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Advertising
Tracing the evolution of account
advertising account planning planning
Park Beede
College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Received 22 September 2018
Revised 22 May 2019
Abstract Accepted 9 June 2019

Purpose – This study aims to contribute a comprehensive historical analysis of account planning in
scholarly literature, tracing its origins in agency adoption through transformation amid today’s rapidly
changing advertising environment.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies a historical literature review of advertising
account planning literature spanning over a half-century. The analysis focuses on dual dimensions of
chronological evolution and thematic content analysis to trace the development of key constructs and their
changes over time.
Findings – The analysis sheds light on the origins of account planning as a discipline and factors
influencing its practice among agencies. Three distinct chronological stages of development are identified,
and four dominant construct themes evident across time. Analysis indicates that traditional account planning
was well formed functionally in the 1990s and peaked in prominence around the turn of the new millennium.
Of late, however, advances in account planning theory appear limited and the future fragmented.
Originality/value – This study provides a unique historical perspective tracing the chronological
development and key constructs of account planning. Implications for the future of the planning discipline are
uncertain as agencies innovate with new functional roles seeking to unlock consumer insights and creative
opportunities in the digital advertising environment.
Keywords Advertising history, Advertising strategy, Account planning
Paper type Literature review

Introduction
Advertising account planning emerged in the 1960s from a blend of research insights and
creative inspiration. While these two perspectives are not mutually exclusive, the decade
witnessed substantial growth in the availability of research information and sophistication
of creative ideas brought to life, in particular, on network television. Intended to bridge this
gap between research and creativity was the “voice of the consumer,” an emerging
viewpoint similarly championed by account planning pioneers Stanley Pollitt at Boase
Massimi Pollitt (BMP) and Stephen King at J. Walter Thompson (JWT) (Hackley, 2003a).
Initially established in the BMP and JWT agencies, the account planning process sought to
accumulate research-driven consumer information, decode it and impart insights into the
development of creative strategy (Pollitt, 1979; King, 1989). Soon, a new role was embraced
among agencies across the UK, heralding a new breed of advertising specialists called
“planners” (Pollitt, 1979).
As an agency tool, early account planning aided the creative process, guiding the
development of distinctive ideas into fertile and focused directions. The planning process
also fostered confidence among clients, assured by the inclusion of consumer “research” in
creative development. Soon, the uniquely British account planning process was widely Journal of Historical Research in
Marketing
adopted throughout the UK and reported in key advertising trade periodicals such as © Emerald Publishing Limited
1755-750X
Campaign and Admap (Channon, 1977; Channon, 1978; Bartle, 1980). Over a decade later, DOI 10.1108/JHRM-09-2018-0039
JHRM account planning made its way to America with the appointment of Jane Newman in 1982
(Sharfman, 1986; Osiatynski, 1988; Lafayette, 1989).
Over time, many aspects of account planning have been widely reported and
researched (Habberstad, 2000; McCulloch and Butcher, 2003; White, 2008; Feldwick,
2009). In addition to growing exposure in leading trade publications, Jon Steel
popularized planning in the mainstream book Truth, Lies and Advertising: The Art of
Account Planning (Steel, 1998). More recently, a firsthand historical perspective of the
discipline was chronicled by Griffiths and Follows (2016) in 98 per cent Pure Potato: The
Origins of Advertising Account Planning. Griffiths and Follows trace the origins and
development of account planning through interviews with many of the pioneers and
leading practitioners in the field. The authors conclude by comparing the history of
planning with many of the emerging challenges and opportunities agencies face today
(Griffiths and Follows, 2016).
While the evolution of account planning has been well documented in practice, the
planning process remains something of an enigma throughout academic investigation; an
applied discipline weaving together art and science, creativity and rationality. The
structural role may be well defined, but application and understanding of the conceptual
construct is relatively varied and vague. Moreover, after a half-century of traditional
account planning practiced among mainstream agencies, the digital revolution, in particular,
has potentially ushered in a disruptive transformation challenging conventional planning
(Zimand-Sheiner and Earon, 2019). Agencies – and clients – have reached a “crossroads”
with new forms of advertising and more varied time consumers spend with all forms
of media (Cuneo, 2007). The advertising environment in the new millennium begs the
question – Is account planning still relevant? What is the future of account planning?
To paraphrase the famous quote by Confucius, we should study the past to predict the
future (of account planning). Thus, the aim of this study traces the scholarly development of
advertising account planning as reflected in research literature. Through a comprehensive
examination and analysis of its evolution in scholarly publications – from origins in UK
agencies through adoption in the USA and finally global agencies – a conceptual construct
supporting future development may be identified.
For theoretical focus, account planning is defined in this study as the applied process of
integrating consumer insights into creative strategy and brand communications (Meyers,
1986; Hackley, 2003b). Morrison and Haley (2003) defined it further as three key phases in
the advertising process: strategy formation, creative development and campaign evaluation.
Based on this conceptualization, a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature and
formative practitioner citations examines the structural development, wide-spread
application and recent transformation – or potential demise – of traditional account
planning. Through analysis of account planning’s evolution, a view toward the future is
proposed.

