state of canadian planning survey 2015 - account planning group of canada

STATE OF CANADIAN PLANNING 2015!

When we started the Account Planning Group of Canada two years ago, our aim was simple: to raise the profile and quality of planning in Canada. Drawing inspiration from similar, established groups around the world – most notably the original APG in the UK and the Grupo do Planejamento in our native Brazil – we wanted to create a forum where all those concerned about planning could come together and move the discipline forward. We had no idea how quickly our experiment would take root and grow. In fact, in that short time, the APGC has established itself as the de facto voice of planning and strategy in the country. Now the APGC is firmly established, it felt like the right time to see what the wider community felt about planning in Canada in 2015. Hence the survey report in your hands. We hope you find it illuminating.

O U R F O U N D E R S W E I G H I N

APG Canada | STATE OF CANADIAN PLANNING 2015 | CONFIDENTIAL 3!

Roberto Faria and Veronika Heringer. Founders, APG Canada

Account planning began in the UK in the late 1960s. Since then, it has spread globally. But it has not spread uniformly; there are still many countries where planning has, to say the least, weak roots. Nor is the meaning – or the practice - of planning the same either. In effect, each country adopts a version of planning that reflects the history of their advertising business, the business model of its agencies and the cultural interest in planning. All of which has made this, the first-ever survey of the state of account planning in Canada, a priority for us here at the APGC. We wanted to know how planning is stacking up: what people think it is for, what it does well and how it could improve. We intend to do this annually. So see what you think - and please share those thoughts. We’d love your feedback, either via our website or on Twitter @APGCan. Feel free to weigh in! And to those who took the trouble to complete the survey, our deepest thanks

C H A I R M A N ’ S R E M A R K S


Mark Tomblin. CSO TAXI Canada Chairman APG Canada

M A K I N G S E N S E O F T H I S R E P O R T

This wouldn’t be a report created by a group of planners if we didn’t preface it with some disclaimers. Here they are; •! Where the number of respondents were too small to be “significantly significant”

we’ll make that clear.

•! In terms of open-ended questions we’ve had to interpret the sentiment of the respondent. We’ve made every effort to keep that sentiment correct.

That’s it. We hope you find the report as interesting as we did. We’d love your feedback so we can make next year’s report even stronger.


B A C K G R O U N D T O T H E S U R V E Y

Hilton Barbour, Partner, Global Brand Leaders Board Member APG Canada


T H E R E P O R T I N Y O U R H A N D S

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S


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O P I N I O N S & P O I N T S O F V I E W P a g e 1 4

T H E C L I E N T V I E W P a g e 2 1

T H E C R E A T I V E V I E W P a g e 2 9

P L A N N E R S O N P L A N N E R S P a g e 3 7

S I D E - B Y - S I D E C O M P A R I S O N S P a g e 5 1

A L I T T L E A B O U T T H E A P G C A N A D A P a g e 5 7

•! In general, the role of planning is not well understood or appreciated. This is something that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

•! Unsurprisingly, the three main stakeholder groups represented in the survey (clients, creatives and planners) have rather different views of what planning does (and should do), as well as the value it brings. Again, this is troubling and requires attention.

•! Encouragingly, clients rate planning extremely positively, which is both exciting for agencies in terms of adding value in an increasingly procurement-driven world.

•! In fact, clients rate planning much more highly than planners themselves. This is heartening in one way and slightly depressing in another. Again, perhaps an area where a more coherent view of what planning is would help.

•! Interestingly, creatives rate planning as most in need of work. They also seem to see planners as basically there to give them ‘insights’. This needs to be more widely discussed, as it goes to the heart of what planning really exists to do.

•! Creatives also see planners as being overly obsessed with business results. This is a shame, as there is an established link between award-winning creative work and effectiveness. In any case, how many clients nowadays can afford the luxury of work that doesn’t cut it in the marketplace?

