Mind of a Planner (Survey Results)

MIND
OF A
PLANNER
Wendy Sung | @wendysungasong

Background

My GOAL was to explore the psychographics of Account Planners in hopes of
arriving at “insights”, and—more importantly—those that I could relate to.

I know that Planners are human too. Their personalities may not be defined
by their profession, but what I do know is that they LOVE their jobs enough to
not be doing it just for the money.

There must be something in Planning that appeals to them, and something in
them that is, in turn, attracted to it. It is this elusive persona that Planning
attracts that I’m interested in exploring through this research.

Secondary and Primary Preliminary Research

 I started off by reading Heather LeFevre’s
Annual Survey reports, but the only
psychographic insight I could find was that
Planners were motivated by challenge. I also
read many blogs and watched many
interviews from JuniorStrategy, PSFK, and
Redscout

 Next, I interviewed 6 planners in New York
City, Durham, and St. Louis (their
companies are shown at the left) to explore
their motivations and to find common
characteristics that I could relate to. The
survey that I later distributed electronically
was based on the findings from those
interviews.

Participant Overview

Because this was not intended to be a BIG survey,
the grand total of participants was

27.
The following is a breakdown of their demographics.

Age
11
10
9
# Respondents
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
18-24 25-32 33-47 48-66 >87
Age Group

Cumulative
• Most were Gen Xers and Frequency Percent Percent
Valid 18-24 2 7.4 11.1
Millenials 25-32 10 37.0 48.1

•between ages 25-47
33-47 10 37.0 85.2
48-66 4 14.8 100.0

(74%, n=20) >87
Total
1
27
3.7
100.0
3.7

Years of Planning Experience
4

3
# Respondents

2

1

0
0 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

50th %tile # Years
Percen Valid Cumulative
Frequency t Percent Percent
Valid 0 1 3.7 3.7 3.7
• Diverse; averaging 8 years 1
1.5
4
1
14.8
3.7
14.8
3.7
18.5
22.2
•Range: 0-25 years 2
3
2
2
7.4
7.4
7.4
7.4
29.6
37.0
•Average: 7.87 years 4
5
1
2
3.7
7.4
3.7
7.4
40.7
48.1
•Mode: 1 years 6
9
1
3
3.7
11.1
3.7
11.1
51.9
63.0
•Median (50th percentile): 6 years 10
11
1
1
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
66.7
70.4
12 2 7.4 7.4 77.8
14 1 3.7 3.7 81.5
15 2 7.4 7.4 88.9
16 1 3.7 3.7 92.6
20 1 3.7 3.7 96.3
25 1 3.7 3.7 100.0
Total 27 100.0 100.0

Job Title
Current Job Title
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Group Planning Director 7 25.9 25.9 25.9
Planner 5 18.5 18.5 44.4
Planning Director 4 14.8 14.8 59.3
Senior Planner 3 11.1 11.1 70.4
Anthropologist 1 3.7 3.7 74.1
Development Associate 1 3.7 3.7 77.8
Planners Director 1 3.7 3.7 81.5
Executive Planning 1 3.7 3.7 85.2
Director
HR Business Partner 1 3.7 3.7 88.9
Planning Intern 1 3.7 3.7 92.6
Researcher 1 3.7 3.7 96.3
Sr. Partner Development 1 3.7 3.7 100.0
Manager
Total 27 100.0 100.0

• Most common job title was Group Planning Director (25.9%, n=7)
• Most work in the Planning function (77.8%, n=21)
•EPD (3.7%), GPD (25.9%), Planning Director (14.8%), Senior Planner (11.1%), Planner
(18.5%), Planning Intern (3.7%)
• Others include: Anthropologist, Researcher, Development Manager, and HR Business
Partner

Company
Valid Cumulative
• Most represented Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid JWT 8 29.6 29.6 29.6
company was JWT AXA Equitable 1 3.7 3.7 33.3

