The Planner Survey 2010

Author’s note
The Planning Survey was born because I had a performance eval-
uation coming up and I wanted to know if I was being paid fairly.
Up to that point, I was guilty of what most women apparently do:
not negotiating. But I couldn’t say with any certainty what was
fair.

So I set up a little Zoomerang survey and offered to share the re-
sults with everyone who participated.

133 people participated that first year. I got a raise and so did a
lot of the participants. “Don’t you think I’m at least average?” is a
great way to approach those conversations.

I went on to The Martin Agency in Richmond (192 participants the
second year and 466 the third) and Crispin Porter + Bogusky in
Miami and Boulder (798 participants that year). Then I was offered
the opportunity to work internationally and moved to Amsterdam
working for DDB and Tribal DDB (1217 participants last year).
Now, I've just started as the planning director for StrawberryFrog
Amsterdam and it feels like the 1578 people who took the survey
this year are coming along with me for the ride.

The survey has been an immensely positive experience for me,
especially getting to know so many planners out there in the
world. I love how we all get smarter together as we go.

And now the Planning Survey is manned by a team. This year I
was joined by Megan Averell of Hill Holiday Boston, Julia Lee of
Señora Rushmore Madrid and Bori Toth of TBWA Berlin. I think
you’ll soon see the difference that 6 extra hands can make.

Your comments and feedback directly impact the questions we
ask, so feel free to contact us via blogs, twitter, email. And I’ve
connected to most of you on LinkedIn. This is a great way to
reach out to other planners. Just send them a message –
I’m happy to forward it along.

As always, thank you for playing.
Heather

The 411

1578 completed
surveys

USA: 532
The Rest: 685 1217 completed
surveys

0 500 1000 1500 2000

Where do we work?

Full-service Agency 58% - 7% since last year, still dropping
Digital Agency 13% - 4% since last year
Brand Consultancy 5%
Other 5%
Freelance/Self Employed 5%
Creative Boutique 4% - First time adding this choice
Unemployed 2%
Multi-cultural Agency 2%
Media Agency 2%
Direct Agency 1%
Client Side 1%
Numbers don’t always add up to 100
percent due to rounding.

Unemployed
% of people
With 2.1% (34 out of 1578) people out of work this year, compared months out of work
to 2.5% last year, the economy appears to be doing better. More

1-2 35%
than half of these are at the Junior Planner or Planner level. Most
are optimistic, a few are unemployed by choice waiting to find the
perfect gig post-baby or coming off a sabbatical. Planning feels in-

12%
demand even by these folks, so we’ll not see them in line for soup
any time soon.
3-4
5-6 20%
7-8 6%
9-10 9%
11-12 0%
12+ 18%

Participants by title:

CEO 3%

Global Planning Director 1%

Head of Planning 18%

Group Planning Director 14%

Senior Planner 24%

Planner 28%

Assistant Planner 12%

Participants by company size:

Small
Large
Tiny

9%
38% Medium

19% 34%

What would you say is your
company’s reputation in the Excellent Good Fair Poor
?
Unknown
industry? 27% 41% 22% 4% 6%

Leading discipline 20%

Higher than some, lower than others 33%
How is planning perceived
at your company?

Equal 34%

Still struggling for acceptance 13%

What is the size of your .........

(at your office location)
d ep ar tm ent ?

0 departments over 20
people in Brazil,

1 3-5 11-15 21-30 20+ size departments
11% 30% 9% 6% mostly found in the
USA and London.

2 6-10 16-20 30+
12% 22% 5% 5%

Asst. Planner results - USA (+legend)

type of agency and no. Total
within who took survey 76

max. salary in group $71K

salary $58,250
upper quarter
years planning
1.5 3.7
years working

$43,197
average
1.4 3.5

$31,889
lower quarter
1.4 4.1

min. salary in group $28K

Small & Tiny Medium Large
26 21 23

$63,500 $54,250 $57,083

1.3 3.8 2 3.6 1 3

$43,769 $43,121 $44,148

1.4 3.4 1.8 3.6 1.2 3.2

$31,733 $32,200 $34,417

1.2 3.4 2.1 4.6 1.2 3.3

averages of previous years

$39,580 $39,067 $38,219 $43,036 $42,334

1.3 3.5 1.2 3.4 1.5 2.7 1.6 3.3 1.6 3.7

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Planner results - USA (+legend)



salary $77,830
upper quarter
years planning
4.7 8.1
years working

$57,671
average
2.7 4.5

$41,077
lower quarter
1.4 2.2


Small Medium Large
69 49 42

$77,206 $82,750 $73,882

4.4 7.3 5.1 8.7 4.4 7.6

$56,829 $59,066 $58,237

2.6 4.3 2.9 4.8 2.5 4.2

$41,047 $42,600 $41,454

1.2 2.3 1.4 2.3 1.5 1.9


$60,198 $60,311 $58,476 $61,684 $58,573

2.9 5.5 2.6 4.9 2.6 5.3 3.1 5.4 2.9 4.85

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Senior Planner results - USA (+legend)



salary $135,583
upper quarter
years planning
6.3 12
years working

$100,200
average
5.6 9.8

$71,865
lower quarter
4.7 8.1


53 43 56

$134,692 $125,590 $147,857

5.3 11.7 7.1 9 7.1 12.2

$106,127 $95,225 $109,598

5.2 10 5.7 8.6 5.6 9.7

$73,307 $69.900 $77,428

4.2 7.5 4.2 6.2 5.1 8.4


$83,926 $94,347 $104,084 $96,590 $101,154

5.3 9.5 5.9 9.9 6.0 9.7 5.9 9.8 5.9 9.8

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Group Planning Director results - USA (+legend)



salary $241,227
years planning upper quarter
12.5 17.4
years working

$166,469
average
9.9 15.1

$104,788
lower quarter
7.5 13.2


26 32 61

$212,000 $237,660 $243,000

10.3 14.7 9.4 16.9 13.1 18

$151,558 $165,556 $175,668

8.5 13.6 9.1 15.4 10.6 15.2

$98,000 $110,375 $114,917

4.1 6.9 6.1 7 7.6 12.4


$122,325 $157,310 $163,382 $168,879 $166,546

8.6 12.0 9.9 13.7 9.7 14.2 9.2 14.7 9.8 14.5

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Head of Planning results - USA (+legend)



