Back in the office after yet another incredibly inspiring Planningness, thanks to the tireless efforts of Mark and Claire, as well as the long list of fantastic and truly brilliant speakers. Though I think they learned their lesson by asking me to speak last time, and wisely chose not to this time around (kidding...I think).

Anyway, lots of people with very different backgrounds and different views on the world shared their ideas with us, and the breakout sessions were again intense yet wonderfully productive at the same time. Many of these folks, in planningness tradition, were from far outside the ad world, and it made it all the more interesting and fun. And of course, there was plenty of drinks with old and new friends ( more and more and the list goes...) once the sessions let out, and I think even 3 days later I'm still feeling the effects.

A few people have already written up recaps/implications worth checking out (including Ed Cottons excellent post which he seemingly posted hours after the final session while the rest of us were still knocking back a few). Given I've been lucky enough to go to all 3 planningness events so far, I thought I'd also try and share some things I've learned overall, not just this past session, and also some thoughts as we look toward the next time we all get together.

The idealism from Planningness 1 has been replaced, to some degree, with practicality
You could probably read that and take it as a bad thing, that maybe we've become disheartened or less enthused, but I think that couldn't be further from the truth. When I left the first Planningness, I felt like I was walking on air. It was the first conference of it's kind I had ever been to (which I think is true for most of us), and I got back to the office determined to change the world in 7 days or less. Well, not surprisingly, that didn't happen. And it frustrated the hell out of me. Ed and Kristina keenly pointed out this feeling of high vs low at the start of their session:

By the second planningness, and getting the chance to speak, I was back on the horse, though I distinctly remember forcing myself to realize the types of changes and shifts in thinking we were all talking about takes time. And by our latest gathering, I think a more practical atmosphere may be starting to define the conference- each time we'll come away better armed and ready to make changes than when we arrive, but it's still not going to happen overnight. It's tough, it will be frustrating, but I think that challenge is in part what will continue to drive us forward. And the more we can push each other forward, the more likely success will be.

On that note, perhaps there's some therapeutic value in the dreaded echo chamber

Frankly, there are too many brilliant people in this industry for agencies to fail
Just a few lines after I said idealism has been replaced with practicality, I realize maybe this is an idealistic thought. But working with all of the people in attendance this year, witnessing brilliance and energy in action, and seeing how determined (and perhaps even a little desperate) we all are to bring about meaningful change to this industry convinces me that for all the talk of the death of agencies, there's simply too much talent for us all to fail. This isn't limited to planners, of course, and I don't think anyone else in attendance would believe that it is. We all know there are people across our own offices of a similar mind, determined to push things forward, whether you work at a large network agency or a small boutique. My hope is the more we're able to learn from each other, gain fresh ideas and approaches, we can continue to make progress. It might be slower than most of us would like, but as someone once said, "change doesn't happen over night".
Something to think about for Planningness 4: maybe we should invite more creatives
On that note, I might submit this humbly to our amazing organizers- what if we all looked around at our respective agencies to get some creatives out to the next Planningness? They may not be interested or may not care, but I bet there are a few that would. And I wonder if it would impact their views on what planning is perhaps seen as today vs what it can and should be, to see first hand how determined and excited we all are about the possibilities for the future, particularly when you put so many in one room and get outside the day-to-day challenges of work. Not that we want to fundamentally change the spirit and culture of Planningness, but just as Adrian sought to bring together the worlds of production and strategy in his session, maybe we can continue to blend other worlds into our little family.

All that said...
What did I miss, and what did you learn? What sticks in other people's minds? I realize I didn't get too far into details about specific sessions, would love to hear further thoughts. And I'll try and post a bit more about things in the coming days. Either way, can't wait for the next Planningness. Thanks again to Mark and Claire (and everyone else who spoke and attended). See you all soon I hope.

The gap between invention and true innovation.
This is basically a theme pulled from one part of one discussion, but I thought it was telling and interesting enough to stand on its own. One of my favorite quotes (paraphrased a bit as I tried to keep up with the rapid fire discussion) from the session on 'What's Next' was from Ayesha Khanna:

She was talking broadly about the R&D culture in the U.S., and how it is very good at coming up with amazing things in research labs and getting patents filed. But how many of those patents and inventions see the light of day is a very different story. Her point was that while other countries may be lagging behind on paper when it comes to # of patents, they're (quickly) getting better at getting stuff made and out into the world, where it can either be deemed useful or a flop by the masses.

