1. Is it on brief?
2. Does the work make us want to re-think the brief?
3. What is the idea?
It’s amazing how often reviews are chaos.
Too many routes, discussions about liking the work before discussing if the work will actually work.
But then, great ideas can die because we forget a brief is the start of a discussion, not the final word.
Post rationalisation is the friend of great work, but ego is the enemy of greatness.
More and more thought, we’re seeing ideas that are a line, or a great Mac visual. Ask creatives what the idea is. Not only will you find out sometimes there isn’t one, you may find a great idea hidden behind a plonky line or Polish director’s reference.
Oh and before a review, watch a video you know the audience will like- you’ll have a better feel for what will strike a chord with them rather than the adland bubble.
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When even Darwin didn’t have an original idea alone, planners should put less pressure on themselves
I'm sure you know that Darwin wasn't the only one to come up with the theory of natural selection, he just published it first.
It's no coincidence he and Wallace had the same thought, they were building on the previous work of others.
The insight came from their killer intellects – but lighting only struck because of the ideas of earlier thinkers.
That's right, maybe the best idea ever didn't come from one person.
Not even the two who had it.
It was the final result of years evolution (see what I did there)
Most ideas are like this.
Great Pixar movies emerge kicking and screaming from daily crit sessions.
Great strategy emerges from lots of false starts, cutting out the crap and, in many cases, many conversations.
So make it easy on yourself.
Start early, with the courage to fail – and then build.
Create lots of conversations around the project.
And the best work will emerge.
As long as you put the work in.
Maybe planner is the wrong name, maybe we're shapers.
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I always loved this video
The fact we only see what we look for is sobering thought for planners
Those that have to work using a rigid agency process and have to look for answers that fit the agency way
Often end end missing pure gold because they're not looking for it
Thinking about one in particular, looking to Disrupt a category often means you miss the truth behind it
So if you're working to a process, remember it's the result that matters, try get there using a new route that opens your eyes.
Then post rationalise to make it fit
Then there is the danger to have the answer too soon
You may have a something you've always wanted to do, and you see an opportunity on a brief and then try make it fit
You may have a really good thought early on, and want to hold on to it
You may even have decided what research will tell you before it's even started
Naturally, you have to start somewhere and a working hypothesis certainly helps
But if you only look to justify your early thoughts, you've missed chance after chance to find something better
So by all means have a first pass, but it's worth looking for what's wrong with it
Look through other's eyes by talking it through
But basically, refuse to commit until you absolutely have to
Try not to look for anything too specific early on.
Most importantly, try and avoid the agency addiction to cool and shiny
Because if you only look for the cutting edge, you miss the sheer brilliance of real life
As do most brands
Some of the very best work is amazing because it SEES people more
The planner has looked harder for what is really going on in people's lives
How they relate to the category or the brand
One of my favourite ads here, simply understands the eccentric British more than most
A classic example of seeing what's under your nose
So because we only really find what we're looking for, try not to look too hard for anything.
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My kids are at school and hate how in maths they have to show the working out, not just the answer.
Well, just as effort get's you marks in maths, it does in life.
Now you may know I like tea a lot.
You may also know I'm a stickler for making tea properly.
It's number 27 in my agency rules- you always know what a company is like from the way it serves hot beverages.
It's part of a simple truth.
We sign more quality to things based on the perceived effort that went into them, not the outcome.
Or….it's the little things that really give you away.
So if you have a brand on your hands with a good story or a strong culture – but not that superior (come on, which ones really are these days).
Go nuts bringing that story to life.
Like these.
And when it comes to the job. Don't fall for the seamless, effortless planner archetype.
Those moments your brain finally saw a way to crack the brief when you weren't working, so you scrambled to get your notebook to get it down.
The wrong turn, where you threw all the work in the bin and started again.
The terror you always feel when you get a 20 page client brief.
Show the real work that went into it.
No one likes a supercilious smart arse planner anyway.
In fact, on the effort thing. Put mistakes in you work, let others correct them, because of THEIR own effort, they like your work more now.
I'm going to assume you're work is great anyway.
But with clients, creatives, whoever. The more you show you cared, the more they'll appreciate it.
Which means typos are a point of contention.
Either a signal you don't care enough, or a cunning plan to involve your audience!!
(By the way, I'm really not saying presenteeism. I mean infections enthusiasm)
The more you put in, the more others think they'll get out. Simple really but the best things usually are no?
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My kids are at school and hate how in maths they have to show the working out, not just the answer.
Well, just as effort get's you marks in maths, it does in life.
Now you may know I like tea a lot.