salary $307,395
13.3 20
years working

$193,198
average
10.9 17

$104,688
lower quarter
9.1 16.4


43 18 19

$209,114 $307,100 $375,400

11 16.1 15.8 19.8 10.8 16.4

$157,855 $217,694 $261,211

9.1 15.3 12.3 17.8 10.8 16.7

$103,682 $134,400 $160,000

7.2 15.8 9 13.8 8.6 14


$159,091 $172,188 $167,421 $181,159 $197,643

9.6 14.0 11.1 15.3 9.3 15.8 10.3 15.9 11.0 17.2

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Graduate school - USA (+legend)
I continue to be suprised that graduate degrees do not appear to result in higher salaries. In my opinion, graduate
programs such as Academy of Art University and VCU Brandcenter offer huge opportunities for personal growth. I do
believe the Miami Ad School Bootcamp is a great way for natural planner-types to make a career change and get into
planning.

Asst. Planners Asst. Planners Asst. Planners
with Masters/ MBA with BAs with Bootcamp
17 48 11

$46,132 $57,083 $54,250

1.5 4.6 1 3 2 3.6

Planners with Planners with Planners with
Masters/MBA   BAs Only Bootcamp
31 58 32

$53,094 $61,426 $59,938

2.6 5.8 3 5.5 2.8 6.2

Sr. Planners with Sr. Planners with Sr. Planners with
Masters/MBA   BAs Only Bootcamp
38 129 46

$101,503 $100,462 $112,166

5.7 10.6 5.8 10.1 5.4 8.4

Group Planning Directors Group Planning Directors
with Masters/MBA/PhD   with BAs Only
48 82

$161,917 $169,135 salary

years planning
10.5 16.4 9.6 14.3
years working

Head of Planning with Head of Planning with
Masters/MBA BAs Only
28 69

$184,304 $196,808

11.5 18 10.7 16.5

Location
Salaries are not clearly linked to cost of living but there are
certainly more planning gigs in the obvious places.
MINNEAPOLIS
Asst. Planners (4) : $44,025
Planners (6) : $56,000
Sr. Planners (2) : $80,000
Group Planning Directors (5) : $173,000
Heads of Planning (3) : $184,000

SAN FRANCISCO BOSTON
Asst. Planners (10) : $50,600 Asst. Planners (6) : $40,500
Planners (22) : $66,295 Planners (5) : $64,300
Sr. Planners (12) : $123,730 Sr. Planners (6) : $96,883
Group Planning Directors (9) : $169,333 Group Planning Directors (3) : $164,667
Heads of Planning (10) : $237,050 Heads of Planning (3) : $142,667

LOS ANGELES NEW YORK

TEXAS CHICAGO

Gender - USA
Wow. Salaries keep pace up until the Head of Planning level. There are twice as many women with this role and yet they
are making 73 cents for every dollar a male Head of Planning makes.

no. within who 26 50
took survey
salary $44,869 $42,327
Assistant Planners years planning
1.4 3.3 1.5 3.5
years working

68 103

$58,909 $58,849
Planners
2.6 4.8 3.1 5

86 81

$99,920 $100,625
Senior Planners
5.4 10.1 5.9 9.6

69 61

$164,243 $168,988
Group Planning Directors
8.8 14.1 11.2 16.2

26 50

$216,957 $157,865
Heads of Planning
11.1 17.1 10.6 16.8

Beyond the US
We had 896 completed surveys from the rest of the world. The blue area is a rough representation of the Planning
Survey’s reach.

Argentina: 6 India: 31 Russia: 3
Australia: 44 Indonesia: 10 Singapore: 12
Austria: 1 Ireland: 2 South Africa: 8
Belgium: 7 Israel: 3 Spain: 39
Brazil: 249 Italy: 7 Sweden: 7
Canada: 49 Japan: 4 Switzerland: 8
China: 11 Malaysia: 5 Turkey: 5
Columbia: 14 Mexico: 29 UAE: 2
Croatia: 2 Netherlands: 24 UK- London: 129
Denmark: 1 New Zealand: 5 UK- Other: 27
Ecuador: 1 Norway: 4 Venezuela: 3
Finland: 4 Peru: 2 Latin America:: 4
France: 29 Philippines: 1 Asia: 4
Germany: 51 Portugal: 9 Middle East: 3
Greece: 2 Romania: 14 Others: 21

Salary Results - London
Exchange rate at time of survey:
1 U.S. Dollar = .67 British Pound

Asst. Planner results - London (+legend)


max. salary in group £30K

salary £30,000
1.5 2.25
years working

£24,714
average
1.4 1.8

£20,000
lower quarter
1 1

min. salary in group £20K

Medium Large
2 4

£32,000 £25,000

1 4 2 2

£27,000 £22,750

1 2.5 1.4 1.9

£22,000 £18,000

1 1.5 1 1

average of previous year

£24,072

1.6 2.8
2009

Planner results - London (+legend)



salary £50,666
3.5 8.3
years working

£37,250
average
2.8 5.6

£27,000
lower quarter
2.3 3


12 4 9

£50,333 £53,000 £41,000

3.3 6.6 2 10 1.5 6

£35,076= £46,500 £36,277

2.8 4.8 3.5 10.2 2.5 4.6

£25,666 £33,000 £28,500

1.6 3.3 3 10 2.5 3.5


£36,584

3.2 4.9
2009

Senior Planner results - London (+legend)



salary £86,125
6.3 10.4
years working

£63,711
average
5.2 8.8

£43,925
lower quarter
4.6 6.9


13 6 14

£77,500 £74,000 £91,500

6.1 10.5 7 8 9.3 5

£61,700 £63,285 £64,385

5.6 8.9 5.4 9 4.7 8.7

£43,000 £50,000 £44,850

4 6.7 6 6.5 6 8


£56,081

5.3 9.5
2009

Group Planning Director results - London (+legend)