Literature review process

As defined by Fink (1998), “A literature review is a systematic, explicit, and reproducible
design for identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the existing body of recorded
documents.” A thorough review of relevant literature is essential to advancing academic
knowledge and assessing the topic across publication formats, research methodologies and
geographic regions (Webster and Watson, 2002).
Tranfield et al. (2003) proposed a systematic literature review process consisting of three
stages: the planning stage, conducting stage and reporting/dissemination stage. Key to
planning the review is a definition of inclusive and exclusive criteria. Selection criteria in
this study focused on the discipline of advertising account planning as defined in the Advertising
prominent literature, which thus included closely related processes of planning input, such account
as consumer research, contribution to creative strategy, and campaign evaluation. Articles
were also screened for relative emphasis on the topic of account planning, as compared to
planning
other advertising functions, and general contribution to discipline knowledge.
Given a fairly universal application of the term “account planning” in advertising
literature, the core concept is well framed. In this study, articles published in scholarly
literature were the focus of analysis. Key citations published in leading trade periodicals
were also identified, recognizing that a number of cited contributions to the discipline in
research were published in the trade press by leading practitioners. For example, important
articles describing and perhaps shaping the origins of account planning in UK agencies (e.g.
Admap and Campaign) and adoption in US agencies (e.g. Advertising Age) were included.
However, the vast majority of trade press articles with the term “account planning” reported
on, for example, account planner appointments or new campaign launches, and thus were
excluded from analysis.
Scholarly publications also include select conference proceedings and professional
reports when cited by multiple authors within the discipline. Key books on the topic are also
examined, reflecting both authored contributions to account planning and edited volumes,
which typically adopt a more academic approach.
Webster and Watson (2002) recommended a structured approach to searching source
material. In general, the process followed three critical steps:
(1) The major contributions are likely to be in the leading journals. It makes sense,
therefore, to start with them. While journal databases such as ABI/Inform
(ProQuest) accelerate the identification of relevant articles, scanning a journal’s
table of contents is a useful way to pinpoint others not caught by your keyword
filter. Select conference proceedings should also be examined, especially those with
a reputation for quality.
(2) The next step goes backward by reviewing the citations for the articles identified
in Step 1 to determine prior articles that should be considered.
(3) Then go forward by using index services to identify articles citing the key articles
identified in the previous steps. Determine which of these articles should be
included in the review.

In conducting the systematic review, the search process was executed in three literature
databases: ABI/INFORM Complete (ProQuest), EBSCOHost and Google Scholar. The
keyword search strings “advertising” and “account planning” were used for all fields in all
database searches. Results include all publication formats: scholarly journals, books,
conference proceedings, professional reports and trade journals.
Parameters for then including and excluding publications reflect the degree to which
account planning is central to the theme and the frequency of citation among other authors.
For example, creative strategy development is a well-defined research topic in advertising
with obvious links to account planning. However, if creative development is the primary
topic and account planning is only mentioned in marginal incidence, the paper is likely to be
excluded. This assessment is further reinforced by comparing the prevalence of citations
cross-referenced among core contributions to the discipline over time. Through the course of
analysis, the universe of relevant literature became relatively evident.
Having established a comprehensive list of the most prevalent literature, the next step
reviewed citations and references to further refine core contributions to the discipline and
JHRM identify items not captured in the databases. Prevalence of cross-referencing and citations in
Google Scholar were used as indicators of impact within the discipline.
Finally, for purposes of this study, contributions to edited volumes are considered as
individual titles. With chapters published as original works, external citations tend to
reference individually authored contributions, noting some but often not all of the chapters
in a title. Thus, an edited volume of collective contributions (typically chapters) will be
considered and counted as individual papers whereas an authored book is noted as one
publication. The title of an edited volume, however, is also included in the list as an
“umbrella” reference reflecting the amalgamating contribution of editors.
Given the relatively specific and well-defined discipline of account planning in practice
(traditionally at least), a collection of 99 core publications were identified for emphasis and
examination in this study. “Literature” in this context includes all formats of scholarly
journals, conference proceedings, books, reports and select key trade periodicals published
between the origin of the topic in 1963 and 2019. Within this collection, 16 prominent articles
in trade periodicals were identified primarily through reference citations and selected for
inclusion. The full list of literature is presented in Appendix.
Finally, Tranfield et al. (2003) recommended that the reporting/dissemination stage
should develop a “thematic analysis” resulting from examination of the literature. Similarly,
Krippendorff (2004) described a process for analyzing text-based qualitative content
summarized as:
 selection of a relevant body of text;
 review of the narrative text to develop representative categories of topics;
 descriptive analysis of relevant information and summarizing key themes; and
 interpretation of generalized meanings.

