Life is about reactions, something you see, someone you meet, something you hear that makes you react and remember. And one day I like to take a walk down memorylane in my cyberspace. This blog will help me do so and hopefully I get to share my thoughts with someone else but me.
Had a chat with Erik and here is a heads up on our conversation - again it is relevant to all specially that insights are at the core of what planners do.
When Churchill was asked how did he manage to move people so powerfully with his speeches and galvanize a nation during war he replied:
"I only said what's in their hearts"
So, Insights particularly about the audience are essential part of good communications because without knowing 'what's in their hearts' creative becomes just creative, not insightful and most importantly useless at moving people or it may move people but for the wrong reasons and ends.
So, back to the my definition of planning which goes: 'move people', 'cut the crap' and 'take scary risks'. You most certainly need insights to get you there.
Even if you go by the classical definition of 'work that works' we still need insights.
To get insights you need to do research.
Research is a huge huge area.
To save you boiling the ocean and trying every bit of research methodology going my advice is;
Have an idea or an intuition first.
Then go out to validate it with research. As a planner unfortunately you can't just present your 'hunch', 'gut feel' and 'instinct' professionally to a client.
So,
Insight = Intuition + Observation
Intuition = Knowing something without knowing why
Observation = Anything that you can record, remember or reference.
Training your intuition is a 24 hour a day 365 days a year job.
Here is a quote to show you how:
"Chance favours the prepared mind" - Louis Pastor
If your senses are not permenantly open to everything (and i mean everything) around you you will not get a finely tuned intuition.
Your favouraite questions should be 'Why is that?' and 'How does it work?'
Good Insights
Find insights that no one else knows or Translate known facts into new insights or Find a single universal and relevant truth that could come to life if you add the brand or Find the white elephant in society and paint it pink or Find out what are the insecurities in your audience, support it or help them with it or Find the biggest issue facing the audience - the real issue and deal with it on their behalf or enlist their support or Find out how they construct their identity - the stuff that makes the audience who they are and share the bits of your brand that magnify that identity or Find out how they influence each other and help them do it
Last but not least,
Basic basic planning is about
finding what moves people (see good insights) find out what's true to the brand at hand find out what's different from the competition find out what is the wider cultural contradiction that you can critique
Your insight and later the creative idea should sit at the intersection or the disconnect between all four. Consumer, Brand, Competition & Culture.
The insight is in the disconnect. Ultimately as a planner it's about you seeing something that everybody else can probably see, but think different.
And if you ever get stuck, shift your perspective. Put yourself or your eyes in a different spot, shoes or stand.
If you are looking for the river and you can't see the wood from the trees get out of the forest climb a mountain and look down you will see exactly where it is.
