Ask, Observe. Learn, Improve.
VML Strategy Director, Pawel Loedl on the realities of agency life and the road to becoming a good and valuable strategist.
IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO GET A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN. Especially in the creative industry, because of the perceived allure. To do great work, reality is a good starting point. Pawel Loedl, Strategy Director at VML Poland knows this and puts this to practice.
We caught up with Pawel to get his thoughts on how to train to juniors, what skills matter and how to prosper in the creative industry.
Q: Pawel, what has been your journey into advertising and strategy?
Pawel Loedl: I always liked to do social observations since I was a rather introverted type of guy. Studying political science gave me some communication background after which I worked in PR for some years.
However, I felt that advertising could give me more possibilities and I started working at an digital agency. My observational drive never went away and because of that, the job of a planner job was, and hopefully still is, most suitable for me.
And last but not least, my basketball career didn’t end up as I wanted to (I still like to think I am the Chris Paul of advertising).
Q: You interview strategists, to explain to younger people, what strategists do. What is the general view of a strategist according to the Polish strategy community?
“A strategist’s attitude and skills are more important than any particular tool or system.”
Pawel Loedl
Pawel Loedl: If I could point out one pattern, it would be diversity. Almost all the strategists we’ve interviewed have their own tools or methods. So experience plays a vital role. However, there is one other common thing.
Regardless, whether the strategists we spoke to, worked in a traditional or digital agency, all of them agreed on one thing:
A strategist’s attitude and skills are more important than any particular tool or system.
Of course, some environments or systems help, but success depends on your open eyes and sharp mind.
Advanced and sophisticated tools can be useless, if a person does not know how to use them properly.
This is especially important in the digital era, where tools can deliver all the numbers you want. And for some planners that’s enough: let the numbers do the work, let the tools do the work.
But let’s be honest, if that was enough, a strategist would not be very useful.
Q: Many graduates feel underprepared for work and once in an agency, it is often feels like it is a sink or swim scenario, because seniors are dealing with their own careers.
How you would compare your training and experiences to the way juniors are trained these days , by you and by other agencies you know?
Pawel Loedl: We all have to be aware that in most cases, 90% of development depends on the junior’s attitude and readiness.
Of course seniors should and most of the time they do, tutor youngsters, (however little time there is to do it), but it is only effective when the other person is ready to absorb new knowledge and develop skills.
My case was similar. I had some help from more experienced professionals, but it never was like “ok, junior, now it’s time for some training”.
It was more a case of learning by watching and imitating. I had to stay close and absorb the skills and knowledge they used.
And the planner job is a bit more difficult compared to other agency roles. What strikes me as a tutor at one of the Cracow colleges, is that most of the students know what creatives do; the work of the client service team is understood, but planners are an enigma.
They don’t know why planners exists, what they do, what the results of their work are etc. (to be honest some of the clients don’t know it as well ☺).
This should not be a surprise; the planners’ role is changing, along with the whole advertising landscape, so even we have problems defining what we do.
This was one of the main reasons why Bartosz Pinski and I, started our mini-blog, strictly focused on strategy. We give simple hints in our interviews with top planners in Poland; like what books to read or what skills are needed for good strategy work.
Of course, I’m very far from saying that I don’t need education anymore. On the contrary, it’s a lifelong learning — both about our work and about our consumers, brands, rules of communication, user experience.
Planners should constantly expand their knowledge, it’s essential to our work.
Q: Should people entering the advertising industry still have a right to training, given the vast amount of information out there and opportunities to learn, connect and create on your own?
Pawel Loedl: As I said before, they should pursue information on their own and that would be a main factor for their career development.
At the same time it is really hard to know up front which skills you should develop or what challenges will you face in an agency. You must experience it to be sure.
We have to believe in juniors, but still find some time to help them. It is a struggle, but in the end it benefits us all.
Q: When it comes to the skills of a strategist, Mike Arauz of Undercurrent wrote that, “The typical ‘T-shaped’ team member is no longer adaptable enough to keep and maintain their value in a market that evolves as quickly as today’s market does. The ideal evolving skill set for today’s digital strategy world is shaped more like an expanding square than a ‘T’.” Would you agree with this particular assessment?
Pawel Loedl: For me, the world has become more and more defragmented and even if we can get all the information needed in a second; getting real insights and insider’s knowledge isn’t as easy as we think.
