Infusing business and brand strategies into account planning
Account planning has established itself as a core competency of many top advertising agencies. The role of account planner is a result of advertising agencies’ recognition that effective advertising demands the influence of consumer insights, competitive intelligence, and trends analysis. Yet, as necessary as the account planner’s strategic input is to the advertising placement and creative output, it does not supply the prerequisite upstream strategic foundation that is defined and delivered by business and brand strategy. Business strategy must be accounted for to ensure that a firm’s market opportunities, brand opportunities, and core competencies are being fully exploited in all marketing activities. In turn, brand strategy must be leveraged into the account planning process to ensure that a brand is optimally represented within the brand portfolio, its positioning supported, its values reflected, and its personality celebrated in all marketing communications.