Following these guidelines, subject content of literature was analyzed to identify relevant
themes and categorize contributions. Thematic analysis develops and defines dimensions
based on the collected data, resulting in a synthesis of interpretation providing a coherent
understanding of historical information (Fullerton, 1988).

Dimensions of analysis
The primary aim of this study examines the thematic evolution of advertising account
planning in literature to:
 better understand its origins and adoption;
 identify and explain factors contributing to the discipline of account planning; and
 discuss implications influencing the discipline’s future.

Publication content was analyzed for descriptive themes and structural dimensions
(Brewerton and Millward, 2001). An inductive analysis approach was applied to identify
core concepts and develop themes within the literature (Krippendorff, 2004). At the same
time, literature was assessed relative to chronological period, thereby accounting for
changes in the context of account planning over time. Through this process, the evolution of
account planning themes can be chronicled over time.
Through content analysis of account planning literature, key themes were identified
throughout the history of the discipline. Examination of defining constructs aligned with
significant events in the advertising environment. Overall, three distinct eras in the
evolution of account planning literature are evident, reflecting a characteristic
organizational “life cycle” of business process adoption (Hanks, 2015). Relative to these three Advertising
eras, four dominant themes emerge as driving dimensions of account planning theory. account
Together, this dual-dimension framework is:
planning
(1) emergence and growth of the account planning function: 1977-1989.
 conceptualization of advertising strategy models and the account planning process.
(2) development and maturity – defining constructs of account planning: 1990-2005.
 planning activities contributing to creative strategy and campaign development.
 functional execution of account planning and the advertising planning process.
(3) digital, disruption and decline – disaggregation of account planning: 2005-today.
 reflections and new directions driving contemporary account planning.

Together with the chronological development of the discipline, these themes give shape to
the functional role of account planning in relation to the process of advertising creation. The
discussion that follows aligns key themes with the dominant chronological period of
development and prominence.

Emergence and growth of the account planning function: 1977-1989

Arising from its earliest appearances in British trade journals during the 1970’s
(Channon, 1977; Channon, 1978; Pollitt, 1979), account planning roots can be traced back
initially to 1963 with David Ogilvy’s seminal Confessions of an Advertising Man.
Building on early career experience in research, Ogilvy defined a variety of “rules”
driving development of great advertising (Ogilvy, 1963). This disciplined approach to
creative strategy would become a key dimension to account planning process during the
early development years.
The 1960’s heralded a new era for advertising – especially with the impact of network
color television. Somewhat simplistic sales-oriented product demonstration strategies that
dominated early days of advertising gradually gave way to more creative ideas. Strategic
storytelling evolved in the sixties as a means to not only educate but also entertain
audiences and emotionally engage consumers. In this increasingly complex advertising
environment, account planning emerged as a functional discipline during this period of
flourishing creativity.
Developing from the parallel agency initiatives driven by Stanley Pollitt at BMP and
Stephen King at JWT, the account planning function took hold in UK agencies during the
late sixties (Griffiths and Follows, 2016). As the role replicated across agencies and new
planners grew in ranks, early literature largely examined the emerging planning process
and its activities among agencies (largely creative), clients and research providers. During
the early phase of adoption among agencies, literature explored mainly the what, how and
why of account planning activities.
Account planning in scholarly literature first appeared with Richard Vaughn’s (1980)
significant paper in the Journal of Advertising Research, “How advertising works: a
planning model.” Vaughn, a Senior Vice President of Foote, Cone and Belding, introduced
the FCB Grid as a model explaining alternative consumer message processing. Following
this perspective, scholarly literature during the 1980s largely explored the new advertising
planning process, examining planning tools and practices as they evolved in ad agencies
(Vaughn, 1980; Meyers, 1986; Vaughn, 1986; Barry et al., 1987).
Stewart (1987) described the migration of account planning from the UK to the New York
office of Ogilvy & Mather with the creation of account “Teams,” with a capital “T.” The
account team structure reflected the adoption of the (then still considered new) planning role
JHRM and way of working within the agency. During this early period, many prominent papers in
scholarly journals were authored by practitioners, such as Richard Vaughn (FCB), Bruce
Meyers (BBDO) and Jennifer Stewart (O&M).