You may also know I'm a stickler for making tea properly.
It's number 27 in my agency rules- you always know what a company is like from the way it serves hot beverages.
It's part of a simple truth.
We sign more quality to things based on the perceived effort that went into them, not the outcome.
Or….it's the little things that really give you away.
So if you have a brand on your hands with a good story or a strong culture – but not that superior (come on, which ones really are these days).
Go nuts bringing that story to life.
Like these.
And when it comes to the job. Don't fall for the seamless, effortless planner archetype.
Those moments your brain finally saw a way to crack the brief when you weren't working, so you scrambled to get your notebook to get it down.
The wrong turn, where you threw all the work in the bin and started again.
The terror you always feel when you get a 20 page client brief.
Show the real work that went into it.
No one likes a supercilious smart arse planner anyway.
In fact, on the effort thing. Put mistakes in you work, let others correct them, because of THEIR own effort, they like your work more now.
I'm going to assume you're work is great anyway.
But with clients, creatives, whoever. The more you show you cared, the more they'll appreciate your work.
Which means typos are a point of contention.
Either a signal you don't care enough, or a cunning plan to involve your audience!!
By the way, I'm really not saying presenteeism. I mean infections enthusiasm.
The more you put in, the more others think they'll get out. Simple really but the best things usually are no?
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My kids are at school and hate how in maths they have to show the working out, not just the answer.
Well, just as effort get's you marks in maths, it does in life.
Now you may know I like tea a lot.
You may also know I'm a stickler for making tea properly.
It's number 27 in my agency rules- you always know what a company is like from the way it serves hot beverages.
It's part of a simple truth.
We sign more quality to things based on the perceived effort that went into them, not the outcome.
Or….it's the little things that really give you away.
So if you have a brand on your hands with a good story or a strong culture – but not that superior (come on, which ones really are these days).
Go nuts bringing that story to life.
Like these.
And when it comes to the job. Don't fall for the seamless, effortless planner archetype.
Those moments your brain finally saw a way to crack the brief when you weren't working, so you scrambled to get your notebook to get it down.
The wrong turn, where you threw all the work in the bin and started again.
The terror you always feel when you get a 20 page client brief.
Show the real work that went into it.
No one likes a supercilious smart arse planner anyway.
In fact, on the effort thing. Put mistakes in you work, let others correct them, because of THEIR own effort, they like your work more now.
I'm going to assume you're work is great anyway.
But with clients, creatives, whoever. The more you show you cared, the more they'll appreciate your work.
Which means typos are a point of contention.
Either a signal you don't care enough, or a cunning plan to involve your audience!!
By the way, I'm really not saying presenteeism. I mean infections enthusiasm.
The more you put in, the more others think they'll get out. Simple really but the best things usually are no?
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My kids are at school and hate how in maths they have to show the working out, not just the answer.
Well, just as effort get's you marks in maths, it does in life.
Now you may know I like tea a lot.
You may also know I'm a stickler for making tea properly.
It's number 27 in my agency rules- you always know what a company is like from the way it serves hot beverages.
It's part of a simple truth.
We sign more quality to things based on the perceived effort that went into them, not the outcome.
Or….it's the little things that really give you away.
So if you have a brand on your hands with a good story or a strong culture – but not that superior (come on, which ones really are these days).
Go nuts bringing that story to life.
Like these.
And when it comes to the job. Don't fall for the seamless, effortless planner archetype.
Those moments your brain finally saw a way to crack the brief when you weren't working, so you scrambled to get your notebook to get it down.
The wrong turn, where you threw all the work in the bin and started again.
The terror you always feel when you get a 20 page client brief.
Show the real work that went into it.
No one likes a supercilious smart arse planner anyway.
In fact, on the effort thing. Put mistakes in you work, let others correct them, because of THEIR own effort, they like your work more now.
I'm going to assume you're work is great anyway.
But with clients, creatives, whoever. The more you show you cared, the more they'll appreciate your work.
Which means typos are a point of contention.
Either a signal you don't care enough, or a cunning plan to involve your audience!!
By the way, I'm really not saying presenteeism. I mean infections enthusiasm.
The more you put in, the more others think they'll get out. Simple really but the best things usually are no?
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If I was any good as maths, I would have been a physicist instead of planner. Such is life.
That said, I've always kept a passing fascination for the subject, especially particle physics.
There's a weird phenomenon when things get very, very small, which blows my mind.
You have to assume tiny particles are in multiple places at once, yet if you actually observe them, you affect their behaviour and they appear in one place.