Yes, planners need to know more, if not all. In a perfect world they would be the know-it-all, seen-it-all type. But that’s a perfect world.
The question is, can one person really know it all at a respectable level? That would be very hard and the market is not exactly being flooded with too many geniuses ;).
And what level of knowledge is enough? Is it better to be good in everything or great in particular areas?
Maybe more important from knowing everything it is to know what questions you have to ask, that’s essential for a planner.
I agree that especially communication planners need to know what trends are shaping society, know what to look for, know how people behave.
However if an agency can dedicate strategists to specific fields, like for example media strategy or a particular channel, it can create a significant competitive edge. At least, it’s works very well for us at VML Poland.
Q: In the article Mike mentions some areas to focus on. What areas are you currently exploring to stay interested and interesting?
Pawel Loedl: Culture has a big influence on the communication areas. Real-time marketing is the obvious example. But it isn’t just that.
I’m curious as to what makes one cultural reference click and another not. Culture is around us and right now people interact with it in different ways than before.
They watch it, read it, share it, discuss it and finally remix it. And all of this in front of our eyes. Apart from that, cultural works are so full of insights!
For me, if you want to be a good communications planner you have to be aware of what influences your consumers. Because it works both way — sometimes culture inspires and influences the receivers, and sometimes it will reflect social behaviours or a state of mind.
That links directly to another thing I’m focusing on — trends. How they are created? Why some are global and why some are local/closed? Why do people pick up some trends and not others?
Q: What skills areas should students and graduates, looking to up their chances of breaking into the creative/communications industry, focus on? Why?
Pawel Loedl:
Observation
I’d start with observational skills, it’s the first thing you have to work on. Regardless of whether you observe people directly, or via research and reports. If you can’t read the information well, see what others don’t, you won’t be able to inspire great creative work.
Curiosity
Pursue information everywhere. For example, if you are not into fashion, change it, right away. You cannot neglect something just because you personally don’t find it interesting.
Fashion designers are now one of the most influential people that inspire various kinds of businesses. You can’t just ignore it.
Creativity
If you plan to work in the creative industry, it is a must have. The ability to create or develop ideas is crucial, and not something that is only reserved for the creative department.
Logical thinking
The last and maybe most important one. Connecting the dots. Because all those observations need to be useful and used somehow. Good analysis needs to be followed with well-thought out communication concepts and models.
Q: Daniel Kahneman, once said: “If you are serious about hiring the best person for the job you should, select a few traits that are prerequisites for success (technical proficiency, engaging personality, reliability, and so on). The traits should be independent from each other, and you should be able to assess them with a few questions.” What questions do you ask to spot a good planner/strategist?
“What is the simplest way to get insights for you?
How your normal day look like? What you read/watch?
What should be the main outcome of the planner’s work?
What is the role of the planner in creative process?
Show me a trend that is now niche and could go mainstream in a while?
What areas are key for creating trends or social habit?
Show me one example where culture influenced social behaviour?
What would be deciding factor for choosing communication channel?
Pawel Loedl
Q: With the way that tech, design, comms and product development are merging, what would you advise 22 year old Pawel, who asked you where to work: advertising agency, client side, tech startup, something different? Why?
Pawel Loedl: Tough question. Personally, I like working in agency — I like the diversity of projects and clients.
I enjoy working with creative teams and pitches are always thrilling challenges and experiences.
On the other hand, I think that we are seeing that strategy work is shifting more and more towards the client side. Clients are trying to hire the best people and in most cases they have enough buying power to do it. Agencies just can’t compete on these terms.
Tech startup? That can be quite a ride. Deciding on everything, risking everything. That would be an exciting and incredible experience. But I’ve seen many cases where great startups couldn’t evolve into respected brands.
Start ups definitely need experienced communication specialists, but I am not sure if 22 year old Pawel would be experienced enough. Probably not. However, I’m sure he will be full of ideas.
So,I think that an agency can be a great proving ground for people interested in communication or advertising.
Even if it sometimes can be irritating and painful. Still, after such experiences, you can take many roads.
But…developing your own product is always tempting.
Thank you Pawel.
“Where the puck is going” is an interview series by GapJumpers. We ask people we like and find super interesting to share some thoughts. Whenever we find someone willing to answer our questions, we’ll feature them. If you’d like to stay updated on more stories, please follow the collection.
