I had been unemployed for a rather significant period of time. Not proud nor ashamed of it, it's how things go. But what I came to realize in those moments is thathaving too much time in your hands can lead you to do stupid things andyou must never stop learning your craft.

I am an account planner, before I was unemployed I thought the job was about making presentations and post-rationalize people's behaviours to improve the creative ideas (the advert tweaker end of Stephen King's planning spectrum). After that I started a new business and failed miserably at it. I learned that (1) I cannot do everything myself, (2) the language of business is finance and (3) commercial success is based on a very extensive distribution channel strategy. See how I completely ignored the comms part of marketing?

Now, how has those experiences influenced my view of advertising and specifically account planning?

Well, first and foremost, we're not important in the grand scheme of things. We like to think of ourselves as the pillars behind businesses growth, we are not. CFOs see advertising expenditure as a sunk cost of doing business. That's why we are no longer invited to the big boys' meeting, that's why CMOs are kind of relegated in their organizations and that's why we are seen as mere vendors rather than strategic business partners.

Secondly, an account planner job has a twofold nature IMO.