Got me thinking that agencies have a very similar problem-- plenty of really interesting ideas (inventions) exist within all of our walls- on concept boards, as rough sketches on napkins or tear sheets, or just in random conversations between smart minds who work in the same building. Yet more often than not those ideas go nowhere, either because a client wasn't ready for it, it wasn't sold in right, it simply wasn't feasible, not the right time, etc etc. Places like Made By Many, BBH's new venture Black Sheep Fund, and others are countering this and focusing on getting stuff made and out into the world, but by and large agencies haven't broken out of the invention vs innovation trap. The more we can get stuff out of our dark labs and into the world where it can either fly or die a quick death, the better off we'll be.

Speaking of which- for planners, how may we best balance rigor with speed to innovate?
This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently and the conference was yet another reminder. In nearly every job description for planners you will see (or that you may be writing now), "planning rigor" in some form is almost always mentioned. Not that it should be surprising- applying strategic rigor, examining ideas and territories from every angle, is critical in getting to the best work. But the term and associated 'process' can tend to feel somewhat academic to me. How much rigor is too much, and is there a point when it gets in the way of true innovation? I guess what I'm asking is-- despite best intentions, do we run the risk of sometimes getting in our own way? I don't really have an answer to this, but feels like an interesting area as we all try to evolve planning broadly, and specifically within our own agencies. Making stuff, not just thinking, has been a popular rally cry for a bit now in planner echo chambers, but are getting there fast enough?

We've only scratched the surface on the impact gaming is having on culture.
Aaron Dignan of Undercurrent gave one of my favorite talks of the day, an adaptation of sorts of his new book Game Frame. He provided some lessons about how game mechanics can fundamentally change not just our approach to our work, but the workplace itself. And importantly he brought up some powerful points about how incorporating game mechanics doesn't mean just adding points and badges to everything you do. But rather thinking about the underlying behavioral motivations and how those can translate into gaming experiences in the business world (read: "gamification" ain't your answer). Bottom line, it's about to get so much more interesting and exciting. After watching Aaron speak, am definitely putting his book at the top of the reading list. Some of his lessons for what can be turned into a game (again paraphrased, hope I'm doing it justice):

Most startups didn't spend much time talking about marketing and/or advertising (at the conference, or in general, it seems).
AirBnB. Kickstarter. Thrillist. Justin Gignac and his NYC Garbage project (as awesome as it sounds). The most inspiring people of the day didn't really mention advertising, marketing, agencies, or the like. Nor did they seem to agonize about it much in the early phases of their respective ventures. They had an idea (ideas that do, as Gareth puts it), along with a million reasons why it could probably fail, but they just went ahead and did it. No overthinking, no grand 'social engagement experiential explosion contact mapping plan' that promised this thing would be the next Twitter, they just put their heads down and did it. They tried some stuff, it failed, and they went back and tried other stuff until something worked. It's a mentality we talk a lot about around agencies, but one that isn't quite yet in practice more often than not. Ed Cotton probably captured what all of this means best in his PSFK recap on how the makers are now the heroes, and if agencies hope to draw in the best people, perhaps we need to start infusing the values and ideals of the startups that inspire us all.

Somewhat of a side note- nobody really talked about Facebook.
Perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not. But I found it interesting- and honestly somewhat refreshing- that facebook occupied very little of the overall discussion and speaker sessions. This isn't some rant against FB, I'm a fan, I'm on it far too much, yada yada. And besides, the value (or lack) of it for both personal social connections and potential for brands has been talked about ad nauseum. Maybe it's because so many of those in attendance feel similarly, and spend so much time discussing it at their respective places of business, that it felt like this wasn't the place to talk even more about it. Or perhaps it means facebook is fully getting to the place Clay Shirky has written about: "communications tools don't become socially interesting until they become technologically boring". Despite the constant changes and updates from Zuck and co, maybe it has actually just started to become part of the fabric, an assumed part of the world that doesn't need to be discussed in tech innovation circles.

So what did I miss? I'm sure there's plenty.
I've realized that aside from a steady stream of hashtagged tweets (or perhaps because of that), I'm not too good at taking actual notes during conferences. Look forward to hearing others thoughts in the coming days. In the meantime, big thanks to Piers Fawkes and the rest of the PSFK crew, and all the fantastic speakers who were good enough to share their time, energy, and perspectives with the rest of us.

