AdNews is following the WFH Diaries with a series of Perspectives, asking two questions: What did you learn in 2021 and what are you looking forward to in 2022? We've also encouraged the industry to glam, dress for the best, and face next year with optimism.
Sophie Langton, Sydney Head of Planning, Spark Foundry:
I am a giant media nerd, and 2021 was a great year for media nerds. We live under layers of meticulous detail and thrive in planning conundrums. The more impossible a task, the more we try to solve it. We have a genuine appreciation of craft, and that means we know what specialists to pull in to help connect the dots.
In 2021, we connected a lot of dots. We found a lot of new ways of approaching things, measuring things, and most excitingly, building things.
I used to relish control, but now I want chaos. Well, measured chaos I should say. The nerd in me still needs a strong baseline of rigour.
I am excited about a lot of things in 2022.
First and foremost, I can’t wait to see people booking travel again, and I can’t wait to see how the path to purchase has evolved.
I look forward to more office time. My desk is in the middle of the floor and I love eavesdropping. I love over-hearing people talk about planning. I love being pulled in to help answer a question, or solve a problem. This year we started the Spark Planning Academy to upskill not just the planners, but all of our teams on the principles of marketing effectiveness. I’m excited to hear them apply what they learnt and create work that works. I can’t wait to see the analysts connect more dots and build bigger and better things.
And finally, there’s so much talk about the importance of attention. There is some incredible research going around on media metrics – but I don’t want to be just a media nerd anymore. I want to connect the dots between media and message. I want to obsess over everything.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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