Category Archives: Account Planning

It is pretty obvious when companies are on autopilot—when they have not really listened, or properly prepared for interactions, or taken accountability. Instead, they have gone through the motions and simply carried on with business as usual.

However, companies like General Motors and Delta Air Lines are starting to show that they get it. Because I live in New York City, I probably will not be purchasing a car anytime soon, but with advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy in charge, the new Delta campaign, “Keep Climbing,” actually makes me want to give the airline a shot. This is huge, as I am a hardcore JetBlue enthusiast.

See the Delta videos via Brandweek

Why do I want to give them a go? Because Delta’s new ads connect with me and I can see the research and insights in its campaign. For the last several years, I have felt like Delta has been trying to reinvent itself—inconsistently. But, the latest campaign speaks to me. What it says to me is, “We hear you. We know you don’t really care if our seats are a half an inch bigger than our competitors or we give you a free pair crappy headphones.” It says, “We know you don’t want to be treated like shit, and we are taking actions not to do it anymore.”

Good. I like that. And I am interested to see if Delta follows through on its promises.

But what I am talking about, really—and what concerns me—is a lack of thought, which is a human truth. And I have been guilty of it. When I think of the times I have not prepared to the best of my ability, or failed to return phone calls, or listened to a friend speak while forming my to-do list in my head, I am actually quite embarrassed.

As a planner, I have become a methodical researcher. Research is a large part of how I prepare. But to do my job well, I also need to remind myself to be fully present with people, so that I can truly listen—beyond words, and into body language, and tone, and context.  And while it may be true that preparing and observing in this manner comes easier to some than to others, not making an attempt to do so is dangerous. It is the kind of thing that kills relationships.

Perhaps this attentive way of being is not such a difficult thing. Maybe it begins with the awareness that we are indeed operating on autopilot and continues when we decide to simply pause for a second, so that we can consciously make the shift back to manual.

Posted by Brooke Rothman in Account Planning, Advertising