(Full disclosure, the professor in question who invited me is my father, and I'm still not sure if I deserved the privilege on my own merits. But was glad to get the chance to meet and speak with some future clients).

Basically, the seminar series is designed to bring more industry people into the classroom, and provide lessons of both success and failure for MBA students. Sessions so far have ranged from how to develop brand strategy, to how to manage agency-client relationships. Specifically the session I was asked to speak at revolved around what role digital platforms can play for brands. Obviously something I'm kind of interested in, but I have to admit I am always more nervous to speak in front of students than I am in front of executives.

Anyway, I tried to approach the session by providing a few broad principles/guidelines/themes based on stuff I've learned and done, stuff others have done, stuff I've shamelessly stolen from people far smarter than me (though I tried to credit you when I did, please don't hate me if I missed something). I originally planned to talk about 5 such themes, but the night before I called an audible and cut it to 3 due to time constraints. But, I've included all 5 in the deck below should you be curious. Don't think any of it is revolutionary, but more so I hoped to give the class some ideas they could act on in the near future when they get the chance to put class lessons to action in internships or full-time jobs.

And so, with that long-winded introduction...would love to hear any thoughts/feedback/comments/criticism/insults/etc.

Not too long after the announcement broke that facebook had acquired drop.io (and subsequently the latter would no longer be accepting new drops), I along with many others felt a bit frustrated by the sudden lack of (good) file transfer options. Have never really had a good experience with Yousendit, so that didn't really seem like an option. But then WeTransfer quietly bubbled up, without a lot of fanfare, but seemed intriguing. After trying it out several times, I'm starting to wonder if the experience may be even a little bit better than drop.io (though I do miss my drops, I won't lie). Love the dead simple UI and transfer process, and 2GB free limit is pretty impressive. Have been using it several times a week for the past month and a half or so, and have yet to have any issues. And I love that they took the time to think about adding an extra element of design to the background. Small detail, but nice touch.

Should you require something a bit more heavyweight, there's also a paid, yearly subscription option:

In case you're wondering, no I don't work for WeTransfer in any capacity, but have been happy enough with it (particularly given the surprising lack of suitable post drop.io alternatives) that I figure it's worth pointing anyone else to it who may still be looking for a good service. Anyone else have other options they've turned to in a post drop.ioworld?

Whether or not you're a fan of Jay-Z or hip hop in general, it seems what many can agree on is that the man is an incredibly talented entrepreneur. He's built businesses from scratch and has inspired thousands if not millions of young people around the world with his success. His new book, Decoded, is fantastic (I say this as a big fan, but I actually think if you don't like him or hip hop, you might benefit the most from getting his honest, candid perspective on life, music, the art form, and more). The way he explores the origins of hip-hop culture and weaves in his own life story and music is incredibly powerful, and the breadth of topics make it a pretty great read.

Anyway, among the many topics he covers, Jay also gets a bit into branding and specifically the role your customers can play in shaping and defining it. In my opinion, he breaks it down better than any explanation or definition I've heard coming from an agency guru or marketing 'expert'. His explanation comes at a point in the book when he's talking about hip-hops influence on culture, and specifically brands, centering around the dust up he had with Cristal after some, well, less than pleasant remarks from that companies CEO. What's fantastic about his break down is that, in a very plain spoken manner, he gets to the heart of the impact your customers have on your brand (beyond the transaction); how they can ultimately take you on a course you never anticipated (in a good way); and that should be empowering, not frightening. And perhaps my favorite part, he does it without ever using the words "social", "conversation", "community", "engagement", "co-creation", "two-way connections", or any other marketing-ese.

Cristal meant one thing, but hip-hop gave its definition some new entries. The same goes for other brands: Timberland and Courvoisier, Versace and Maybach. We gave those brands a narrative, which is one of the reasons anyone buys anything: to own not just a product, but to become part of the story.

Cristal, before hip-hip, had a nice story attached to it: It was a quality, premium, luxury brand known to connoisseurs. But hip-hop gave it a deeper meaning. Suddenly, Cristal didn't just signify the good life, but the good life laced with hip-hop's values: subversive, self-made, audacious, even a little dangerous. The word itself- Cristal- took on a new dimension. It wasn't just a premium champagne anymore- it was a prop in an exciting story, a portal into a whole new world. Just by drinking it, we infused their product with our own story, an ingredient that they could never bottle on their own.