(29.6%, n=8), among several BBH
Blu Dot Tech
1
1
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.7
37.0
40.7
other full service ad agencies, Callahan Creek 1 3.7 3.7 44.4
GOODBY 1 3.7 3.7 48.1
planning consultancies, SILVERSTEIN
research agencies, etc. Integer 1 3.7 3.7 51.9
Martin Ageny 1 3.7 3.7 55.6
Merkley + Partners 1 3.7 3.7 59.3
New York Nativity 1 3.7 3.7 63.0
PACO Ideation 1 3.7 3.7 66.7
Plannerzone 1 3.7 3.7 70.4
Prefer not to Answer 1 3.7 3.7 74.1
Razorfish 1 3.7 3.7 77.8
Saatchi & Saatchi 1 3.7 3.7 81.5
Studio One 1 3.7 3.7 85.2
The PARAGRAPH 1 3.7 3.7 88.9
Project
Twitter 1 3.7 3.7 92.6
Voskhod creative 1 3.7 3.7 96.3
agency
Zulu Alpha Kilo 1 3.7 3.7 100.0
Total 27 100.0 100.0

Motivations

Now to the interesting stuff…

What motivates you the most in your job as
a Planner?
#1 People
#2 Challenge
#3 Camaraderie
#4 Learning
#5 Problem solving
#6 Competition
#7 Chance to make a difference in the world

Agree*
People; understanding behaviors and culture 11 7 100%
Challenge; the novelty of new challenges 9 7 2 89%
Camaraderie; working with creative, smart people 6 10 2 89%
Axis Title

Learning; constantly learning something new 9 6 3 83%
Problem solving 8 6 3 1 78%
Competition; winning businesses 5 3 6 4
44%
Chance to make a difference in the world 1 7 7 3
44%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

5 (Most Motivating) 4 3 2 1 (Not At All Motivating)
Majority (>50%) Agrees
*% of answers that were either 5 (Most Motivating) or 4 (Motivating)

OK, not too surprising, I suppose.
 However, upon close inspection, there are some interesting
observations:
#1: Problem solving is more of a motivation the older
the generation

Problem Solving as a Motivation
4.8
(5=Most Motivating)

4.7
4.6
Average Rating

4.4 4.4
4.2
4.1
4.0 4.0
3.8
3.6
18-24 25-32 33-47 48-66
Age

If you have any idea why this could be, I’d really love to hear from you!

Problem solving

That graph was based on this data # Standard
Respondents Mean Deviation
Age 18-24 2.0 4.0 1.4
NOTE: The mean for Age group >87 was ignored because it 25-32 7.0 4.1 0.9
was comprised of only 1 respondent who—upon further 33-47 5.0 4.4 0.5
48-66 3.0 4.7 0.6
investigation—likely selected the wrong age group. 67-87 0.0 0.0 0.0
>87 1.0 2.0 0.0

Problem Solving Ratings by Age Group
18-24 1 0 1 0
As you can see, although the data points 25-32 3 2 2 0
are limited, respondents tended to rate

Age
33-47 2 3 0
Problem Solving higher the older the age 48-66 2 1 0
group.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
5 4 3 2 1

Chi-Square Tests

Asymp. Sig.
This correlation between Age and Problem Value
a
df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi- 23.361 12 .025
Solving is also statistically significant Square
Likelihood 14.262 12 .284
(p<0.05). Ratio
N of Valid 18
Cases
a. 20 cells (100.0%) have expected count less than 5.
The minimum expected count is .06.

