Space Race

The communications industry is in a period of structural and cultural turmoil, caused by the collapse of the full-service agency model and, more recently, the emergence of communications planning. What is communications planning? It is the discipline of developing a holistic plan across marketing and trade marketing functions that creates a 'big picture' for consumers by weaving together every aspect of a brand's communications. It's known by many aliases. 'channel planning', '360° planning', 'connections planning', media neutral planning' and 'total communications planning' are just a few of them. Communications planning is the hottest topic in communications today. It is emerging globally and all agency types see it as their future; a latter-day 'space race' is underway to claim the territory. Yet no-one has addressed the issues on everyone's minds: Where is this all going? Who will own communications planning? And how will it change things? Written by expert Jim Taylor and drawing on interviews with industry leaders including Rod Wright, MT Carney, George Michaelides, John Grant, Chris Ingram, Reg Lascaris and Charles Courtier, Space Race combines diverse insights with a clear point of view to offer a unique look at the future of communications planning over the next two decades. "A great read for anyone thinking about the future of marketing. Jim Taylor eloquently challenges the status quo and cites the emerging use of data to create 'communications planning' - the foundation on which brand ideas will be built. In proposing a new order, he forces us to rethink brand management in a whole new way." Dawn Hudson, President and CEO, Pepsi-Cola North America