•! In general, planners are seen as being prone to get over-excited about what might well be seen as passing cultural ‘hot buttons’ – e.g. Millennials, Big Data. The only credible response is ‘guilty as charged’. We can and must do better in this regard.

•! Ultimately, this report suggests that while there is much that is good, there is much that needs to be done.

Let the work commence!

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y



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Q1 : In which part of the Marketing Services world are you currently employed?

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Q20 : Please tell us your gender?

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O P I N I O N S & P O I N T S O F V I E W

P L A N N I N G I N C A N A D A R E M A I N S

A P O O R LY U N D E R S T O O D R O L E


There can be no denying that Planning has begun to make a mark here in Canada. However, it is equally apparent that Planning, and Planners, still have a way to go to be held in the same regard as their peers in New York or London. An overwhelming number of respondents still believe that Planners have a role that is poorly understood and/or appreciated, which may explain why so few respondents consider Canadian Planning world-class. However, while respondents might not believe local Planning is world-class, they also aren’t suggesting that it needs significant improvement either. In fact, the majority believe it is getting better. That’s a very positive sign. How Planners can get better at assisting client and creative partners isn’t as clear-cut. Focusing on business results remains a universal requirement for Planners but, as the communication landscape broadens, the topics that respondents believe Planners should obsessing over, almost exactly mirrors the topics respondents say Planners should stop obsessing over. No wonder that Planners have a role that is poorly understood or appreciated. At the APG Canada, we see this as a great opportunity. Our colleagues and clients want us at the table. It remains up to us to earn that seat and that respect. It is definitely there for the taking.


H O W I S P L A N N I N G D O I N G ?

Q13 : How would you rate the Planning function overall in Canada?

APG Canada | STATE OF CANADIAN PLANNING 2015 | CONFIDENTIAL 16

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Q16 : A Canadian planner today is someone who… (Top 3 Choices)



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Q14 : What’s the biggest Planning opportunity in Canada?




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Q17 : In the future, my ideal Planner would be someone who… (Top 3 Choices)



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Q15 : What do you wish Planners would stop obsessing about? (Top 2)



T H E C L I E N T V I E W

B E M Y B U S I N E S S PA R T N E R


Despite the relatively low number of client responses (just over 10% of the total) the client perspective was incredibly concise. “Understand my business challenges intimately – and give me an insightful solution.” It was encouraging to see clients give planning a positive rating. Though there is general consensus that Planning in Canada has room for improvement, Clients generally feel more positive about the Planning role and where Planners help. It is evident that Clients want a genuine partnership with Planners across their entire business. With a large majority of respondents typifying an ideal Planner as someone who “can be persuasive in front of senior clients”, its clear that Planners have the opportunity and license to provide key support and direction through the highest levels of the client organization. Building that senior level credibility will require staying focused on the client’s core business challenges – and not getting distracted by topical issues like Big Data or particular audience segments. There’s no denying Clients have high expectations of Planners but they’re equally keen for Planners to help them do great things. What a spectacular opportunity.


W H A T C A T E G O R Y A R E Y O U I N ?

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Q3 : What category/sector are you a client in?




Q13 : How would you rate the planning function overall in Canada?


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Q14 : What’s the biggest planning opportunity in Canada?




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T H E C R E A T I V E V I E W

I N S I G H T S , I N S I G H T S , I N S I G H T S


Creative participation in this survey wasn’t as high as we’d have liked at <8% of total respondents. The feedback we did get was telling, though debatable of how representative it is for the larger creative community. “Get me deeper insights so I can develop better work” The creatives who did respond appear to see see Planning in a linear and sequential fashion – run research+find “deeper” insights+spark great creative ideas (for me). That view would, in our opinion, reduce planning to an input versus a partnership in the development process. A contributor versus a colleague. Certainly what is a “deeper” insight appears such a crucial requirement for creatives – and such a key determinant of whether planners are seen as a help or hindrance – that the Canadian marketing community must resolve it soon. That topic alone warrants a much larger debate than this report can provide. There is positive news too. Creatives are definitely looking for planners to be competent and persuasive in front of senior clients. That alone suggests that creatives understand, and relish, having a planning partner to sell their solutions. In our view, that smacks of a genuine opportunity for planners moving forward.