salary £116,250
11 17.3
years working

£87,842
average
9 13.7

£58,500
lower quarter
4.8 9.3


Small & Tiny Large
5 14

£100,000 £113,750

10.3 14.7 12.3 17.3

£91,250 £89,571

8.5 13.6 9.9 14.6

£62,500 £64,750

4.1 6.9 5.5 10


£87,857

9.9 17.7
2009

Head of Planning results - London (+legend)



salary £145,875
11.3 17
years working

£104,142
average
9.1 14.5

£53,875
lower quarter
5.4 6.6


16 4 13

£126,250 £150,000 £158,333

7.3 11 10 15 14 15.3

£84,250 £118,750 £120,153

7.2 11.3 11.8 14.8 10.4 17.2

£47,750 £100,000 £81,666

6 6.25 13 15 9 15.6


£87,857

9.9 17.7
2009

Gender - London
The London gender comparison seems very fair to me. There aren't quite as many people to count on the results, so the
Senior Planner area is one to watch.

no. within who 4 3
took survey
salary £24,250 £25,333
Assistant Planners
years planning
0.9 1.5 2 2.2
years working

13 12

£36,500 £38,125
Planners
2.6 5.6 3 5.6

20 15

£67,233 £57,200
Senior Planners
5.3 9.3 5.1 8.3

13 5

£87,785 £88,000
8.1 12.7 11.6 16.2

28 5

£105,172 £99,166
Heads of Planning
9.3 15.2 8.3 10.8

Salary Results - Brazil
Exchange rate at time of survey:
1 Euro = $R 2.219
1 U.S. Dollar = $R 1.771
1 British Pound = $R 2.679

Assistant Planner results - Brazil (+legend)


max. salary in group R$52K

salary R$43,458
years planning
2.3 5.0
years working

R$24,492

1.9 3.9

R$12,003

1.8 3.5

min. salary in group R$7.5K

Small Medium Large
29 5 20

R$44,057 R$39,930

2.1 4.7 3.0 5.0

R$24,629 R$26,420 R$23,811

1.8 3.7 1.6 5.0 2.1 3.8

R$12,214 R$12,108

1.5 3.4 1.9 2.8


R$23,763

1.8 4.2
2009

Planner results - Brazil



salary R$90,927
years planning
3.9 9.5
years working

R$49,016

2.9 6.4

R$18,848

2.0 4.1

min. salary in group R$10K

Small Medium Large
54 9 16

R$79,150 R$87,250

2.9 9.2 4.0 8.5

R$42,273 R$78,871 R$57,950

2.6 6.2 4 6.9 3.5 6.9

R$17,376 R$31,650

2.1 3.9 2.1 5.5


R$49,500

3 6.7
2009

Senior Planner results - Brazil



salary R$149,036
years planning
6.2 11.5
years working

R$88,209

5.2 9.6

R$41,352

4.7 8.3

min. salary in group R$23K

Small Medium Large
31 7 16

R$134,500 R$168,000

5.9 12.6 5.3 8.5

R$75,298 R$85,329 R$115,823

5.0 10.1 5 8.6 5.4 8.4

R$37,000 R$62,918

5.0 7.9 4.3 5.5


R$101,512

5.1 10.6
2009

Group Planning Director, Head of Planning and CEO results - Brazil

type of agency and no. Group Planning Head of Planning CEO
within who took survey 34 28 3

max. salary in group R$514K R$626K R$240K

salary R$354,877 R$477,996
years planning
6 13.8 12 20.6
years working

R$184,663 R$215,589 R$216,666

6.8 12 7.1 14.1 8 11.3

R$68,600 R$48,494

7 12.2 3.8 9.8

min. salary in group R$60K R$30K R$65K

R$156,880 R$283,427 R$220,000
6.9 11.1 7.5 15.3 7.0 13.6

2009 2009 2009

Gender - Brazil
Beyond the Assistant level there were many more male than female planner participants. However, and surprisingly, women are
better paid than men across the board.

no. within who 27 27
took survey
salary R$22,797 R$26,187
Assistant Planners
years planning
1.9 3.6 1.9 4.1
years working

55 27

R$47,322 R$52,467
Planners
2.8 6.3 3.1 6.5

42 14

R$81,469 R$108,429
Senior Planners
4.8 8.8 6.2 11.9

13 9

R$146,423 R$239,898
7.2 10.8 6.2 13.7

19 9

R$200,520 R$247,400
Heads of Planning
7.2 14.2 6.9 13.8

Freelancers
Only for US planners due to number of participants.

Planner results - USA

}
1. 400/day
$46,500 salary 2. 400/day (8 hrs) Freelancers shared
3 2 3. 125/day their average hourly
years planning or day rates.
3.2 8.2 4. 75/hour
years working 5. no answer

Senior Planner results - USA

1. $650/day
$85,142 2. $650-$800/day
2 7 3. $1000/focus group
4. $200/hour
9.4 17
5. $75/hour or $500-$1500/day depending on project
6. $50/hour
7. $150/hour
8. $75-$200/hour (80% of projects at lower range)
9. $1100 per day

Group Planning Director results - USA

1. $100/hr or $1000/day
$161,200 2. $700/day
3 7 3. $1500/day
4. $100/hour
13.1 16.7 5. $1500/day
6. $200/hour or $1500/day
7. $200/hour
8. $900-$1200/day but up to $3000/day for moderating
9. $1750/day
10. $1250-$1750/day

Planning Director results - USA

1. $1000/day
$181,857 2. $800-$1250/day
8 6 3. $75/hour + expenses
4. $85-$150/hour
14.5 20.1 5. $1500/day
6. $100/hour
7. $2000/day; longer projects $1300-$1500/day
8. $2000/day
9. $350/hour $3000/day
10. $2500/day
11. $1800-$2000/day
12. $200/hour
13. $2500/day
14. no answer

Best/Worst things about working for yourself

Freedom: Control over quality and quantity. Unpredictability: Constant worry about when
and if the next assignment will come along,
Flexibility: Freedom of schedule. The ability to man- mercurial nature of projects.
age time and have full control over capacities and
to decide what to work on. Being able to Lack of sparring partner: No team, no mentor,
manage a healthy work-life balance. no partner to bounce ideas, solitary, lack of
social interaction, no steady pay.
Less politics, no drama: Less stress, no
unnecessary meetings, more time to actually No benefits: Health insurance, paid holidays.
do the work.
Lack of time management.
Wide range of projects and clients.
Logistics: You have to be planner, account
Expanding experience. executive, messenger, creative director,
administrative.
Gaining exposure to different ways of thinking.