In other words, the more direct questions you ask a tiny particle like an electron, the less reliable the answers you get back.
Researching real people is like that.
Make them feel watched in a focus group and they'll tell you what they think the rest of the group wants to hear (or agree with the loudest mouth).
Even when you talk to then one to one, without knowing it, they'll won't tell you how they really feel or what they'll do.
Partly because they can't help telling you what they think you'll want to hear.
Partly because the mind plays tricks, the further away they are from the experience they're talking about, the less they'll remember or predict it right.
You could ask them questions in the wild, where the experience happens, this is much better.
You'll still get a bum steer though, because the problem isn't just where and how you ask the questions.
It's asking the questions in the first place.
Asking questions about brands, new behaviours and most categories, like it is with electrons, changes their natural state.
Which is to not to give a flying fuck.
By asking questions, you're getting then artificially interested in things they usually just don't care about.
You're asking them to think about things that normally happen on autopilot, or not at all.
Even worse when we test creative and ask them what they think.
No one wants to think about advertising apart from the people who make it.
The first task of advertising is getting noticed in a busy world, yet most research forgets this.
Asking questions in research creates false interest and consideration.
Which leads to false answers.
So most research is a waste of time. Sorry.
If you want to know, don't ask.
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Goblin Mode was the alleged word of the year in 2022, roughly about rebelling against the tyranny of perfection, rejecting social pressure to be flawless and embracing your odd, weird and crap self.
As someone who is fundamentally uncool in real life, and a strategic cynic of the transient and faddy, it's rare to find me jumping on any kind of bandwagon. Nevertheless, what follows is a plea to jettison the pressure of perfection in planning, to work in Goblin Mode more.
Because Goblin Mode isn't really a trend, it's pretty fundamental. In strategy and real life, which, of course, is what strategy should really be about.
Let me begin with Star Wars.
When I was young, I used to be obsessed with painting and drawing and, since I was born in 1974, I was primarily focused on creating likenesses of Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones and, in secret, Princess Leia in that gold bikini.
Art got beaten out of me in secondary school by a horrible teacher, which may have something to do with me ending up as a planner – when you think about it, much of the job is commissioning and assessing art – creativity without getting your hands dirty.
Anyway, before I hurled my watercolours in the bin, I used to get into mini rages when little pieces of work went wrong. Even the ones that avoided being chucked away were never really finished, I tinkered with them constantly.
It's the same now with strategy stuff, be that a deck or a brief, especially a brief, and I know I'm not alone. At the level of a good strategy, there is the nagging doubt, the worry there was something even better you missed. With a deck, more to distill, a pithier headline. With a brief, the fear that one word on a proposition could transform things.
Why is this?
Firstly, just as creatives tend to do work that resonates with creative directors rather than real people, it's always tempting for planning types to fall into the trap of being a smart arse.
The sheer weight of the case studies, the decks and papers you've seen that are beautifully written, with seamless simplicity, where it all hangs together and words can gently fall like petals or wallop you in the gut… they're always in your subconscious, driving you to create a piece of flawless wonder.
There is immense pressure on some fronts to be clever.
There is a relentless expectation for beautiful simplicity.
Now, of course, our job is about clarity, direction and seeing things others don't.
But.
You must resist the tyranny of perfection at all costs.
Because it makes you less likeable and approachable.
Because it means your work is MORE likely to be rejected or ignored.
Most importantly, the real people in the real world you are supposed to be prioritising, they reject perfection also.
Being Likeable
Most folks see planners as necessary evil. Much of what you're doing is trying to be indispensable, so people NEED you there rather than tolerate you.
So that strategy isn't just a process to followed to invoice more fee.
Rather, a source for guidance and, well, making work actually work.
It starts with people actually liking you and no one likes a smart arse.
I've known planners who can be intellectually intimating and MUST be right.
Everything watertight and unanswerable.
People don't like to be around people they don't like. As soon as they fucked up, and we all do eventually, they were on their own.
If your a planner you're probably dabbled in behavioural economics, so you should have heard of the pratfall effect.
In case you haven't , being vulnerable and making little mistakes makes you more likeable.
It makes people less defensive, makes you more relatable.
Like this
Be a bit crap.
Not getting work rejected
You should know about the IKEA effect too, we value things we think we have made.
Try inserting imperfections into decks and briefs, showing you don't have all the answers – letting people help you finish and get the answers.
They'll feel part of it so, not only will they want to approve it, they'll want to defend it.
What's more, it's been pretty much proven that the best work comes from iteration. Start quickly, toss something in some of the way there and constantly get feedback from as many people as you can.
