Account Planner
The research-driven storyteller—account planners dive deep into audience insights, ensuring campaigns resonate, connect, and drive results.
What is an Account Planner?
Account planners are the mind behind the message. They uncover what makes people tick and help creative teams turn those truths into campaigns that move culture.
What does an Account Planner do?
They hunt for insights in the noise—user behavior, market trends, emotional triggers—and build narratives rooted in real-world research. They’re half anthropologist, half strategist.
What does this role look like in a creative agency?
At a place like RIOT, planners are there before the pitch and after the launch. They help shape positioning, validate creative ideas, and make sure the story hits home with the people it’s meant for. No fluff, just truth that cuts through.
Dive Deeper
Account Planners are the research-driven storytellers who ensure campaigns aren’t just creative—they’re connected to real audience needs, wants, and behaviors. They dig into cultural trends, customer insights, market dynamics, and brand truths to inform strategic briefs and guide the creative process. In agencies, Account Planners act as the voice of the consumer, ensuring that big ideas are grounded in emotional resonance and real-world relevance.
Related Glossary Terms
| Related Glossary Terms | Why It’s Relevant |
|---|---|
| Campaign Strategy | Account Planners build the strategic foundation that informs every element of a campaign’s creative direction and execution. |
| Audience Segmentation | They define and prioritize target audiences, ensuring messaging speaks directly to the right groups with nuance and relevance. |
| Brand Strategy | Account Planners help evolve brand positioning and narratives to ensure long-term cultural and market relevance. |
| Messaging | They shape core messaging frameworks that anchor campaign ideas to clear emotional and functional benefits. |
| Thought Leadership Content | Account Planners sometimes contribute insights that position brands or agencies as thought leaders in specific spaces or sectors. |
Related Job Roles
| Related Job Roles | Why It’s Connected |
|---|---|
| Strategy Director | Leads broader strategic vision across clients and campaigns—Account Planners provide the insights that fuel strategy development. |
| Creative Director | Partners with Account Planners to translate insights into big ideas that resonate emotionally and strategically. |
| Brand Strategist | Focuses on positioning and brand evolution, while Account Planners focus more narrowly on campaign-specific insights. |
| Digital Strategist | Ensures campaign insights are activated effectively across digital platforms, media channels, and audience touchpoints. |