Having to pitch all the time.

Overall:
Freedom was the ultimate reason behind going freelance. Freedom to make decisions, freedom of
schedule, freedom from the office bullshit and politics, and the freedom to do things in their own way.

How Much
10

15

20

25

30

35
Think about your work capac-
0

5

ity over the past year. Which %
best describes how much work Work I Had
you've had if 100% is how much
work you wanted? (Among all 0% 2%
freelancers)
25% 14%
50% 17%
75% 31%
100% 23%
125% 9%
>125% 4%

Freelancers – Advice before going freelance (USA)
These quotes are really insightful for anyone considering the freelance route.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTACTS
Make sure you have the clients to support your-
self. Nothing is as important as real personal
connections. If you don't have those, don't jump.
It isn't enough to be liked by your clients and have
friends at other agencies. There is a long proc-
ess to market yourself as an individual. First build
up your network of possible clients among your
current co-workers. By being a pleasure to work
with, over-delivering, being a great partner/team
member. Start with a client and find a partner who
ORGANIZE YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION
brings a complimentary ethos.
Know what you need to earn to cover your
costs and understand exactly how the tax sys-
tem works. Make sure that you have at least 6
months worth of income saved up for the slow
periods. Consider the "overhead" in your hourly
rate; going out on your own is great, but it will
cost you more than you think. Quote a high
rate then negotiate - many clients are willing
to pay more for your skills. Then stretch those
paychecks because you never know when the
next one comes. Sometimes it is months be-
tween an interested client and the first check.

MAKE SURE THERE’S A NEED FOR YOUR SERVICES
Start to develop skills/products that you can take with you
and sell. Much of the work done at an agency requires the
collaboration of many people, but you will only be able to offer
yourself. What can you do, as an individual? How will you
market those abilities? Try to get clear on what they really
expect and what you can really offer. Don't be shy about get-
ting the money that you feel is appropriate for your task - or
even more. Don't assume you have to give a "cut rate" be-
cause you're learning. Also, when you don't know how to do
something emphasize your knowledge of process and getting
to a solution rather than the actual knowledge base. Keep
copies of briefs, strategy docs, creative outputs, and results
on every project you work on. Be prepared to push yourself to
learn new things or you'll become obsolete very quickly. Also,
having really broad experience across numerous categories
is the only way to survive...with special expertise in the "big
spending" categories like fast food, automotive, personal
care, healthcare, etc.

IT IS NOT FOR THE UNDISCIPLINED
Be flexible and honest about what you can (and can-
not) do. I would only advise someone to go out on
their own if they can truly "go with the flow" and have
the kind of personality where they can embrace differ-
ent agency cultures and fit in immediately...you have
to bring your own thinking to every project but also
have to me mindful of "their" way.

Freelancers – Advice before going freelance (Outside USA)

BE AND STAY VISIBLE
Build your network before you make a move and
once you've made your move, make sure every-
body knows. You should know a lot people to book
you. So best is to start working in some big agency
with few planners. Also you should have been in
one of the "hot shops", because especially these
guys only book planners who have been "there",
too. Spend time on your network and never let a
contact go cold. Small agencies with no in-house
planning are often a better source of business than
big ones with lots of planners on staff.

SELL SOMETHING MORE THAN PLANNING
Advertise yourself. Be brilliant. Leave them
wanting more. Be interesting. Always phone
- never email. Don't be too afraid to over-sell
yourself. Be flexible in your offer. Build data-
base of studies, presentations, information and
bookmarks. If there's something you believe
you are unique in, go market it, and stick to it.

YOU HAVE TO BE ABSOLUTELY COMMIT-
TED, RESPONSIBLE AND ORGANIZED TO
MAKE IT WORK
Get used to being really busy or really quiet
but not much in between. And check if you like
to work alone and all by yourself and if you
have enough self-discipline! Don't expect to be
treated as one of the team, often the agency
board sees you as a cost they have to carry
because their business is fluctuating, rather
than a flexible asset. When you easily outper-
form their perm staff, it makes the board very
uncomfortable. So do a great job with modesty.

START AFTER YOU HAVE
SAVED SOME
Don't do it unless you have
no significant financial
commitments.

Finding a Job
Thinking of recruiters, which ones, if any, are the best at helping planners find jobs?

USA
Less than half of the respondents had experience with recruiters. The most popular were:

Ada Alpert: “Extremely responsive and well-connected with major agencies.”
Tangerine: “They are very well connected and have a line into most good agencies.”
Pete Gagliardi: "The man. Period. He cares about your life and your entire career and who you are, not just about placing you
in a role."
Barbara Shorenstein: “Very fast, caring and knows how to make a good fit.”
Talent Business: “Talented staff. Many were planners so they understand the role.”
Lee Weil: “Gets to know you personally and only sends you to interview at places you're a good personality/work fit for.”

BRAZIL
Only a few people knew about recruiters that are familiar with planning. The majority of these answers mentioned the
Brazilian Planning Group as the most effective way of finding a new job.

Talent Business: “Their reputation is great.”
Isabel Arias: “www.sartoria.com.br” (only mentioned once).
Michael Page: “Is starting here in Brazil to do some work in agencies and looking for planners in the market.” (only mentioned once)

UK
The number of people who know recruiters is still surprisingly low.

Talent Business: “They seem to care about placing you at the right place, not just to get cash, they understand the long game.”
Copper: “Personal relationship, cares and listens.”
Major Players: “They make it their job to improve your interview skills and offer you jobs most suited to your skill set.”
The Garden Partnership: “They seem to want to find you the right role.”
Denise Williams: ”She takes the time to get to know you and only puts you forward for jobs that'd be suitable.”
LizH: “Considered guidance vs whoring me out to everyone who has a vacancy.”