It's hard for smart arse planners to accept, but great thinking is chaos, messy and really is not a solo sport.
First passes are always most productive than final words, sorry.
Work that Works in the Real World
Finally, another film reference sorry. Moving on from Star Wars, we have the Matrix.
They tried to make the first Matrix perfect, where everyone was totally happy. No pain, so suffering.
It failed miserably because humans rejected the absence of pain and suffering.
This is totally true. On average no matter what our circumstances we'll score our happiness 7 out of 10.
We may get an initial kick from winning the lottery, landing that dream job, getting a pay raise.
But then we get used to it and we're back to square one.
We're just not happy unless we have something to moan about, an in built rejection of perfection.
So to really cut through all the manufactured perfection on social media, not to mention the ads shot in some alternate universe, your best bet is to resonate with messy, scary, wonderful, imperfect real life.
Think about the creative work you really love – how much of that has projected a perfect world?
I doubt much. It just doesn't connect, as much as shining a light on the tensions in real life.
This is one my favourites, it's about many things, mostly though, it's about the endemic tensions between the older generation and the one that follows
Maybe the best insurance advertising ever simply admits shit happens.
So yes, be careful of perfection. Be a bit more goblin mode.
Your colleagues will like you.
Your work will get through.
It will be better.
It will work.
Because goblin mode isn't really a trend, it's just humans allowing themselves to be human.
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I've often in my adult life felt like Tom Hanks in Big. I suspect we all have.
However, embracing this a bit in all agency meetings could improve your experience greatly.
If you are fortunate, these are meeting of the best minds, the broadest experience and nicest people. All in order to bounce off each other, pool knowledge and solve client problems in the most amazing way.
In most cases, we are rarely that fortunate. They tend to be regular sessions of point scoring, back stabbing and deviousness. Regular skirmishes in a cold war fought with icy politeness, ruthless charm and merciless precision, all for share of budget, owning the idea and leading the strategy.
To quote Tsun Zu, the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
I have often found myself wondering if some clients enjoy the polite conflict playing out in front of them, or if some are wonderfully oblivious. I suspect it's both.
Of course, great clients don't have the time or patience and people who don't play nice don't last long.
Yet, even if it's the passive aggressive point scoring scenario, even if you're shy planner like me, all is not lost.
First thing to remember, no one cares if you're right. I've seen the nicest, most serene human beings fall apart because their watertight argument, there eloquent delivery or whatever falls not only on deaf ears, it's slayed through charm, off the cuff remarks and people the client simply likes more than you.
You will never win through guile and cunning, there is always someone more devious. Guile and cunning are in the job description of Account Directors, or should be. Make sure you have a great one with you, make sure you're gone through what you need out of their meeting and let then work their black magic.
Or you can forget guile and cunning and be generous.
Let me explain. Others will always be more slick, more eloquent and clever than you, however, the thing that kills charm is enthusiasm.
Like Tom Hanks in Big.
The trick to being a great planner is to genuinely care about what happens to the client, their business and their customers. Interested people are always more interesting, you'll naturally know more about every aspect of the client's business and it will show. Your enthusiasm will be infectious, clients will feel and WANT you to do well in these meetings.
Weirdly, it rubs off on your previously stand-offish colleagues too. Not only do they see you're more interested in everyone doing well through the client doing well, so you become less of a threat. You become simultaneously become more of a threat by exposing them as see you next Tuesdays. They play nice.
The deeper knowledge, the palpable care enables you to cut through the bullshit with the brutal honesty only afforded the nice. Who can fault someone who wants the the best, not to win?
It also liberates you to ask the dumb questions no one has thought off or dares ask. Like what is the actual objective?
And when you're not second guessing every move from people around the table, you're free to use your most powerful weapon, your ears.
Because when they are not being petty, other agencies are amazing practitioners too. You can be enthusiastic about THEIR work build on and., most wondrously, steal it for your own stuff another time.
I had the misfortune to work with a well known London agency, clients use to call them Motherfuckers, because they were brilliant, but arrogant. As soon as they messed up, they were fired. But I learned a lot of new ways to think about strategic leaps and deliver presentations that were stories, not decks. Watching their CEO deliver a creds deck was like watching Federer hit a forehand.
The more approaches, ideas and frameworks you absorb, if you would just listen, the more you can breathe out at the right time.
But it's hard to listen while you preach.
Ultimately though.
No one wins unless the client wins.
To quote Morrisey, it's not easy to love, it's so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind – but it's worth it.
Follow that through, care more, be generous, be kind do the work.
Be more Hanks.
NORTHERN PLANNER 