I wanted to share with you a few thoughts about the reality of Strategic Planning (Planning). From my experience as a professional in the area, working in Argentina. You may find common ground and because no differences.
It's good to keep in touch and for those who love communication in all its forms and publicity activity is our profession, this is a good meeting point.
While surfing the Internet, I ran the sample and event organized by MOMA: Elastic Minds.
The event, treatment of the relationship between science and design and the various forms that exist today to visualize, produce, generate and manipulate facts or ideas through technology.
What attracted me to it? I always look and what motivates me. The options, the possibilities of generating new things from point of origin at first did not have things in common.
And there I saw reflected what must be the work and contribution of Planning for communication.
In recent years have seen dramatic changes in the behavior of individuals. Developed areas, customs, habits, activities, tastes and consumption.
And to be with the times. It's not just adapt to change. As shown at MOMA raises the need to speak of Elasticity. "Elasticity, the product of adaptability plus acceleration."
What sets the Planning
We in Planning we see things differently. We are who asked the question, politically incorrect, those who defy predictability. It is our starting point to create new communication scenarios. We are who we must know the consumer and the changes they generate. It is not seeing that trend is in fashion, but to interpret and is causing in the context and consumer behavior. This painstaking work, strategic, open roads beyond the advertising agencies for planners. Today we are in a consolidation process in customers, businesses, media, producers and stage extending far beyond the possibilities of what we envisioned years ago.
The trademarks, social events
At the end of the day, we manage brands. We work with them, seeking the most effective way of contact with your consumer.
But right here is where I want to pause a moment. We are witnessing the death of awareness. That's what I tell customers when hard numbers just look for knowledge and brand recognition. That is what makes a brand memorable? Adopted, dear, beloved and favored by consumers? Insertion as a cultural event.
It evolved from just a business transaction. Lineal. Basic. Predictable.
The brand must make a mark as a social event. A brand is what we hear about a birthday with friends. This mark mover, it identifies. That occurs when the brand has a view on something that moves the world beyond its position in the category.
This is where this part of the work of the planner. Monitor, analyze and transform information and developments in raw material for trademarks. We have to produce identification. Each communication action has to be a clear identification with the consumer world.
Redefining spaces
The Planning in Argentina is experiencing a good time no doubt. In 2006 we founded the CPA (Accounting Planning Group) Argentina. That we organize, contacted us, allowed us to generate exclusive content for members and stand before the advertising market overwhelmingly. It was a change after several years where the Planning was present in the agencies but lacked a formal giving to the profession.
Today, as in 2010 we are in a very good way. Where the spaces and borders, for now, there are constraints that hamper us.
Planners have reach beyond the agencies. Customers applying for jobs directly. Companies that do not have agencies are also discovering a form of advice to them is interesting, given the knowledge in advertising, consumer reality and reality of the markets and categories.
Other companies in the advertising market, also are opening to the role of planner. In Argentina it is not unusual to have planners in media centers, producers etc..
This reality forces keep up and most of all with great adaptability.
Challenging business context
When looking at the business of advertising agencies, as icon and providers of communication and creativity, the picture is difficult. Here are some points that I believe are forcing us to rethink the model of service offered.
- Independence of the media centers: the distance between some agencies on the media planning and buying breached where sometimes loses track of the process of monitoring and implementation of an armed campaign.
- Changes in the wage system: in recent years has been creating major changes in the forms of payment. How much is an idea? The raw material of the agencies in a constantly changing scenario.
- Customers shop direct: agencies must reinvent themselves as providers of integrated solutions. The customer's purchasing power is diluted among multiple options. It generates a significant loss for the agencies.
- Excessive supply for existing demand: the hand of the above. Offering solutions in marketing communication is atomized exponentially. It generates a price war that does not always go together with quality. The purchasing power of the client sometimes uses a variety of resources that can affect the consistency of your brand.
- Few local clients: the big brands are all aligned to the major networks say is heard repeatedly. We are in a hyper-connected world. The search for local customers is the challenge for agencies, break into new markets where there is not always promise of large investments, but because of great creativity.