Some popular recruiters in the rest of the world:
AUSTRALIA - The Ladder: “Very knowledgeable and give really solid advise.”
CANADA - Grapevine: “More helpful than other recruiters I met with and assisted me with finding this particular role. Time is taken
to find a suitable fit.”
GERMANY - Dwight Cribb Personalberatung GmbH: “Because of their digital competence.”
INDIA - Neela Joglekar: based in Mumbai. "What I really like about her is the drive and persistence with which she approaches
openings and candidates.”
SPAIN - BPM: “They are a reference in Spain.”

Overall I found my current job:
Compared to networking and knowing the right
people, working with a recruiter is an option only for
a minority of planners.
Through someone I know
contacting me 39%
There is strong skepticism against recruiters, peo-
ple tend to not trust them. Through a recruiter
19%
When it comes to planning directors hiring a recruit-
ment agency to fill vacancies, only the infinitesimal
minority considers it as an option. Mistrust and lack
Through my own effort
contacting the company 21%
of competency came up as issues.
From a job posting
6%
15%
Other (Internship,
started own business,
HR contacted me)

Planning what?
Thinking about your projects over the past year, which of the following were a part of your work?

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80
0
PRINT 73%
TV 65%
MICRO-SITE 61%
FACEBOOK 60%
BANNER ADS 55%
WEB PLATFORM 55%
OUTDOOR 51%
TWITTER 46%
EVENT 45%
YOUTUBE 40%
RADIO 39%
MOBILE APP 32%
BRANDED UTILITY 28%
GUERILLA STUNT 27%
SEEDING 25%
Write-ins for “other” most often included direct, retail,
OTHER 16% product development, and design

How many Twitter followers should I have?
If you’re looking for the average, here are the numbers (among those who have at least one follower).

USA / INTL
Assistant Planner 169 / 210
Planner 192 / 335
Senior Planner 213 / 246
Group Planning Director 141 / 234
Head of Planning 353 / 479
CEO 1299 / 710

Blogs and Twitter
Not that I have any more head
space to read another planner USA / INTL
blog, but I was surprised to see No blog 43% / 37%
such a large chunk of people Have one I never update 13% / 12%
breaking this planning command-
ment. I also think it’s interesting to
Have one I rarely update 16% / 17%
see the US lagging behind a bit on I blog monthly 11% / 13%
blogs and significantly with Twitter. I blog weekly 12% / 17%
I blog daily 5% / 4%

No Twitter ID 15% / 9%
Have an ID, but I never tweet 20% / 14%
Rarely tweet 16% / 11%
Occasionally tweet 18% / 21%
Frequently tweet 27% / 39%
I just tweeted about this question 4% / 7%

What, if anything, do you dislike about your job?

CLIENTS,
LACK OF VISION,
PLANNING MARGINALIZED,
NOT ENOUGH TIME TO
THINK, BAD MANAGEMENT,
SPREAD TOO THIN, LACK OF OR-
GANIZATION, WORK/LIFE BALANCE,
UNDERSTAFFED, LACK OF INTEGRATION
WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS,
CREATIVES, POLITICS, MONEY,
NO GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES,
DIGITAL SHORTCOMINGS,

ACCOUNT PEOPLE

Reasons for leaving your job
Below is an example of a resignation letter based on your survey answers, in order of importance.

Some choice verbatims

“My former boss was a schizofrenic (sic) and wanted me to be part of some obscure cult with him as the idol”

“Planning was a trophy in a cabinet, wheeled out for pitches but never valued or used internally”

“Fight off laziness”

“Was stagnant”

“Shitcanned”

“My salary was almost symbolic”

How do we feel about our jobs?
We like our jobs quite a bit. But we don’t stay in them very long: we’re on the move after a year or three.
Do agencies even give a shit about retention?

How much do you like your Hate it - 2%
current job? Don’t like it - 9%
Like it - 33% Have you changed jobs in
Really like it - 37% the past 12 months?
Love it - 19%

How likely are you to Not at all likely - 30%
change jobs this year? Somewhat unlikely - 16% YES
Neither likely or unlikely - 15% 35%
Somewhat likely - 21% NO
Very likely - 18% 65%

How long have you 6 months or less - 22%
worked at your current company? 1 year - 19%
(Round to the closest number) 2 years - 19% YES=32% last year
3 years - 14%
4 years - 8%
5 years or more - 18%

How do we feel about planning for the rest of our lives?

20% 25% 18% 24% 12%
Enthusiastic Moderate Steady as Mild Complete
levels of levels of she goes exhaustion exhaustion
energy energy

Not planning babies
When I start working on Pampers, I’m certainly not going to be getting my diaper insights from you. And ladies,
do our agencies slip birth control into the coffee?

I have children living at home:

Men Women
27% True 20% True
73% False 80% False

Strong planners
In your opinion, which one agency has the strongest planning group?

Making this a closed-end question and offering "don't know" as a choice made it shoot up to the number one response
this year. Not much has changed since last year, except Fallon and Anomaly have swapped places with JWT, and
Ogilvy makes an appearance based on write-in votes. I hope this year I can show you why StrawberryFrog should be
on your list.

Don't
Know 20% 15%

15% 12%

11% 7%

4% 3%

2%

Awesome Planners
Last year I asked who we all think are the most respected planners – the ones we’d most want to work for. This year
I asked who we think are the unsung heros. The planners that are too busy being awesome to be famous. This was
not meant to be a popularity contest. In fact, if you misunderstood and put down one of last year’s most famous
planners, I’ve not included them here. This list is a little pat on the back from the planners who work next to you and
notice that you’ve got the goods.