Theme 1: conceptualization of advertising strategy models and the account planning process
Early literature introduced the first planning models applied to advertising (Vaughn, 1980;
Meyers, 1986; Vaughn, 1986; Percy and Donovan, 1991), providing strategic tools to the
process of account planning and advertising strategy. Initial advertising models about
consumer decision-making formed a foundation for guiding advertising strategy creation.
Vaughn’s presentation of the FCB Grid (Vaughn, 1980) introduced the first planning tools
that agencies quickly adopted and adapted to formalize the ideation process (Snyder, 1999;
Steel, 1999). A decade later, the Rossiter–Percy Grid presented a new model of explaining
consumer processing based on motivation types and involvement levels (Percy and
Donovan, 1991). Planning tools offered models to conceptualize a largely abstract creative
process up to that point. Using a variety of practitioner and scholarly tools, agency planners
became the expert advocates for consumer-driven campaigns and reasoned creative
strategy.
Following on from early observations in trade journals, the functional role of account
planning in agencies was examined in scholarly research (D’Souza, 1986; Barry et al., 1987;
Moran, 1988). During the decade of adoption among US agencies, research also examined
the establishment of account planning roles and its impact on advertising activities. Reeve
(1992), for example, offered an early historical review chronicling a definitive account of the
emerging role’s functions within agencies at this time.
Overall, the developing range of account planning activities was examined during this
early period, basically defining the scope and function of the planning process as an integral
part of advertising creation. By the end of the decade, the discipline of account planning was
firmly established in the literature. Scholarly research contributed to endorsing the purpose
and process of account planning in the creation of advertising.

Development and maturity – defining constructs of account planning:

1990-2005
With the discipline well established among agencies during the next decade, account
planning literature quickly accrued an emphasis on the core connection between consumers
and creative (Hirschman, 1989; Reeve, 1992; Kover and Goldberg, 1995; Steel, 1998). The role
of research in planning emerged as a key topic for investigation in this context (Rod, 1997;
Baskin and Coburn, 2001). The planning process took shape as defining activities and
functions were identified in literature. Also, reflecting more on the outcome of campaign
performance, advertising effectiveness was linked to the planning function (Kover et al.,
1995). Planning’s importance in crafting effective advertising was further reflected by the
growth of the annual Effie Awards competition, launched in 1968 by the New York
American Marketing Association.
The planning role was also identified as a central coordinator among multiple inputs,
linking process and perspectives among key participants such as account management
(White, 1992), creatives (Taylor et al., 1996), media (O’Donoghue, 1997), clients (Edwards,
1997) and research (Rod, 1997). The planning role in agencies was broadly popularized
during this decade, characterized by Jon Steel’s (1998) popular book Truth, lies and
advertising: The art of account planning. Account planning functions were thus well-defined
during this decade.
 Accumulating rapidly throughout the 1990s, the turn of the century reflected a highpoint Advertising
of scholarly studies and authored accounts about planning. Research in traditional account account
planning peaked early in the new millennium, illustrated by a 2003 special issue in
Marketing Intelligence and Planning dedicated to the discipline (Thomas et al., 2003). At this
planning
point, account planning is well and truly established as a core discipline integrating “the
voice of the consumer” into effective advertising, as originally espoused by Stanley Pollitt.

Theme 2: planning activities contributing to creative strategy and campaign development

Initiated by agencies to infuse consumer insights into advertising, a second theme that
emerged early in literature is a focus on planning inputs into the development of creative
strategy. Mondroski et al. (1983) investigated creative decision-making processes within
agencies, including the contribution of strategic planning. Hirschman (1989) followed this
further by examining decision-making roles in the creative process. Without yet specifically
delineating the account planner role, the author described the account team’s contribution to
developing research insights and creative strategy (Hirschman, 1989). At this stage in the
evolution of account planning, the process is taking shape while the actual role is still in an
early phase of definition.
Similar to Hirschman, Kover and Goldberg (1995) investigated the dynamics of
collaborative processes within agencies, while specifically noting the role of planners
integrating the creative development process. Taylor et al. (1996) also noted the contribution
of planners in the development of creative strategy in the context of French agencies. By the
mid-nineties, account planning’s contribution to creative strategy and campaign
development had been decisively established in scholarly research. Integrating consumer
research into creative development had become a core competency of account planners and
central to development of creative strategy.
Haley et al. (2014) revisited the topic recently, with interviews among advertising agency
creatives regarding their perceptions of the account planning process. The authors identified
a set of personality factors among planners and functional factors within the planning
process that leads to excellent planning. Their research reiterated four core functions
planners serve; the “voice of the consumer”, developing strategic insights, acting as creative
catalyst, and serving as a client confidant (Haley et al., 2014). Nyilasy et al. (2013) observed
similar aspects while focusing more on the interpersonal aspects of creativity among agency
personnel and clients. The core relationship and emphasis between planning and creativity
remains fairly consistent throughout nearly 30 years of scholarly research.

