phones could transform advertising, perhaps save it.

Flashpoint 2 phones are beginning to come out and they’ll transform how we get content. Mobile websites will be more sophisticated and we ‘ll be able downlaod more stuff, even streaming video. Orange predicts that 80% of all content will be accessed through mobiles by 2010, they may have a point – Wimax is coming, which is like a mobile version of broadband.

Now here’s the good bit. Whenever you photograph or video something, if it’s got the right barcode, you’ll immediately be able to view some content direct on your phone. Imagine if you see a 48 sheet ad, you can quickly photograph it and watch a free film, or you can video a short TV and go straight to longer form content, or a game. You don’t have to go on the Internet, it’s done for you straight away. 

Can this be an answer to ad zapping? If people see a barcode on an ad, they’ll  know there’s some free content out there. As long as they can tell it’s worth their while, and they’ll need to see that in FF, they’ll have to watch the ad at normal speed to get the free stuff.

It’s coming in the next 12 months. What do you think? Brand and experiential marketing all in one?

It’s nice getting in early. No traffic, quiet office and no queue for the first cup of coffee.

It’s also a good time for a sitting,thinking and getting on with stuff with a clear head.

Andy Smith is an illustrator based in London. I’ve always liked the way his typography appears natural and unforced. Just got a free pack of his new stuff. It’s great, I know other people will like it, so naturally I want to pass it on. Just shows how simple ‘branded content’ really is. Here is a link to his  website.

Hello. I’ve started this blog to share some thoughts on life as a planner outside the London bubble. Planners are less common out here, and most do things a bit differently. Agencies are a bit different, so are clients – you’ll see what I mean as we go along. But does it have to be that different? Should it? Let’s find out………..