What’s a “planner at large” anyway?

A post from Judd on distinctiveness…and self-promotion.

Years ago when I was still a copywriter I came across a brilliant guide to developing brand names, from a brilliantly named consultancy, Igor.

Among other things, the Igors noted the tendency of brand consultants to name their firms Brand Doctors and Brand Lab and BrandTech and so on. No offense to those good people, but in a business all about creating distinctiveness, one could well wonder whether investing in these firms' time might not pay off.

So by contrast, then, what's a "Planner At Large"?

In marketing-speak, the “planner” develops, tests and evaluates the brand’s strategy, its “plan” for success. Planners use market data, consumer insight, cultural knowledge, unexpected perspectives and many other tools to do this.

Still, they often get pigeonholed, slotted into one narrow area of expertise or industry focus. That’s why I prefer to work “at large.” With a remit focused on outcomes, not deliverables.

I also like the phrase’s meaning of “uncaptured or unconfined”, the refusal to be hemmed in by conventional wisdom, or to otherwise artificially limit clients’ opportunities.

(For what it's worth, my logo is meant in part to evoke a passport stamp, this sense of "getting around." On the other hand, my wife says it looks like an IPA label...which is apt in its own way.)

I also like the sense of “not representing a specialty or a specific place.” In an age of over-specialization, I’m proud to be a strategic generalist. It’s not just more rewarding for me but more useful to my clients to solve for a whole range of brand and business issues. (Including. sometimes, the ones their other consultants couldn’t crack.)

Lastly there’s the “in general; most of” aspect. I certainly don’t claim to represent all strategists. But my pragmatic approach to problem-solving and opportunity-spotting is rooted in the fundamental principles shared by all the good thinkers I know.

Am I an expert in everything? Of course not. But thinking and working “at large” is what leads to client outcomes more creatively interesting than the typical management consultant's, and more commercially impactful than the typical brand consultant's.

All of which means, I hope, that Planner At Large isn't just a name, but also a point of view, a way of working and a set of high expectations.