Tis the Season: Tips for 2010 Planning

Every year around this time, our agency is aflutter with annual planning activity for our pharmaceutical clients. Strategies are inspected, research is reviewed, numbers are analyzed, brains are stretched, and - magically - ideas emerge. It's one of the reasons I love being in this creative business!

Are you in the midst of 2010 planning? If so, I'd like to offer up a few tips on working with your agencies to help make your planning process a success.

1. Have a Process - Some of our clients have a proven process they follow time and again. Some of our clients change their process every year (and yes, some clients change the process several times in the middle of the process). Whatever your approach, it's important to know going in how you'll manage the entire process of annual planning. Think through and communicate the key meetings, milestones, and expectations, and you'll have better outcomes from all involved. Budgets due mid-September? Please, please, please don't wait until the week before to let your agencies know!
2. Share Your Strategies - Your agencies are your partners. Take the time to not only share your strategic objectives for the coming year, but also walk them through them and answer their questions.
3. Avoid Silos - Pharma is (in)famous for its silos. If you're a brand manager, do you know what Public Affairs is planning next year? If you're in sales, do you have any clue what Marketing has in the works? You don't have to meet together every day, hold hands, and sing kumbaya, but at least make an effort to mesh brains and see where ideas (and budgets) could be combined to be even stronger.
4. Involve All Your Agencies. More people, more brains = more ideas. See my past posts on how best to integrate your agencies and how to get the most out of them working together.
5. Get Your Priorities in Order. Often much of planning focuses on wanting "BIG ideas." By the end of planning season every year, everyone is so sick of hearing the words "BIG idea" they want to jump out of a BIG fat window. And how often do those big ideas actually make the budget cut and get implemented? It's kind of silly and counterproductive .... As tempting as it is, I challenge brand managers and agencies to NOT focus on the big, sexy, sizzling ideas. Instead, focus on what's best for the brand and what's best for the patients. Sometimes the most boring of tactics will work the hardest at achieving goals. Or - if you must - seek a balance between the basic brand must-haves and a few "big" new ideas to keep things interesting.
6. Give Digital it's Due. With nearly 30% of consumer media time spent online, and anywhere from 60-80% of people searching for health information online, it's time pharma gives digital its due. Look at all of the opportunities within - and the strength of - this channel, and allocate your funds accordingly.

Happy planning!