Also,
#2: Competition is most motivating (>3 rating) for
Millennials and Boomers

Competition as a Motivation
Average Rating by Age Group

18-24 4.5
Millennials
25-32 3.4
Age Group

33-47 2.8

Boomers 48-66 3.7

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
Rating
(5=Most Motivating)

Competition; winning businesses
Standard
That graph was based on this data 48-66
Mean
3.7
Deviation
1.5
Count
3.0
Maximum Minimum
5.0 2.0
33-47 2.8 0.8 5.0 4.0 2.0
25-32 3.4 1.1 7.0 5.0 2.0
18-24 4.5 0.7 2.0 5.0 4.0

Assessing the raw data, even though the data points (participants per age group) were
limited, the phenomenon of challenge being more of a motivation amongst Millenials
and Boomers (but not Gen Xers) is still apparent:

Challenge as a Motivation
Ratings Breakdown by Age Group
% Agree*
18-24 1 1 0
100%
Millennials
25-32 2 0 4 1
29%
Age

33-47 0 1 2 2
20%
48-66 1 1 0 1
Boomers 67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

5 4 3 2
*% of answers that were either 5 (Most Motivating) or 4 (Motivating)

Attitudes

Based on the aforementioned pre-survey
interviews, I devised a list of theorized “insights” to
test/validate in this study.

The following is a presentation of the survey
results, followed by analyses of their implications on
planners’ attitudes.

Most of the statements tested were
perceived to be “true”
 11 out of 15 statements had ≥50% Agreement rate

How true is that?
(Statements in order of highest Agreement rate to lowest) % Agree*
J) The best discoveries are often made when you're not looking for them 9 16 2 93%
I) Being straightforwardly honest is liberating 13 12 2 93%
C) Being comfortable with feeling uncomfortable is key to innovation 12 11 1 3 85%
B) The best thing about travelling isn't the things you see, but the… 13 10 2 1 1 85%
O) Being an outsider can give you a more acute perspective 6 7 2 1 81%
M) Discovering truths that are valid across cultures is rewarding 10 11 4 1 1 78%
L) Being known is not as powerful as being invaluable 12 7 5 2 1 70%
E) There is a child in every adult 9 10 5 3 70%
D) Your greatest competition is yourself 9 9 7 1 1 67%
A) Anything is possible until proven otherwise 9 9 5 1 3
67%
N) People take pictures to preserve memories 2 7 5 3 1
50%
G) Mastering many things is more fulfilling than specializing in one 2 11 8 4 2
48%
K) Differences are seen; similarities are discovered 5 4 8 7 3
33%
H) The Rolling Stones are cooler than The Beatles 3 5 8 5 6
30%
F) Every challenge posed is an invitation pending acceptance 3 5 15 3 1
30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

5 (Very True) 4 3 2 1 (Not True At All)

Majority Agrees *% of answers that were either 5 (Very True) or 4 (True)

Challenge % Agree*

A) Anything is possible until proven otherwise 9 9 5 1 3 67%

D) Your greatest competition is yourself 9 9 7 1 1 67%

F) Every challenge posed is an invitation pending acceptance 3 5 15 3 1
30%
G) Mastering many things is more fulfilling than specializing in
2 11 8 4 2
one 48%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

*% of answers that were either 5 (Very True) or 4 (True)

 Participants ambitiously agreed with notions of “anything is possible”
(67%, n=18) and that “your greatest competition is yourself ”
(67%, n=18).
 Most of those who understood statement F (not the 15 participants who
rated it 3) agreed that challenges are enticing; 30% (n=8) deemed it
true, while only 15% (n=4) did not.
 There was only a moderate desire to be a “jack of all trades” (only 48%
agreed to statement G).

Discovery
% Agree*
J) The best discoveries are often made when you're not looking
9 16 2 0 93%
for them

K) Differences are seen; similarities are discovered 5 4 8 7 3
33%

M) Discovering truths that are valid across cultures is rewarding 10 11 4 1 1
78%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


 Participants strongly agreed that “the best discoveries are made
when you’re not looking for them” (93%, n=25). Annoying how
fate works that way sometimes, isn’t it?
 Discovering cross-cultural truths is a rewarding experience for
most participants (Statement M; 78%, n=21). Good to know that
most planners are interested in cross-cultural communications!

