The best marketing plans are made on sun loungers

The best marketing plans are made on sun loungers

Go on, admit it. You're counting down to your out of office. You've got a book you haven't opened since last year's holiday, a playlist that only exists to block out other people on the plane, and a plan to think about absolutely nothing to do with work for two whole weeks.

Good. Do that. I mean it.

Because here's what a decade of working with brilliant, busy people in the built environment has taught me: the best strategic thinking never happens at a desk. It happens on a sun lounger. Halfway up a mountain. Floating in a pool with your brain finally, blissfully switched off from Teams notifications and WhatsApp messages. Over a jug of sangria with your best friends.

Holiday is when your mind quietens down enough to actually hear itself think.

And that's exactly why September is too late to start planning your next six months. Because by the time you're back, unpacked and buried in your inbox, that quiet has gone and you’re back on the hamster wheel.

You need to catch the good ideas when they pop into your head. So before you switch on the out of office, here's what's worth a bit of poolside brainpower.

Christmas: decide now, not in November

‍I know, I know. No-one really wants to think about Christmas while sunning themselves in a beach bar. But I can’t recommend a bit of forward thinking highly enough.

Running a campaign this year? Supporting a charity? Sending clients something more interesting than a branded biscuit tin? Whatever the plan, it needs lead time. Design, production, delivery all take longer than you think, and "we'll sort it in December" is how you end up sorting nothing at all.

‍Decide the shape of it now, commit in September, let your marketing team (if you’re lucky, that’s us) refine, design, produce and deliver in October, for release in November.

‍While everyone else is still deciding what to do, you’ll be ahead.

Budgets: build the plan before the deadline looms

‍If your marketing budget refreshes in the new year, the worst time to think about it is in December. A rushed plan will never deliver the goods like a considered one you’ve ploughed time and effort into.

‍Start turning it over now. What worked this year? What didn't? What would you do differently? What do you wish you’d done? If you’re able to answer those questions, when the deadline does arrive, you're presenting a solid, deliverable plan rather than scrambling to invent one, writing it down on the back of a packet of Benson and Hedges.

MIPIM: six months out is when it comes together

Yes, MIPIM is next year. That's exactly the point. If you want to walk away from Cannes with real conversations and real outcomes, rather than a stack of business cards and a hangover, the planning starts now, not in February.

What do you want to achieve? Who do you want in the room? Six months gives you the runway to make it happen properly and the time to manage your budget properly. Make no bones about it, MIPIM is a serious investment of time, money and reputation so if you’re going to do it, do it properly.

If you get plans in place now, you’ve got a six month runway to make it happen

Networking season: make a plan, don't just wing it

Autumn and winter are peak networking season in property and construction. Breakfasts, panels, awards dinners, the lot. You’ll never be found twiddling your thumbs.

Rather than realising last minute that you’ve missed your favourite event of the year, or saying yes to everything (and quietly resenting your calendar by October), work out now what's actually worth your time.

Which events align with your goals? Where will you actually meet the right people? A plan beats a diary full of guilt-driven maybes.

Also, if you want us to help you put something together before Christmas… we need a 12-week run up (if you shout now, we could do something in November).

The bottom line

None of this can be solved today. Good marketing is a long-term thing. And good ideas need a little space to breathe. That’s a kind of space a holiday is uniquely good at giving you.

If you come back with the beginnings of an idea on any of the above, we'd love to help you build it into something real. Get in touch, and let's get a plan in the diary before everyone else starts thinking about theirs.

Enjoy the quiet. It's doing more work than you think.

PS: we take payment in duty-free sweets and good champagne.

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