A career as an Advertising account planner

Advertising account planners are an integral part of the advertising process. Those working in this area are directly responsible for creating the communication strategy for an advertising campaign. Before an advertising campaign can get off the ground, the account planner must create the formal brief and lay the ground work enabling it all to come to life.

Here is a brief bright guide to what the role involves and what you can expect... 

1. The brief

Advertising account planners will collate various elements in order to fashion a brief for the creative team. This will be made of the following elements:

• Market data
• Qualitative research
• Product knowledge

Once this has been assembled, the creative team have their spectrum to work their magic. It enables them to hone the campaign so it clicks with consumers to the best level possible.

2. Your responsibilities

On any given day you could be involved with a number of different clients at the same time. The crucial task is your ability to identify specific business needs for each. Core values are as follows:

• Communication – liaising with clients for the development of ideas is essential. At the same time, communication with your own team in order to match the client’s needs with creative solutions is integral.
• Analysis – Understanding the context for advertising strategies is crucial. Demographics, socio-economics and understanding the market all play a part in the success or failure of a campaign. In short, know your craft.
• Research – This ties in neatly with the analysis. It may not always be the case that a campaign will be in an area you are familiar with. As such, commissioning research from outside organisations could be required. Focus groups, structured interviews and questionnaires are indispensable tools to shape the advertising strategy.
• Product knowledge – An advertising campaign hinges on the ability of the account planner to spot the need for the product. Knowing everything about the product is crucial. This enables the reconciliation of public perception of the product with how the client wishes the brand to be perceived.
• Presentation – Once all this data and information has been collated, it is crucial to be able to communicate it all concisely and in a way that illustrates a logical, well thought out path forwards. This enables other agency staff to understand the concept and the client can see their new brand come to fruition.

Decisions, Decisions

If you have a blend of strategic and creative thinking, the account planning role is filled with opportunity. It could be argued that it is the quarterback role of the campaign. Your strategy and brief leads the creative team and enables them to have a clear direction, a strong core value determining the campaign and total confidence that the clients wishes will be met. Your research and planning will result in landing each particular campaign squarely on your target demographic.

Ultimately, becoming a successful advertising account planner enables you to play an extraordinary role influencing future, potentially game changing ad campaigns.