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Q10 : Please describe what type of agency you work at

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Q14 : What’s the biggest Planning opportunity in Canada?




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P L A N N E R S O N P L A N N I N G

PA S S I O N A T E & P O S I T I V E , B U T T H E R E ’ S

S T I L L A WAY T O G O Y E T


We were overjoyed by the volume of planners and strategists who leaned into this first Survey. Over 8o% of our respondents were from this group. Even more exciting was that we saw participation from planners at all levels of seniority and across all types of agency environments. We want to deliver creative and business impact – and challenge the status quo” Not surprisingly, the planning respondents gave the planning function a slightly higher grade but they definitely accept that there remains tremendous opportunity to get better. One of the most exciting findings of this report is the notion that there exists tremendous opportunity to enhance the local training of Canadian planners. When an international source (WARC) and mentorship from their boss are considered the lead ways that Canadian planners learn their craft, its clear that this market needs a more universal, and formalized, method to learn how to be a great planner. That’s a finding the APG Canada are definitely taking to heart.



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Q1 : In which part of the Marketing Services world are you currently employed?




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Q14 : What’s the biggest planning opportunity in Canada?




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A D E E P E R D I V E O N

C A N A D I A N P L A N N I N G


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Q12 : How large is the Planning/Strategy team at your agency?



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Q5 : What Are Your Top 3 Sources for Strategy Learning/Training?



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Q4 : What kind of Strategy training have you received? (Click All That Apply)



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Q22 : What is the highest level of Education you have completed?



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S I D E - B Y- S I D E C O M PA R I S O N S

APG Canada | STATE OF CANADIAN PLANNING 2015 | CONFIDENTIAL 51APG Canada | STATE OF CANADIAN PLANNING 2015 | CONFIDENTIAL 51

S I D E - B Y- S I D E C O M PA R I S O N S

P L A N N I N G A S T H E B R I D G E B E T W E E N

C L I E N T A N D C R E A T I V E S


Its perhaps not surprising to see that planners align their role with some client priorities and some creative priorities. The need to have a credible business acumen coupled with an orientation for creative solutions is the planners sweet spot based on the feedback from all respondents. In future, getting closer to the business problem is going to be paramount for planning’s success – just as critical will be helping craft compelling creative solutions. A genuine hybrid role. Encouragingly there is evidence that planners are as well-aligned with client expectations as they are with creatives aspirations. That seems a great springboard from which to build meaningful relationships with both sets of stakeholders.



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A L I T T L E A B O U T T H E A P G


A L I T T L E A B O U T T H E A P G

We started the Account Planning Group of Canada with a very clear mandate. We wanted to build the visibility and the credibility of the Planning craft in this country. We also wanted to build a passionate group of like-minded individuals who cared about Planning – and who believed deeply that, when executed well, it could lead to both business-building and award-winning communications. Since its inception, the APG of Canada has developed a busy event schedule bringing in speakers to discuss topics from Research to Curiosity to Non-Verbal Communications. We’re active in social media with a vibrant Twitter and LinkedIn following (@APGCan if you’re not already following us) and our website regularly features thought-provoking articles from some of Canadian brightest Planning minds. We recently initiated a Membership program to give our Members early access to great content and, in the future, great discounts on special events. More details on our website – www.apgcanada.ca This survey, which we intend to do annually, is just another way in which we’re striving to raise the Planning game here in Canada. We thank you for taking part and hope we’ll see you at one of our events real soon.


T H E V O I C E O F C A N A D I A N P L A N N I N G

CARRY ON THE CONVERSATION @APGCan!

state of canadian planning survey 2015 - account planning group of canada

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