The curator

of good stuffThe traditional role of a planner doesn’t work anymore . Nick Gill, Planning Director

at DCH, explains why planners need an evolved toolkit for an evolved world.

Digital has irrevocably changed the marketing landscape. Yawn. Of course it has.

Unfortunately however, most agencies and clients are still set up in a formation that would

make the England football team’s 4-4-2 look forward thinking.

Planning used to be the ivory tower. Everyone would wait for the insight to be lobbed over

the edge after weeks of cogitating and research. And then the creative fun could begin.

Often, while these creative solutions were being crafted the insight would be chucked

aside as its silo-developed relevance began to wane.

From insight to invention

The role of the planner used to be rooted in

traditional advertising. But that just doesn’t

work now. Today’s world is faster, more

complex, more demanding. A singular

insight that rules them all is rare. A silo

Working in a planning department with no

interaction with others until the brief is ready

is plain ridiculous.

We need to shift from a linear process that is

focussed on “insight and brief” to an iterative,

agile, collaborative process that is focussed

on meaningful engagement and participation

through the invention of new ideas.

The world has moved away from one great

campaign idea expressed through an image

and a line. It’s moved from campaigns to

Today’s world is faster, morecomplex, more demanding. Asingular insight that rules themall is rare.

Point of View

Date: September 2010

Author:

Nick Gill Planning Director

dch.co.uk

multiple micro interactions. From impact and

disruption to usage and experience. From

exposure to a moment in time. From one idea

to lots of smaller ones.

The new mantra

A planner has moved from being the miner

and polisher of an insight to the publisher or

programme producer. A planner is now the

curator of good stuff.

So, what’s in the toolkit of our curator of

consumer understanding as well as social

trends living comfortably, seamlessly, with the

technical possibilities of the digital, social and

the real world, often using crowd-sourcing or

active listening in the social space to identify

new and interesting ways that consumers are

playing with brands.

When you augment these with user

experience and draw on media understanding

with deep roots in analytical rigour, you can

start to understand why traditional planning

skills need to evolve into being those of a

curator. Every planner now needs an evolved

toolkit for an evolved world.

And because we curate, we don’t just stop

at launch. After all, an idea doesn’t stop at

launch or after a six-week burst of media

spend. It evolves through the participation

of engaged communities. The launch idea is

just as valuable as the content update coming

next Wednesday.

As planners in an evolved world, we must

use active analytics to understand what’s

happening; adjust or stop what isn’t working,

and accelerate what is. We must constantly

learn, change and adapt while feeding in new

ideas and thinking. Why? Because culture and

the media landscape is doing exactly that.

NICK GILL

PLANNING DIRECTOR

DCH