An on-going blog to create debate and perhaps raise some awkward questions on the seven subjects discussed in Jon Steel’s video.
Topic 5. “Planners should take lots of vacations.”
Wow – I’d love to work for Jon!
Having already done most of South America, Asia, Australia and Europe, I can imagine visiting the all places still on my bucket list: Petra, St Petersburg, Cairo, Jerusalem, Bora Bora, the Galapagos Islands, Mt Rushmore and Alaska.
But is it really practical or realistic, especially for young planners, given the work ethic required to survive in agencies these days? Sure, I get it, having great vacations can help in making you a better account planner with broader horizons, but I wonder if all hiring managers see it in the same way.
Would a young account planning job-seeker risk being eliminated from the short-list of candidates by asking for four weeks’ vacation in order to enjoy a long trip up the Amazon?
And how would you respond as a department head to a young planner asking for four weeks’ vacation when the company policy is just two weeks?
I think I would applaud their cojones for sure, but then perhaps offer the job to another equally qualified candidate – or maybe that is too mean-spirited?
Love to hear what you think – all comments welcome!
I think it depends on the value you get from the “insightfulness” of planners.
There’s a fine difference between mediocre planners and kick-ass planners.
There are many mediocre planners out there, doing the daily grind of desk research and writing briefs, but are these planners necessary? A lot of planners aren’t seen as being “useful” or detrimental to the ad team because a lot of what they push out are regurgitated client briefs and common sense observations. And account people and creatives in the ad industry are very in tune with culture, trends and can be very strategic. It’s the kick-ass planners that bring new and unique insights to the team. I think that’s where the real value in a planner lies. If planners are spending 50-60 hours a week behind a computer in an office, I’m not sure how much unique inspiration and insight they can get over the other agency staff that also sits behind a computer 50-60 hours a week.
I think from an ROI perspective, a well-timed and perhaps “client-oriented” vacation could be very fruitful. Vacations for vacations sake could be misguided and not add a lot to the team, but going to trips and events that have something to do with the brands you work on should be a part of the job.
An example would be, if I worked in tech or gaming, a trip to Japan with some geek-conventions sprinkled throughout, I can imagine being extremely useful because they are so ahead of the curve. They’ve been selling out hologram concerts way before Tupac showed up to Coachella.
This, at least, would be my argument if I had the cojones to ask for a months worth of vacation time 😉
Michele
michelekim.com
@michelebkim
Hi Michele, I think you make some very valid points.
I believe planners should be judged more on their insightfulness (as opposed to just the resulting creative work – see my earlier blog on this), and that begs the question: Is being insightful “nature” (because some planners are naturally “kick-ass”) or “nurture” (meaning a vacation could help someone become more insightful)? Probably a bit of both!