would the real Account Planner please stand up?

AdAge put out an article today discussing the evolving character of the planning discipline. It seems that the term "account planner" has become outdated. We now have: connection planners, engagement planners, trans-media planners, communication strategists, digital planners, channel planners, media planners, etc.

I had an informational interview with a senior freelance planner in NYC a couple weeks ago where we discussed this topic of a flourishing title. He made the point that it's more for the client's sake than it is for the agency's > if an agency can bring a sort of specialist to the table via "a title" then it's a selling point against an agency that has just an Account Planner. Hmmm...

It seems that whatever your title might be as a planner, what we're really all here for are the Ideas.

• Today's planning ideas need to stand up to all forms of advertising and every way consumer's spend their time. "A big challenge is being up to date," says Ed Cotton with Influx Insights.
  

We are here to provide a function that account people and creative people just don't have the time for: discovering where the real issue lies and finding the insight to solve a business problem in a creative way that is in alignment with what the brand has brought to the table, taking into account where the consumers are and what they will respond to in terms of communication.

Planning is responsible for processing information > a reason you'll find a lot of blogs by planners. Just look to the right to find a planner who's sorting through their thoughts in hopes of pinpointing the idea that will drive creative, steer a brand and get more product in consumers hands.