I particularly appreciated this video with Jon Steel. He explains what makes a great planner today and insist on being useful, not only clever. It’s exactly what we try to explain on this blog. Actually, Jon Steel and many other planners like Helge Tenno, Paul Isakson or Gareth Key give us the most interesting advices and rules to apply in our jobs, and even in our lives.

I simply copy & paste the Invisible Ink Digital blog resume :

1. Be useful. The real value of a planner is problem solving and coming up with simple solutions. Cleverness is simply a means to an end.
2. Bring out the best in other people. Act as a catalyst for others by providing the conditions for informed creative thought.
3. Be a linchpin, not only between people but also between brands and the audience they connect with.
4. Have a deep understanding of human motivations and instincts.
5. Have an experience of real life. Get out of the office to experience the real world and understand the people you want to experience.
6. Create a working timetable both within and outside the office to best generate ideas and insights.
7. Whether analogue or digital, the main task of any planner is understanding basic human communication.

Tagged: brand utility, definition, ideas, innovation, Jon Steel, modern marketing, useful