Theme 3: functional execution of account planning and the advertising planning process
With most global agencies having adopted account planning in some form, research
attention also turned toward functional execution and effectiveness. Similar to the previous
focus on creative strategy as a process, a number of scholarly articles examined the
planning in detail and its specific role in developing creative strategy (Banerjee, 1994;
Morrison and Haley, 2003; Grant and McLeod, 2007). As compared to earlier research
focused on the creative development perspective, the account planning discipline in form
and function is central to this stream of study.
Account planning in this context also appears prominently in authored texts and edited
volumes, crossing over both academic and professional perspectives as the discipline is
assimilated into advertising curricula (Kelley and Jugenheimer, 2006). In addition to Steel’s
popular depiction of account planning (Steel, 1998), Newman edited a comprehensive
examination of planning’s role within account management in What every account executive
should know about account planning published by the American Association of Advertising
JHRM Agencies (Newman, 1992). Cooper focused on the planning process in the compilation How
to Plan Advertising (Cooper, 1997), while Jones included contributions comparing American
and British perspectives on planning in his review of advertising at the end of the decade
(Jones, 1999). Clearly, account planning was now well-integrated into the advertising process
in both industry and academe. The emphasis in this literature focused on defining core
capabilities and functional aspects in effective account planning.
As reflected in Jones’ work, the period is also marked by the emergence of integrated
marketing communication (IMC) in advertising (Duncan and Moriarty, 1998) and media
fragmentation effects (Rust and Oliver, 1994). Zambardino and Goodfellow (2003) examined
how account planning responded to the challenges of the evolving marketing environment
during the 1990s and the growth of integrated marketing communications. Based on a new
principle of “media neutral planning,” the authors concluded that planning is an inherently
flexible discipline and that its prime function is to place the consumer at the heart of creative
marketing and communication planning (Zambardino and Goodfellow, 2003). During this
period, a thread of research explored different functional aspects of account planning, such
as its relationship with media activities, as well as creative. Unlike the agency-integrated
creative process, however, the rise of independent media agencies introduced a new
challenge in the account planning process (Mandese, 1993). The emergence of external
influences such as IMC and independent media may be the first foreshadows of more
significant challenges to account planning in the new millennium.
Another key aspect of account planning during this decade was the growing role of
consumer research and collaborative relationships with research agencies. Whereas the
early years of account planning had been borne by planners connecting directly with
consumers, this period gave rise to substantial growth in research data and global agencies
specializing in providing it. Rod (1997), for example, examined the purpose and types of
research used in the planning process, while Hackley (2003b) explored the entire process of
developing and integrating consumer insights into creative advertising strategy.
Similar to challenges in collaborating with independent media agencies, Baskin and
Coburn (2001) investigated the divergent perspectives of agency planners and market
researchers. Their analysis identified strategies for avoiding conflict and improving the use
of research insights (Baskin and Coburn, 2001). As account planning matured, managing the
planning process among four key stakeholders – creative, media, research and clients –
became progressively complex in the fragmented advertising environment. These
challenges would only grow in the next decade.

Digital, disruption and decline – disaggregation of account planning:

2005-today
Like the development of color television a generation prior, a major disruption inflicted upon
advertising was the advent of digital communication. As consumers began spending time
online, advertisers followed. This shift posed new challenges for traditional agencies
learning how to engage and interact with online audiences (Cartellieri et al., 1997). Similar to
the previous influence of independent media trend, further unbundling of agency accounts
spurred growing diffusion in account planning responsibilities and diversity in creative
strategies (Horsky, 2006).
During this period, research and reporting on account planning quickly adopted a more
reflective perspective while exploring future directions. Observers noted new challenges to
agencies at a “crossroads” (Cuneo, 2007) and asking, “where to next” with account planning
(Griffiths, 2008). Scholarly research similarly examined the evolution and viability of
account planning going forward (Morrison and Haley, 2006; Feldwick, 2007; Feldwick, Advertising
2009). account
Disaggregation and diffusion of account planning activities across key stakeholders
characterizes the most recent era for account planning. The impact of digital media in the
planning
new millennium – in particular, the “Web 2.0” era – accelerates this trend initiated in earlier
effects of media fragmentation. Sands and Hornby (2006) reflected on the radical impact
inflicted upon agencies in this context, noting, in particular, the disaggregation of strategy.
The unbundling of campaign development and execution has diluted centralized planning
of advertising strategy. Agencies – and clients – must again adapt to a changing advertising
environment (Sands and Hornby, 2006).

