Strategy

Dwight Eisenhower said “Plans are nothing, Planning is everything”. It’s as true today – if not more so – than it was then. Read on for our top tips on making effective plans.

Life is but a spreadsheet

“Life is but a spreadsheet”. Sad but true. Time on one axis, dollars on the other. The bottom right hand corner normally has a number, which is either good, bad, or an extreme version of one of those! If any of the cells is empty or incorrect, the number in the corner will also be wrong. The spreadsheet calculation is never wrong!

Planning is about just that; correct information leading to better decisions. That is why it is so important. Build the spreadsheet, fill in the cells and then massage it until you are happy that it is as accurate as possible…..you know you have to, so just get on and do it! Whether it’s a marketing budget, a media plan, or a home budget….they’re all the same.

Why is this good? Because it forces you to put ‘hard numbers’ on things. Not some airy fairy wishful thinking. It makes you make the hard calls early, meaning there might not be hard calls later, when the options are reduced. Narrowing the options in life is never a good thing. It gives greater visibility of what you can and can’t do. That is a good thing. Go on. Do the maths! In the end it is all that matters!

With the festive season upon us, we thought we’d spread the joy and share a collection of our favourite Christmas ads from 2019.

Take a look at ASDA's Christmas TVC and follow Jack and Tilly as they spread Christmas magic around their town. Why not check out Tesco's unexpected detour through time as they embark upon 100 years of #DeliveringChristmas in one magical night. Loaded with a van full of ‘food from the future,’ there might just be a few historic deliveries along the way. You can check out all our favourite ads below.

The creative brief is one of the most important documents in an advertising agency. It underpins all the work that an agency does and can make or break a campaign.