@litmanlive Bogdana Butnar Definitely my boss, but she'd kill me if she Ilana Bryant at StrawberryFrog
@deborahmarino Bradley Kay ended up in the survey results :) Irene Knoth
@stellawongo Brandalise Denise Fedewa - Leo Burnett Irina Lapin, Grey
Aaron Dignan Brandon Murphy - 22squared Desmond Marzette (W+K Portland) Isabelle Defrancesco
Achim Rietze Brent Nelsen, Leo Burnett, Canada Devika Bulchandani at McCann Issac Jacob
Adam Broitman Brian McCarter (Freelancer) Dick De Langue Ivan Askwith
Adam Chorney at Fallon Brian Wakabayashi Dick Steel Ivomarcos Vieira
Adam Crandall Britton Taylor Diego Kerner Jack Dyan
Adam Ferrier Brooke Skinner Dino Demopoulos Jack Perone
Adele Meyers (Porter Novelli) Bryan Smith (BBH) Djanoe Aryanto Jacob Braude
Aditya Kanthy Bud Caddell Dom Boyd, DDB London Jaime Kalfus
Adla Fayad Busty LaRue Domenico Vitale Jaime Stein - Arnold
Adrian Barrow C. K. Prahalad Don Longfellow (Innocean, formerly of Jaime Troiano
Adrian Fogel LeoBurnett Chicago Caio Del Manto Saatchi and Y&R) James Hurman (Colenso BBDO, Auckland
Adrian Ho Caio Delmanto Dorothee Rein NZ)
Adriana Bombonato Cameron Maddux Dustin Johnson James Lou
Aisea Language Camila Holpert Dylan Williams Jamie Shuttleworth
Alain Sylvain (Sylvain Labs) Camilo La Cruz Earl Cox Jamie Webb
Alan Snitow Carla Sá Ed Beard at LBi Jan Chip Chase
Alasdair Lloyd Jones Carlos Abbud Ed Cotton Jan Westcott - Energy BBDO Chicago
Aldo Pini Carlos Henrique Villela Eduardo Lorenzi Jared Folkmann
Alejandro Cainzos Carolina Roxo Eike Koening from Hort. He doesn´t describe Jarett Hausske
Alex Grossman Caroline Krideit, TAXI himself as a Planner but he defently is one. Jaron Lanier
Alex Marquez Caroline Simpson Emily Bain, Toronto Jasmin Cheng Twist Image
Alex Mimoun Carolyn Hall Emma Cookson Jason De Turris (JWT New York)
Alex Pallete Casey Ingle Eric Descombes Jason Gonsalves
Alex Pasini Catherine Heath Eric Fernandez Jason Oke
Alexander Chung Catherine Kolodij, Allen & Gerritsen Erik Jansen Jason Parker
Alima Wheeler Celine Dallas Erika Chance Javier Suso
Alison Bonner Chantelle Begley Erin Tait Jay Pattisall- BSSP
Alison Segar Charles Frith Erwin Airlangga Jeff Kenyon
Alison Stewart Charles Vallance, VCCP Etty Abadi Jeff Paiva
Alistair Beattie Charles Wigley Everyone at TRG - there are amazing plan- Jeffrey Blish, Deutsch
Allan Alves Charlie Robertson, Red Spider ners here that don't often get the spotlight Jen Patterson
Alnoor Ladha - Purpose Campaigns Charlie Snow, DLKW London Fab Redhill Jen Small at Cole&Weber
Aluisio Pinto Cheryl Bailey Fabiano Coura Jennifer Dellapina
Amanda Latifi Chris Baker Fabio Buresti Jennifer Ganshirt
Ambi Parameshwaran Chris Barredo Fabio Buss Jennifer Zimmerman
Amelia Torode - VCCP Chris Gallery Felipe Bertrand Jeremy Holden
Ana Martin Chris Snook Felipe Senise Jeroen de Bakker
Ana Paula Cortat Chris Spencer Fernand Alphen Jerry Steele, DIGITAS
Anastasia Toomey Chrissie Graboski Fernanda Flandoli Jesse Bayer
Andrea Ring Christian Cocker, Deutsch Fernando Cardoso - br4|marketing Jill White
Andrew Aquino Christina Raia Fernando Diniz @ YR Jim Carroll, BBH
Andrew Dawson at R/GA Christopher Dimmock Fola Williams Jim Franzen
Andrew Edwards Christopher Owen - The Richards Group Francis Anderson Jim Lucas
Andrew Gardner Chrsitina Raia Frank Bethel Jim Sheehy
Andrew Hovells Cintia Gonçalves, AlmapBBDO Fred Sarnblad at BBH Jimena Toledo
Andrew McCowan, Planning Director, JWT Claudia Salzmann Fritz Kuhn Jing Villacorta
Sydney Clay Langdon Gabriel Borges João Gabriel Fernandes
Andrew Moss Clay Parker Jones Gabriela Arriaga (México) Jody Thomas at RPA
Andrew Teagle Cliff Courtney Gabrielle Muse Joe Gray, Leo Burnett
Andy Grayson Clive De Freitas Gard & Paul at VML Joe Nio
Andy Jones (formerly Ogilvy) Colin Mitchell Gareth Ellis, Saatchi & Saatchi London Johan Östlund, DDB Hong Kong
Andy Lear Colleen Decourcy Gary Stein at Isobar Johannes Schneider
Andy Lindblade Conn Fishburn Gavin Heaton John Gerzema
Andy Walsh @ MediaCom London Cory Pelletier Gem Romero John Grant
Andy Whitlock Craig Elston @ Integer Geoff Director John Griffiths
Angela Jones Craig Mawdsley George Bryant John Heath @ Gotham
Anibal Casso Crystal Merritt George Scribner John Kottman
Anomaly's planners Crystal Roubadeaux Gerard Smith John Shaw, Ogilvy Global Planning Director
Antonio Quijano Dagny Scott Gil Aranowitz John Thorpe
Ardi Telli Dan Carlton, the Paragraph Project Gilberto Della Giustina John V Willshire (PHD)
Ari Nave Dan Cherry (Anomaly) Giles Hedger John Woodward
Arvind Mohan - Chief Strategy Officer Y&R Dan Goldstein, TBWA Chiat Day Gisela Toledo Johnny Bauer @ Droga5
India Dan Hill Gisele Jordão (3d3 - Brasil) Jon Howard Quiet storm London
Arvind Srivastava, head of planning Ogilvy Dan Landin Graceann Bennett Jon Storey (not exactly unsung, but not so
KL, Malaysia Dan Ng Graeme Douglas visable as many)
Ashley Alsup Dan Sutton Griffin Farley Jon Tipple
Ashley Connors Danah Boyd Guillermo Navarro Jon Wade - Head of Digital Planning at
Ashley Yetman Daniel de Tomazo Gustavo Donda Wunderman London
Asi Sharabi Daniel Joseph Gustavo Foldvari Jonah Disend
Asi Sharabi Daniel Ribeiro - Almap BBDO Gustavo Lotufo Jonathan Brown at Publicis Notorious
Atan Burrowa Daniel Rios Gustavo Otto (London)
Austin McGhie Daniel Teng Guy Mijola Jonathan Daly, Saatchi Asia-Pacific
Avin Narasimhan Daniel Walloch Guy Murphy Jonathan Fletcher
Ayesha Wallawalkar Darcie Shively Hamish Chandra Jonathan Isaac
Baysie Wightman Darren Savage, RGA Harlan Kennedy Jonathan Lum
Belle Frank at Y&R NY Dave Mccaughan Hashem Bajwa Jonathan Sadlowe
Ben DiSanti Dave Snell Hattie Booth Jonny Lang in Singapore seems pretty damn
Ben Fielding Dave Weaver Heidi Hackemer, BBH good
Ben Kay, RKCRY&R David Amers Helen Lawrence at Dare Jorge Perez-Holder (Leo Burnett Mexico)
Ben Kunz David Eastman, JWT Helge Tenno Jory Edmunds
Ben Richards David Grzelak - Engauge Henni Sanft, Doner Josep Hernandez, Wunderman
Ben Shaw David Hackworthy Henry Kozak, BD Network Josh Chambers
Benevenuto at RGA David Hudson Henry Mintzberg Joyce Simmons
Benjamin Le Clercq David Laloum, Y&R Brasil Hernán Ponce Juan Isaza DDB Mexico
Bernardo Geoghegan (Argentina) David Lavietes Howard Roberts - Saatchi & Saatchi Judy Flanagan
Bertrand Cesvet David Measer Huw Gildon Julian Smith
Beth Fetzer David Page Iain Tait ex poke now W&K Julie Burke head of insights at fallon
Beth Knight David Sandström Iain White, JWT Bangkok Julie Liss
Bob Mazerov David Terry Ian Foulds Julie Smith

