A person in a traditional advertising agency charged with crafting strategic briefs. Planners first gained prominence in the 1970s in England. Today, many large agencies use planners. Planners often use various types of research to gain insights into consumer behaviour— in theory, at least. The planner writes the brief, and then passes it on the to creative team charged with coming up with the idea.
A research method first devised in the 1960s. Groups of between six and 10 consumers are gathered to discuss a brand or a potential advertising or design concept. A moderator leads this discussion, which is monitored by clients and agency types through a one-way mirror. The groups can last from 30 minutes to two hours. Consumers are given stale sandwiches and an honourarium to participate.
A model for many larger agencies. These agencies usually started out focusing on advertising and media, then branched out into other areas of specialty. Integrated agencies often offer a suite of divisions, each with its own name. These divisions might focus on things like PR, direct mail, or design.
A way of choosing a communications partner. Clients decide to put their account up for review, and then select a short list of potential firms. The chosen few are given a problem to solve, and a few weeks to solve it. They come back with their ideas and present them to the client, who then chooses a winner. The short-listed companies are usually paid a token amount to defray their costs.
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