Perspective
% Agree*
B) The best thing about travelling is not the things you
13 10 2 11 85%
see, but the perspectives you gain
O) Being an outsider can give you a more acute
6 7 2 10
perspective 81%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


 Participants generally agreed (85%, n=23) on the value of
perspective in travels, and that a more acute perspective can
be attained by being an outsider (81%, n=13). Probably
explains why planners seem to love reflecting on their
travels! I wonder if planners actively use any particular
methods to maintain that fresh “outsiders’ perspective”…

Ad work
% Agree*
C) Being comfortable with feeling uncomfortable is key
12 11 10 3
to innovation 85%

L) Being known is not as powerful as being invaluable 12 7 5 2 1
70%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


 On innovation, participants strongly agreed that one needs to be
comfortable with feeling uncomfortable in order to achieve it
(85%, n=23).

 Being invaluable or useful to others is more powerful than being
popular or recognized (70%, n=19). This appears to be an
increasingly popular sentiment among planners with regards to
the work that agencies should strive to create.

Self-expression
% Agree*
I) Being straightforwardly honest is liberating 13 12 20
93%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


 One of my first observations with planners was that many seemed rather
uninhibited in expressing their honest opinions (Not that it’s a bad thing.
I find it somewhat refreshing). It seemed that many would rather risk
discord in expressing their honest opinion than euphemizing it or staying
quiet.

 Although the statement could’ve been worded better to emphasize the
choice of being actively and straightforwardly honest over being
circuitous or evasive (after all, who wouldn’t find honesty liberating?), it
was nevertheless found to be “very true” among most participants
(93%, n=25).

Brand Associations
 What brand(s) and—if applicable—agencies come to mind from reading the statement?
 Brands with most # of mentions are plotted in the graph below.

A) Anything is possible until proven
otherwise - Adidas
14 B) The best thing about travelling is
O) Being an outsider can give you a
not the things you see, but the
more acute perspective - Apple* 12 perspectives you gain - HSBC
M) Discovering truths that are valid 10 7 C) Being comfortable with feeling
across cultures is rewarding - 8 uncomfortable is key to innovation -
6
McDonalds Apple
6 8
4
1
L) Being known is not as powerful 2 2 D) Your greatest competition is
13
as being invaluable - Us weekly* yourself - Nike
1 0
2
1
K) Differences are seen; similarities 1 8 E) There is a child in every adult -
2 4
are discovered - HSBC Disney

J) The best discoveries are often F) Every challenge posed is an
made when you're not looking for invitation pending acceptance -
them - Discovery Channel* Nike
G) Mastering many things is more
I) Being straightforwardly honest is
fulfilling than specializing in one -
liberating - Avis*
Google
# Mentions
*Since there were no common items mentioned for this statement, one was selected as an example. For the full list of responses, please refer to the Appendix.

Conclusions and Future Research

So…what does it all mean?

Am I done yet?

Will the world be a better place??

So what?
Planners do it mainly cause they’re:
•Curious
•Hungry for challenges
Discovering cross-cultural
•Love teamwork
truths is rewarding.

It’s important to:
Planners feel liberated from •Have an outsider's
being “straightforwardly perspective
honest.” •Step out of comfort zone
•Strive to be
invaluable/useful vs.
popular

There will probably be a Part 2…
 Areas for further research
 Why is it that problem solving is more enticing for older generations?
Is it due to the nature of our generational groups, or is it more a
factor of life experience?

 Why is competition less of a motivation for Gen Xers? Is that even
really true?

 Why do planners prefer blatant honesty more so than others?

 How do planners maintain that “outsiders’ perspective”?

 What about you? Do you have any queries you’d like answered?

Appendix

To view raw data from survey results, access appendix here.

(Tables were too large to display clearly in a slide deck.)

Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments about these findings, feel free to
contact me via:

Twitter: @wendysungasong
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/WendySung

Mind of a Planner (Survey Results)

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