The Planning Lab

Who should be in control?

Many planners are concerned with effectiveness. But should this be a core issue of the planning department? 

Most people agree that measurement and accountability is important. In the end, advertising is about delivering business results in some way.

The problem then is that the marketing and brand building business is a rather complex system. It’s not simply a matter of correlating advertising to sales (unless you’re entering an effectiveness award). Factors such as branding, product portfolios, design, competitor moves, market/category trends, etc. have to be taken into account to get the full picture. 

It then goes without saying that this is a full-time task that should be owned by the client marketing department – at least if you want to do it by the book. Planners can help in the effectiveness process, but should not own it. 

Who should be in control?

Many planners are concerned with effectiveness. But should this be a core issue of the planning department? 

Most people agree that measurement and accountability is important. In the end, advertising is about delivering business results in some way.

The problem then is that the marketing and brand building business is a rather complex system. It’s not simply a matter of correlating advertising to sales (unless you’re entering an effectiveness award). Factors such as branding, product portfolios, design, competitor moves, market/category trends, etc. have to be taken into account to get the full picture. 

It then goes without saying that this is a full-time task that should be owned by the client marketing department – at least if you want to do it by the book. Planners can help in the effectiveness process, but should not own it. 

Become your own artist

Here's a totally addictive thing that Max sent me:

Become your own artist with your own album

To Do This

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read more”

or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"

or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”

or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

The album above is mine (which looks like a 90s ambient-electro-chill CD btw). 

Here are some more from Jon, Oskar and Magnus:

Time for fun

Erik, a new art director joins us at Jung von Matt Stockholm. His portfolio is impressive and so is his awards list. Hope to do some miracles. 

Become your own artist

Here's a totally addictive thing that Max sent me:

Become your own artist with your own album

To Do This

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read more”

or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"

or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”

or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

The album above is mine (which looks like a 90s ambient-electro-chill CD btw). 

Here are some more from Jon, Oskar and Magnus:

Time for fun

Erik, a new art director joins us at Jung von Matt Stockholm. His portfolio is impressive and so is his awards list. Hope to do some miracles. 

Hello and welcome

My name is Leon and these are my thoughts on advertising and branding.

I believe that Account Planning is necessary for creating communications that's both creatively inspiring as well as strategically relevant. 

I'm an Account Planner and part of the senior management at the Stockholm office of Jung von Matt, an independent, creatively-led advertising agency. 

I'm also the current Chair of the Swedish Account Planning Group, a non-profit organisation (and sister organisation to APG UK) that promotes the interests of agency planners in Sweden. 

My academic background is in Economics.

I enjoy working with great brands and brands that want to be come great. Here are some of the brands that I've been working for:  

Absolut Icebar (alcoholic drinks)

Carfax (online services)

Coca-Cola Global & Nordic (FMCG/beverages)

Danske Bank (banking & finance)

Jämtkraft (energy)

PricewaterhouseCoopers (accounting services)

Royal Swedish Opera (culture)
Schering-Plough (pharmaceuticals)

Svenska Spel (gambling)

Swedish TV3 (media/television)

Swedish TV8 (media/television)

Telia (telecom)

Tetra Pak (industry/farming)

Things that I like:

Pop culture, movies, architecture, microeconomics, behavioural psychology, business strategy, moral philosophy, technology, modern art, art history, politics, standup comedy, indie bands, striped shirts, vinyl records, hifi equipment & Jack Russell dogs.

Things that I'm against:

Narcissism, stupidity, laziness, dishonesty & bullshit.

How to get in touch:

Email: leon@jvm.se

Phone: +46-76-865 18 42

Twitter: @theplanninglab

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/leonphang

Finding real use for social media

Instead of using social media to find new ways of basically selling chocolate bars to people (aka advertising), shouldn't the power of these wonderful tools be used for something good instead? 

Obama used social media to mobilise a whole generation of people. This proves that the infrastructure can provide a great deal of momentum that cannot be stopped. And the more people that are connected, the more feasible it is. 

Imagine using Twitter and other social media for:

* Starting an elite university for everyone

* Finance a microcredit system for the third world

* Starting direct-democracy movements

* Igniting resistances and revolutions, and overthrowing regims

When everybody is connected to everybody, the only thing that's required is will, and the only limitation is the imagination. 

Related: The Piracy Lab: Will the crowd bail them out?

Ad of the week: Comedy Central

Correction:

I was wrong. February Stockholm is great. Lots of snow and a tolerable zero degrees today.