Julika Prenzel Marilia Brugnolo - ID/TBWA Pat Palmer Shelley Brown, zig ideas
Julio Ribeiro Mark Hancock Patrick Palmer Shireen Jiwan
Jura Craveiro Mark Lewis Paul Barnett Sidney Bosley
Jurandir Craveiro Mark Miller at Team One in Los Angeles Paul Colman Sigrid Jakob
Jurene Fremstad Mark Pollard Paul Gage Simon Law
Justin Graham (BBDO) Mark Renshaw Paul Gilberto Sonya Shmatova
Justin McMurray Mark Rukman Paul Graham Sreenesh Bhat Ogilvy India
Karan Gera Mark Sherrington Paul Isakson Stacey Grier at DDB SF
Karen Heumann Mark Silverman Paul Matheson Stacey Lesser
Karen Sharp - Arnold Mark Simmons Paul Parton Steffen Stäuber
Karin Knutson Mark Turner - SSLA Paula Ausick Sten Braathen, Kitchen / Leo Burnett
Karl Long Martin Bishop Paula Lagrotta from NBS Brazil Stephanie Ouyoumjian
Karl Turnbull Martin Karaffa Paulo Macari Stephen Farquhar
Kasha Lewis Martin Ramos Pedro Costa (AFRICA – Brazil) Stephen Griffith Hahns (Mullen)
Kasia Molenda Martin Weigel, Wieden + Kennedy, Amster- Pedro Porto, from brazilian agency AFRICA Steve Bullock - a real 360 planner
Kate Rutter dam Pele Cortizo-Burgess Steve Walls
Kate Waters Mary Mills Pérola Freeman Steve Zaroff
Katherine Wintsch - The Martin Agency Matasel from Romania's Leo Burnett agency Pete Heskett Steven Hopkins
Katherine Zeng Matt Butcher Peter Clements (CHI) Stewart Young
Kathy Kline Matt Herrmann (formerly GSP, now McCann) Phil Graham - Mother Straith Schreder
Katie Chatfield - Australia Matt Herrmann (McCann) Phil Jackson Stuart Smith (W+K NYC)
Katie Conway at Tattoo Matt Jarvis at 72andSunny Philip Sheldon Sub Nijjar
Katie Dreke Matt Mattox Pierre Coulier Sunaina Gupta
Katie Harrison, BBH Matt Milan Pratik Thakar Suresh Nair, Grey
Kay Bradley Matt Saunders Rachel Hatton Susan DeSimone - Freelance planner/Mpls
Keid Sammour (from CUBOCC) Matt van Hoven Rachid Kanaan Susan Kaufman, Minneapolis
Keith Newton Matt Williams Rafael Barreto Susan Small-Weil, The Seiden Group
Kelle England Matthew Milan (former planner, now owner Rafael Jardim (Talent - Brazil) Suzanne Powers @ TBWA NY
Kelli Robertson AKQA of Normative) Raj Gupta Sveta Doucet, Profero NY
Kelly Eidson Matthias Breitschaft Ralph Bennewitz Sveta Srinavasan
Kelly Evans Pheifer Matty Tong Ramon Olle, Spain Taylor Standlee - consultant
Kelly Schoeffel Max Heilbron Ramon Valadez Ted Florea @ GSP - brilliant, if a bit unpre-
Kelly Thompson Carmichael Lynch Maxine Thomas - Taxi Raphael Barreto (DPZ/Brazil) dictable
Ken Hollander, DDB New York McCann Erickson Planners Ray Kurzweil Teresa Harris - Saatchi New Zealand
Ken Muench me Rebecca Matovic The head of planning at Mother
Kenji Summers me Rebecca Munds, CHI and Partners, London The Integer Group
Kerry Stranman me Rebecca Stambanis The Martin Agency Planning Department
Kevin Brockenbrough me! Reema Vyas The Preston Kelly Team, and Colle+McVoy
Kevin Dundas me, of course. Rei Quinto (Wunderman Brazil) Thorsten Kremser
Kevin Nelson at McCann NY Me. Reid Evans Tiago Stachon
Kevin Rothermel Me. hahahaha Remi Marcelli DDB Paris Tiffany Graeff at Saatchi NY
Kevin Sugrue Meg Way Renata Bokel Tiffany Kenyon
Kiran Vaswani Mel Barden Rene Baquero Tim Hollins
Kirsten Recknagel Merry Baskin Renee Quan Tim Malbon, Made By Many
Kirsty Higgins Meryl Freeman Rhea Curry Tim Maleeney @ Ogilvy NY
Kirsty Saddler Michael Angelovich Richard Dunn Toby Horry
Koishiro Tanaka Michael Chapman Richard Kelly (Lowe) Tom Callard
Kristen Cavallo Michael Deszo (JWT) Richard Pentin Tom Donovan
Kunal Jeswani Michael Fanuele, Euro RSCG NYC Richard S Bell Tom Han