Theme 4: reflections and new directions driving contemporary account planning

Reflecting a decline in sheer prevalence of publications amid literature during the past
decade, a substantial proportion of recent scholarly research has generally applied a
historical, reflective perspective on account planning. Results from a national survey by
Morrison and Haley (2006), for example, observed that planning is now highly integrated
into the advertising development process. Recounting a career in planning, Feldwick (2009)
scrutinized the viability of account planning in the current advertising environment. Citing a
range of challenging factors such as the fragmented advertising environment, an emphasis
on measuring advertising effectiveness and remuneration by results, Feldwick questions the
future relevance for account planning in both function and form (Feldwick, 2009). Most
recently, Griffiths and Follows (2016) chronicled the development of account planning
through interviews with industry pioneers and trace how it has evolved into its current
state, drawing significant questions for the future.
At the same time, a wave of account planning research is also appearing among
international perspectives. While the discipline was essentially dominated by UK, USA and
some European contributions, early themes are now appearing among contributions
reflecting many, more “developing” advertising and media markets. Patwardhan et al.
(2009), for example, explore the recent growth of account planning throughout India, noting
many of the factors characteristic of early days in British and American agencies
(Patwardhan et al., 2009; Patwardhan et al., 2011). Similar observations are offered in diverse
international markets such as Spain (Sánchez-Blanco, 2010), Mexico (Lopez-Preciado, 2013),
and Croatia (Akmadzic et al., 2014). In comparing the contributions of international
perspectives, influences associated with environmental factors may be highlighted. As these
countries reflect many characteristics typical of the UK and US markets in earlier decades, it
may be inferred that circumstances wield significant influence upon account planning. As
markets evolve in sophistication and complexity, significant challenges may serve to shape
the form and function of account planning.

What is the future of account planning in advertising?

Or, perhaps more accurately, is there a future for account planners? Today, account planners
often compete with perspectives from competing roles defined as media planners, channel
planners, connections planners and communication planners (Young, 2014). A dramatically
changing environment is re-shaping the skills and roles contributing to the creation of
advertising (Robbs and Lloyd, 2016). The role defined as communication planners, in
particular, has emerged as a dominant contender for the future of planning in agencies
(McKenzie and Royne, 2009).
Encompassing roughly a half-century, a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature
in account planning identified in this study comprises 99 publications, including 16
JHRM frequently cited trade journal articles. With origins linking back to Ogilvy’s influential
Confessions of an Advertising Man in 1963, account planning scholarly literature spans a
period from 1977 to present day. Reflecting a “life cycle” concept of account planning, we
can see an evolutionary pattern present in literature:
 an “introductory phase” of observations recognizing the emergence of account
planning and defining the key characteristics associated with the function;
 a “growth” phase characterized by introspective analysis of core activities and
primary functions associated with account planning. The prevalence of research
literature is produced during this phase, establishing key constructs defining the
conceptualization of account planning; and
 a “mature” phase marked by more reflective perspectives, diverse applications and,
perhaps most of all, less incidence of publication.

A complete chronicle of account planning titles grouped by themes is presented in

Appendix.
So, is there a future for account planning in advertising? The emergence of new media
and digital content pose major challenges for account planning in traditional agencies.
Communication strategies are now developed across multiple media platforms and, often,
across competing agency teams. At the same time, agencies face mounting pressure on
profits. Traditional remuneration structures have been dismantled through media
fragmentation and performance-based expectations (Robbs and Lloyd, 2016). Traditional
agency account structures are increasingly scrutinized by clients in the competitive and fast-
paced environment. New agency models built on flexible partnerships and staffed on only
core skills may replace traditional full-service account teams needing high overheads to
maintain profitability (Bruell, 2016).
The digital environment, in particular, poses a major challenge to traditional account
planning. For the first time, US digital advertising spending in 2019 will exceed traditional
media spend, according to industry source eMarketer. By 2023, digital ad spend is forecast
to comprise two-thirds of total media spending (eMarketer Editors, 2019). Digital
advertising environments and agencies reflect a substantially different approach to account
planning. Research by Zimand-Sheiner and Earon (2019) interviewed agency planners and
observed two key conclusions:
(1) The viability of account planning is questionable as disruption in the marketing
and advertising environment causes dramatic changes in traditional roles,
routines, sources of information.
(2) Major confusion and divergence exist in application of the term “digital strategy”
and its relation to advertising strategy.

An article in Ad Age recently reflected on the past, present and future of account planners.
In this view, today’s planners need skills for both online and offline strategy work. It is
imperative for modern planners to know something about every communication channel.
Having interviewed two dozen account planning and agency leaders, consensus indicates
that “digital” changes everything. With an abundance of information and tools available at
their disposal, strategists now operate like Swiss Army knives. Any combination of skills
can be surgically applied to inform and sharpen creative work (Stanol, 2018).
Another impact of digital advertising is the changing process of creative development.
Digital advertising often targets specific consumers, if not individuals, with tailored creative
content. Creative strategy is often more data-driven than formed from consumer insights.
An extreme example of future directions is reflected in recent reports about automated Advertising
copywriting at Dentsu Aegis Network. To capitalize on Google’s advertising system, the account
agency developed a program that generates 20-25 full ads a second and is “trained” by
feeding it thousands of the kind of ads it is meant to produce. Developments in artificial
planning
intelligence (AI) are learning how to inject a little bit of human creativity into copywriting.
While the use of AI in advertising copywriting is still very niche, such automation is widely
employed in the placement of digital ads (daCosta, 2019).
Thus, a half-century on, advertising account planning stands at the proverbial
crossroads, as also noted in Ad Age in 2007 (Cuneo, 2007). One view proposes the traditional
role of account planning may have reached the end of an advertising era. Once heralded as
the new rock stars in agencies (Cuneo, 2007), the planning role is rapidly adapting to a new
advertising environment. The definition of campaign strategy is taking new forms,
essentially driven by a new generation of digitally native consumers and data-driven digital
advertising. Traditional long-term campaign strategies are facing new pressures from short-
term tactical opportunities and expectations (Watson, 2016).
The opposing view, however, suggests that account planning is a means to an end; most
often, a creative endpoint. According to Nick Barham, Global CSO at TBWA/Worldwide,
today’s strategic planners need to be “Renaissance thinkers – considering programmatic
media micro moments one minute and discussing the latest movie or music the next”
(daCosta, 2019). As reflected throughout research in the discipline, two key qualities
dominate and define the essence of account planning:
(1) Consumer insights contribute valuable direction to the development of advertising
campaign strategy.
(2) The planning process – in some form and function – contributes valuable
perspectives to the development of creative strategy.

