alchemy
noun
/æl.kə.mi/
Any seemingly magical process of transmuting ordinary materials into something of true merit
For brand owners looking for ways to generate significant value in tough times or with ever decreasing budgets, look no further.
For agencies wanting to deepen client relationships, this is your secret sauce.
For creatives looking for a more unusual or inspiring starting point, this is your springboard.
For planners looking for inspiration, you will find over 30 stories of transformation and ingenuity.
This year's papers are bursting with examples of planning as alchemy.
It could be a simple competitive review that sparks a total reframe of your brand’s position in the market. It could be an annual recruitment brief that unlocks a revolutionary recruitment process. It could be hours of sifting through caller transcripts that opens a window on the psyche of teens and drives hitherto unseen levels of engagement. It could be the embracing of the obvious that drives sell-out popularity. It could be a perfectly timed return to the generous roots of a brand that unlocks a total turnaround. Planning has the power to create real value and real change.
There is something magical in the way planners sort the true insights from the interesting but merely background data. They see their potential and use them as a springboard to create powerful strategies and even more powerful creative work. It is a skill to know a true insight when you see it. To see the significance in the determined & performance focussed attitude of hospital staff and to turn that into a revolutionary fundraising drive takes skill. To know you are on to something big when you recognise that some people love your brand and some people hate it takes intuition. To recognise the enduring power of the concept of thoughtful gifting takes vision. These insights have not just made a blip of difference, they have driven value for brands over years and decades.
Whether budgets are big or small, planning turns them into much, much more. This year's papers are overflowing with examples that can inspire more people to do the same.
Here’s to the alchemists! Here’s to the planners!
Vicki Holgate
Executive Strategy Director (Government Comms) at MullenLowe London
APG Chair, 2020-2021
You can read all the Awards papers on our APG Think Tank - Free to APG Members only