Kunal Muzumdar Michael Hastings-Black Richard Santiago (Arnold) Tom Morton TBWA
Lachlan Badenoch Michael Llewellyn-Williams Richard Storey Tom Naughton
Lance Hill Michael Ramah (Porter Novelli) Rick Leibling Tony Evans
Lara Lew/TBWA Brazil Michael Udell Rita Almeida Tracey Follows, VCCP London
Lars Friberg Michael Zorn Rob Campbell Trevor Harvey - TBWA London
Laura Chiavone Michel Lent Rob Collins Uli Kurtenbach
Laura Tan Mick McCabe Rob Klingensmith Undercurrent
Lauren Puglia Miguel Velhinho Rob Perkins Valerie Henaff
Lauren Tucker Mike Arauz Rob White Verra Budimlija at G2 London
Laurence Horner (at Mother London) Mike Cox Roberta Carusi Vicky Aloneftis
Leandro Ogalha Mike Daniels Roberto Justus Victor Marx
Lee Daley Mike Doody at Publicis Robin Hafitz Victoria Kaulbeck
Lee Maicon Mike Gaertner, Loomis Group Rocio Fernandez (Dieste) Vincent Garel (TBWA Paris)
Lee McEwan Mike Reeder Rodrigo Maroni Vincent Thome
Leeann Leahy at Lowe Mike Ronkoske Roger Gagnon at Critical Mass Vishal Sharma
Leila Fernandes Milo Chao (DDB Hong Kong) Rogério Colantuono Vivan Vianna
Leka Pinheiro Mimi Wheeler Rohit Srivastava - Head of Planning Contract Vladimir Jones
Leon Phang - The Planning Lab - Jung von Min Hee Lee Advertising Mumbai Walt Barron
Matt Mindy Price - not known, but excellent Rose Cameron - Euro RSCG Chicago Walter Longo (Newcomm Group - WPP)
Leona Frett Mollie Partesotti Ross McLean- DraftFCB Wanda Pogue - Saatchi & Saatchi NYC
Lesley Bielby most of them Rowena Alston Whoever helped plan Dos Equis
Lesley Walsh MT Carney Ruby Sheng Will Humphries
Leslie Stone My collagues in BBDO and Saatchi&Saatchi Ryan O'Connel - Clems Sydney Wojtek Szumowski at CP+B (US)
Liana Chang, W+K Croatia Ryan Wilson xavier charpentier
Libby Anderson Naomi Mersky Said Schneider (working mainly for the Pall Yee Thong Wong
Lindsay Ellerby Natalie Anderson Mall brand, currently at G2, Germany) Young Lee
Lindsey Allison Natalie Horne Sam Alonso Zach Lev
Liron Reznik at Skinny Natasha Jakubowski Sam Ismail
Lisa Killbourn Nathan Gray Sandy Burns at Red Spider
Lisa Rios Neal Arthur Sandy Thompson
Lorenzo Bresciani at Lowe London Neil Hourston, Grey London Santosh Desai
Louise Nolder Neil Perkin Sara Bamber
Luca Roselli Newton Nagumo - JWT Brazil Sara Brito at CP+B.
Luis Miranda Nicholas Gill Sara Gallego
Luiz Mastropietro Nick Barham at W+K shanghai Sarah Booth - McCann Manchester
Lukas Dudek Nick Bartle, BBDO Sarah Carter
Mack Reynolds Nick Chapman Sarah Clark, CHI&Partners
Madhukar Sabnavis Nick Emmel, Dare, UK Sarah Hall, Dave Snell
Madlen Grenzmann Nick Gill Sarah Patterson at Leo Burnett
Mal Bonnington Nick Hirst Sarah Saline
Malcolm White from Krow Nick Southgate Sarah Watson, DDB UK
Malia Supe Nicolas Moerman Satish Krishnamurthy
Marc Leurs (TBWA, Amsterdam) Nigel Carr Scott Cromer
Marc-Antoine Jarry Nikki Crumpton Scott Hughes at Critical Mass
Marcello Magalhães Nikky Cronk Scott Jensen
Marcelo Serpa Nina Lalic Scott Karambis
Marci Ikeler Nisan Guanaes Scott Kraft
Marcia Roosevelt Noah Brier Scott Lukas
Marcio Beauclair Northern Planner Scott MacMaster
Marco Aurélio Centenaro (Cheil Brasil) Oke Müller Scott Redick @ Heat
Marcus Fischer, Space 150 Olivia Provan Sean Boyle
Margot Grover Oriol Bombi Sean Howard
Mari Zampol Otón Sebastian Gunnewig, 180 LA
Maria Tender, ddb Ozioma Serena Saitas
Mariana Bricchetto Pablo Lezama Sergio Katz
Mariane Maciel Pamela Narins Seth Gaffney
Marie Jamieson - Global Planning Director Paramita Mohamad Shannon Williams
TBWA Partha Sinha Shel Kimen

The Planner Survey 2010

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