The metaphor is a critical tool of the brand planner. It creates context, clarity and often gives creative people a source of inspiration. Brand planners ask a lot of questions and do a lot of research on their brands.  Planners — the good ones at least — are like dogs on a bone. We immerse ourselves in a category and have a hard time letting go. Even when sleeping. It’s stalker-ish.

Dare I say, for a one- or two-month paid engagement I often find myself a brand planner for life. Always on the hunt for proof of brand claim. It’s no way to run a business yet it is part of the planning life.

Strategy is timeless. It never really stops. In as much as I need to dump the cache on past clients, I just can’t. Unhealthy? You decide. But it’s part and parcel of the curiosity that is the brand planner’s world.

So, me droogies, stalk away on your brands. Find a good strategy and prove it.

Peace.