Account Planning

The Boot Camp for Account Planners was developed by leading account planners to fill the specific needs of this essential discipline. 

Crammed into twelve, back-breaking, mind-expanding weeks this Boot Camp takes up to twenty naturally intuitive people and turns them into lean, mean, planning machines. Challenged by instructors who themselves are practicing planning directors, media experts and creative directors the planning students will spend each week exploring a different advertising problem with strategic and creative approaches. 

Each week a different outstanding account planner takes the students through a topic essential to planning operations in an intensive, hands-on session that fills the next three days. For the balance of the week the account planning students are teamed with art direction and copywriting students to produce a highly realistic experience that precisely mirrors the real world of ADLAND.

WEEK 1 ACCOUNT PLANNING: AN OVERVIEW
Survey the development, role and status of account planning. Why it exists, how it works

WEEK 2 UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE
Figure out what the key issue is that the brand in question is facing. Is it an issue that can be solved by advertising? A planner’s first job is to ask the right questions.

WEEK 3 THE CREATIVE BRIEF AND BRIEFING
Learn to discriminate between good and bad briefs. The brief and briefing process is the pivotal point from analysis of data to the start of creative activity. The brief and briefing must inform and inspire a creative team.

WEEK 4 UNDERSTANDING AN IDEA
Become idea literate. Learn how to have ideas and develop the ideas of others. Differentiate an idea from an execution.

Mick McCabe - Chief Strategy Officer, Deutsch, New York

Ameila Dunlap - Account Manager, Hall and Partners

Michael Fanuele - Managing Director, Euro RSCG, New York

Catrina McAuliffe - VP of Brand Planning, Carlson Marketing Group

Christopher Owens - Account Planning Group Head, The Richards Group, Dallas, TX

Matt Seiler- President-CEO, McCann, New York

Cory Pierce – Strategic Director, Agency.com

Domenico Vitale - Founder, People Ideas and Culture, New York

"Pick of the Litter", the annual Account Planning Awards was started in 1999 by the Boot Camp for Account Planners with the support of the AAAA. The goal of the competition is to recognize the most outstanding thinking being done by planners with less than three years of strategic experience. Each year the new winning case studies are added to the "Pick of the Litter" web site library - a great resource for young planners looking for a little inspiration.

"The site should provide an inspiration to a new generation of planners, it's a source of information and insight. Like everything Miami Ad School does, well thought out and an assett to the industry."

- Catrina McAuliffe, VP of Brand Planning, Carlson Marketing Group

"The 'Pick of the Litter' competition is a great way to highlight new fresh thinking and talent. But, most importantly, it is a great way to remind us all how purity in thinking can impact this business."  

- Domenico Vitale, Founder, People Ideas and Culture, New York