The strategic planning discipline needs creative thinkers and great communicators to create
great work. Effective account planning creates those connections between consumers and
creative. While the influences of a modern marketing and media environments have
changed and will continue to do so, the need for consumer insights is arguably more
important than ever.

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Appendix. Advertising account planning in literature by theme

Theme 1: conceptualization of advertising strategy models and the account planning process
 1963 Confessions of an Advertising Man
 1980 How advertising works: a planning model. Journal of Advertising Research
 1983 Ogilvy on Advertising
 1986 To plan or not to plan. Journal of Advertising Research
 1986 How advertising works: a planning model revisited. Journal of Advertising
Research
 1986 What is Account Planning?
 1987 The role of account planning in the future of advertising agency research. Journal
of Advertising Research
 1987 The Americanization of account planning. International Journal of Advertising
 1988 Account planning: a client view. Market Research Society Journal
 1991 A better advertising planning grid. Journal of Advertising Research
 1992 The future of advertising agency planners. International Journal of Market Research
 1992 Account planning: a history, description and evaluation of its use in US agencies. In
Proceedings of the 1992 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising
 2008 Fifty years using the wrong model of advertising. International Journal of Market
Research

Theme 2: contributions to creative strategy and campaign development

 1983 Agency creative decision making: a decision systems analysis. Current Issues and
Research in Advertising
JHRM  1989 Role-based models of advertising creation and production. Journal of Advertising
 1995 The games copywriters play: conflict, quasi-control, a new proposal. Journal of
Advertising Research
 1995 Creativity vs. effectiveness? An integrating classification for advertising. Journal of
Advertising Research
 1996 How French advertising professionals develop creative strategy. Journal of
Advertising
 2015 The Anatomy of Humbug: How to Think Differently About Advertising

Theme 3: functional execution of account planning and the advertising planning process
 1992 What Every Account Executive Should Know About Account Planning
 1992 Planning and its relationship to account management. In What every account
executive should know about account planning
 1994 Transnational advertising development and management: an account planning
approach and a process framework. International Journal of Advertising
 1997 Accountable Advertising
 1997 How to Plan Advertising
 1997 Developing advertising strategy. In How to Plan Advertising
 1997 International account planning. In How to Plan Advertising
 1997 Planning inputs into the client’s business. In How to Plan Advertising
 1997 Account planning and media planning. In How to Plan Advertising
 1997 The planning context. In How to Plan Advertising
 1997 The use of research in developing advertising strategies. Management Research News
 1998 Truth, Lies and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning
 1999 The Advertising Business: Operations, Creativity, Media Planning, Integrated
Communications
 1999 Account planning: an American perspective. In The Advertising Business:
Operations, Creativity, Media Planning, Integrated Communications
 1999 Account planning: a British perspective. In The Advertising Business: Operations,
Creativity, Media Planning, Integrated Communications
 2000 Advertising Campaign Strategy: A Guide to Marketing Communication Plans
 2000 Pollitt on Planning
 2000 Silent running: tacit, discursive and psychological aspects of management in a top
UK advertising agency. British Journal of Management
 2000 The effectiveness of account planners at US advertising agencies. In Proceedings of
the 2000 Conference of the American Academy of Advertising
 2001 Hitting the Sweet Spot: How Consumer Insights Can Inspire Better Marketing and
Advertising
 2001 Two tribes divided by a common language? The true nature of the divide between
account planners and market researchers. International Journal of Market Research
 2001 What Is Account Planning? And What Do Account Planners Do Exactly?
 2003 The interface between account planning and media planning – a practitioner
perspective. Marketing Intelligence and Planning
  2003 How divergent beliefs cause account team conflict. International Journal of Advertising
Advertising account
 2003 Account planners’ views on how their work is and should be evaluated. Journal of planning
Advertising
 2003 From consumer insight to advertising strategy: the account planner’s integrative
role in creative advertising development. Marketing Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Coolhunting, account planning and the ancient cool of Aristotle. Marketing
Intelligence and Planning
 2006 How do advertising creative directors perceive research? International Journal of
Advertising
 2007 Advertising agency planning – conceptualising network relationships. Journal of
Marketing Management
 2012 Conflict and advertising planning: consequences of networking for advertising
planning. European Journal of Marketing
 2013 Ad agency professionals’ mental models of advertising creativity. European
Journal of Marketing
 2014 How advertising creatives define excellent planning. Journal of Current Issues and
Research in Advertising
 2015 ‘Is there a gap in the market, and is there a market in the gap?’ How advertising
planning performs markets. Journal of Marketing Management
 2018 The Creative Search for an Insight in Account Planning: An Absorptive Capacity
Approach. Journal of Advertising