What a planner's path was, circa 10 - 15 years ago.
(A completely arbitrary timeframe, and there are a lot of assumptions here, so call me on it as you see fit). Seems like planners then had few chances to connect with or collaborate with other planners beyond the 4 walls of the agency within they worked at that given time. Young planners were rarely exposed to the broader planning world, maybe once a year at the 4A's conference, but other than that, it seems pretty limited. There was little chance to share thinking or ideas that extended beyond current client work with a broader peer group, unless you were a heavy hitter at director level or above. And I have to imagine that made most initial career moves pretty incremental, since only a small group knew how you thought or what you might have to offer.

Planner's career paths today, and their reach beyond agency walls.
What's amazing to me about planning today is the fact that 'work' isn't always confined to the walls of your agency. Obviously, there are a few key people (and they are not the only ones) I've worked with to whom I credit basically all of my career growth, and without them I would be nowhere. But I'm also aware of the fact that part of my journey so far has been made possible because of some connections I've made and the relationships I've fostered among people I've never worked with. I've been able to connect with some smart people who, in a similar situation 15 years ago, I may have only heard of in name, but never gotten the chance to know or collaborate with. And it's added another layer of richness to the job.

It's also lead to a more accessible form of career networking.
I'll admit, I'm not the strongest face-to-face networker in the world. Walking up to random people at conferences and striking up conversations has always been weird and uncomfortable for me, and I've always been envious of those who seem to have no problems with it. But today, it seems like the need to be at things like the 4A's "festival" in order to make those same connections is less necessary (not that it doesn't have it's role, personally don't see it as an either/or). Being able to make a series of digital introductions has helped me make connections I may have never otherwise had (in fact many strong professional connections for me are people I've only met a couple times or never at all, as I've written about before). Think this is a major shift, because it's allowed people like me who may be a bit more introverted and less comfortable with big networking events to still seek out connections on a more one-to-one basis. And some of those connections have lead me to amazing opportunities (like, for example, the chance to speak at Planning-ness this year). I'm not quite sure what I would've done without this. In fact, I'm not sure how I would've grown as a planner without some of the tech we take for granted to connect me with such an incredibly diverse and talented pool of people.

From personal to collective- the effect on planning itself.
Beyond just changing the career path, feels like something else happened. I clearly remember times a few years ago when I was given the figurative pat on the head and a knowing smirk by agency/client folks alike for suggesting such ludicrous things as a company having a blog or, god forbid, tweeting about stuff. I'm sure many of you have experienced the same, and it goes without saying it's not a great feeling. My point in mentioning that is I really believe planners have kept each moving forward, helped keep each other motivated in the face of adversity, and we've kept each other progressive in part by our constant connection to one another. I imagine most of our departments are quite small, and we're all so busy, but the outlet we have to the larger planner crowd I think keeps many of us going (I know it's a huge part of my day, and how I decompress amidst the madness) and serves as a key source of inspiration. Not to mention that we now have access to a free gold mine of insights and information, from incredibly smart people all around the world.

And beyond planning, it feels like a big benefit to agencies.
All of this makes it clear to me that planners can help drive a more collaborative spirit through our respective agencies given our own benefit from working together. For all the talk of openness and collaboration, I think it's safe to say many of us likely still work in places that see other agencies as "enemies" and which shy away from sharing intel openly and freely. While obviously we don't advocate handing over every company secret, what we can help drive through is a more open dialogue in the agency world, and push our peers to let go of the mindset that collaboration with 'competitors' is not OK. And in fact, it can lead to some of the best partnerships you've never thought of. We're already starting to see it come to life (at Boulder Digital Works, for example) and I'm sure we could use more of it.

So what does it all mean?
Until last night, I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this, if it's even all that interesting, or how to end this little ramble. But a great post by Thas around what our generation's story is or will be (similar to how generations in this business before had things like Art + Copy), got me thinking how we progress through our careers today can ultimately lead us to and help shape that next story. It's almost better that we don't know exactly what it is, and it's an opportunity to figure it out together, along with everyone else out there. A more collaborative career path, enabled by technology. More than ever, we can (and we are) helping each other chart the course for the future. And maybe what's most exciting to me is that it's not just happening within the walls of only one agency, but across our broader community. We all have a role to play (if you want one). I'm not the first one to say this is an exciting time to be in this business, and I'm sure I won't be the last.