Account Planner or Consumer Inside?

Agencies host a myriad of animals. The wild creative types that sing loud songs. The serious creative types that paint on canvasses. The numerical types that crunch numbers day and night. The tie-and-dyed kind that speak with a clipped accent. The nuts and bolts type that assemble the ads. The bits and bytes type that work miracles on computers. Now in this menagerie are we missing someone?

Hey who keeps track of the sole target of advertising - the consumer?

Account Planning was born as an art - a science of tracking the consumer. Account Planner was supposed to represent the consumer. While Client Servicing represented the client/brand. The Creative represented the liberal arts.. this triumvirate was supposed to have all the answer to all advertising problems.

Account Planner was supposed to track what was happening with the consumer. Who is she? Where does she live? What does she buy? Why does she buy it? How does she use it? When does she use it? Who else in her household uses it? How does she take a buying decision? Who helps her to take the decision? What will influence her to buy our product? What is she looking for? What does she do in her spare time? How can we reach her?….. and hundred more such questions.

Account Planner was supposed to be in a position to answer these questions - not just for one brand or one product - but probably for a host of products. These could be a soap, a shirt, an engine oil, a toothpaste, a scooter.

But how can one person be the custodian of so much information?

A great Account Planner can actually, within a few minutes be able to play out the roles of various customers. A great Account Planner can start a conversation with a rickshaw puller at the same time relate to a 5star type. Yes, it takes a special skill. A special ability to relate to people - to become one with them.

In short a great Account Planner can actually be all the consumer that the agency is developing advertising for.

A great Account Planner, as Intel would say, is the 'Consumer Inside' the Agency. The one-stop-shop for worried copywriters, hysterical account executives and anxious clients.

How can the Account Planner play the role of the 'Consumer Inside' better?

Account Planners need to keep their antennae up to pick up consumer trends. They have to develop an ability to look beyond the numbers, that are spewed out by research. "these numbers look unreal - let us look at the motivation". They have to develop an ability to cross-match behaviour patterns - "this happens in cooking oils so this could happen in cooking gas". They have to be able to make a creative connection: "what if the soap contains milk and almonds?".

Account Planners should have the ability to have a meaningful conversation with a consumer - with ease. This conversation should be able to lead the team towards an interesting 'insight'. This is easier said than done. But a great planner can talk to a consumer for half an hour and walk out with five campaign ideas!

Lastly Account Planner should be able to play the 'Consumer Inside' the Agency. "This will not be understood". "They are not looking for colour". "They do not consider Sharukh the ultimate Symbol". All this could be part belief, part gutfeel. But it better be good!

The 'Consumer Inside' needs to be treated with the care that a computer chip gets! If used wisely this chip can help the Agency get closer-to-the consumer! If not this chip will just be what it was born as… a piece of silicon!

(Based on an article that appeared in NMIMS Journal, September 2000)

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