Redscout Presents 'Spur' Episode 1: Is Planning Impotent?

Over the next two months, PSFK will be hosting Redscout’s SPUR video series. It will explore the intersection of brands, strategy, innovation and the world of account planning. We hope to spark a lively discussion, and inspire those working in the field.

After last week’s Spur announcement we received interest and reactions from all over the world. Today we’re posting the first full episode.

There is clearly a belief that planning suffers a bit from an identity crisis, tending to be self-referential and consumed by its own purpose and definition. Why is planning’s analytical lens so often turned upon itself? And why does planning often find itself validating its worth?

Perhaps Dan Cherry, managing partner at Anomaly, sums it up best when he wonders if planning is impotent. “If you have a point of view on the ‘plan,’ why wouldn’t you be involved in the doing?”

The more we talk about planning the more we realize that people outside the industry just don’t know what it is (or necessarily care). Planners want to impact real business and creativity more directly. Whether it’s “the output” as Gareth Kay puts it, or working further “upstream,” as Paul Woolmington says.

Is the agency model inherently an obstacle to good ‘planning’? Are the motivations of a planner beyond a tactic or medium? As we continue the series, we’ll continue to explore these questions and offer up new contexts for understanding planners. (The next episode will explore talent and what makes a good planner).

For further information, contact us: spur@redscout.com and redscout.com