Theme 4: review and reflection on account planning

 2000 The Anatomy of Account Planning
 2003 Account planning – from genesis to revelation. Marketing Intelligence and Planning
 2003 A lack of true believers in the account-planning discipline in Australia? Marketing
Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Marketing intelligence and account planning: insights from the experts. Marketing
Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Account planning in Scottish advertising agencies: a discipline in transition.
Journal of Marketing Communications
 2003 Account planning: whose role is it anyway. Marketing Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Account planning: current agency perspectives on an advertising enigma. Journal
of Advertising Research
 2003 Infusing business and brand strategies into account planning. Marketing
Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Account planning in the new marketing and communications environment (has the
Stephen King challenge been met?). Marketing Intelligence and Planning
 2003 Account Planning. The evolution of the discipline in Australia. In ANZCA 2003:
Designing Communication for Diversity, Australian and New Zealand Communication
Association
 2006 Advertising Account Planning: A Practical Guide
 2006 Advertising planning, ad-agency use of advertising models, and the academic
practitioner divide. Marketing Intelligence and Planning
JHRM  2006 The role of account planning in US agencies. Journal of Advertising Research
 2007 The SAGE Handbook of Advertising
 2007 Account planning: its history and its significance for ad agencies. In The Sage
Handbook of Advertising
 2007 A Master Class in Brand Planning: The Timeless Works of Stephen King
 2008 Readings in Account Planning
 2008 The account planning revolution. In Readings in Account Planning
 2008 How planning came of age in the US In Readings in Account Planning
 2009 Account planning: back to the future? In Market Leader: The Journal of the
Marketing Society
 2016 98% Pure Potato: The Origins of Account Planning
 2019 Disruptions of account planning in the digital age. Marketing Intelligence and
Planning

International perspectives on account planning

 2009 Insights on account planning: a view from the Indian ad industry. Journal of
Current Issues and Research in Advertising
 2010 The contribution of Spanish account planners to advertising effectiveness. Revista
Latina de Comunicacion Social
 2011 Diffusion of account planning in Indian ad agencies: an organisational perspective.
International Journal of Advertising
 2011 Does planning make perfect? How advertising practitioners in India perceive
account planning. Asian Journal of Communication
 2012 Challenges for the advertising profession: contributions from account planning.
Revista De Estudios De Comunicacion
 2013 Account planning in the Mexican advertising industry: a snapshot of a discipline in
growth. International Journal of Communication
 2014 Influence of account planning on campaign effectiveness in Croatian marketing
agencies. In Economic and Social Development: 5th International Scientific Conference
Book of Proceedings
 2015 Is agency’s need to have account planning? International Journal in Management
and Social Science

Key industry periodical articles identified in this study

 1977 Account planning: threat or promise? Admap
 1978 The account planning group and the ‘problem’ of planning. Admap
 1979 How I started account planning in agencies (Stanley Pollitt). Campaign
 1980 Account planning: what does it mean and how does it affect the way an agency
works? Admap
 1986 Account planners have arrived. Advertising Age
 1986 In search of the American brand of account planning. Advertising Age
 1986 Shops embrace ’account planning’. Advertising Age
 1986 Account planning: the 13 myths. Advertising Age
  1989 The anatomy of account planning. Admap Advertising
 1994 Account planning: the state-of-the-art. Admap account
 2002 Above and beyond advertising planning. Admap planning
 2003 What account planning was meant to be: Agencies are in a unique position to
galvanize insights, strategy, and creativity. Marketing Magazine
 2007 Account planners at a crossroads: Former agency rock stars scramble to keep up
with fast-changing media. Advertising Age
 2008 Where to next? Account planning at 40. Admap
 2008 Account planning: 40 years of the revolution. Admap
 2012 Choose the future. Shortlisted, Admap Prize 2012. Admap

Corresponding author
Park Beede can be contacted at: park.beede@zu.ac.ae

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