paying someone to think

is essentially what planning is. Yeah, we spend a lot of time harvesting information, talking to people, watching people, noticing trends, etc. But the majority of our time is spent synthesizing it all, breaking it down to the super smart ideas that lay on the surface.

so why should a client pay to have someone think? Well, my angle is that it will pay off when it's done right; that a client's ad budget will be wiser spent if a planner has put their good sense into pulling out the best possible direction based on all of the evidence.

i wish I had a lawyer friend so that i could argue/negotiate my point a bit better than this, but i'm at a loss for words. I believe in planning an effective strategy and there are a ton of agencies out there (none exist in Portland, fyi) that have whole strategy departments for the sake & beauty of thinking. dar!