Your guide to anti-ultra-processed planning - with Craft Media's Sally Weavers and Jen Jones

This week on The Media Leader we will be taking a deep dive into the future of media planning and strategy. So, what better way to start than with unpacking a new planning paradigm. This summer, independent media agency Craft Media London launched a new planning “Cookbook”. Titled Anti-Ultra-Processed Planning, the book argues that “planning has become fast food; mass-produced, pre-packaged and dangerously addictive”. Agencies, it continues, are increasingly outsourcing strategic thinking to automated platforms, producing similar plans and dull work. It is time, the book reads, to stop microwaving briefs and start cooking again. Sally Weavers and Jen Jones are co-founders of Craft Media London and co-authors of Anti-Ultra-Processed Planning. They joined host Jack Benjamin to discuss its arguments and takeaways, and why they believe good planning has become harder and harder to come by. Highlights: 7:05: What is anti-ultra-processed planning? 11:34: How to incentivise better planning practices 18:20: People not audiences 23:14: Notice over reach: the importance of attention 29:37: How brands can 'get out of the middle lane' and become more distinctive 40:29: Planning through culture, not channels 46:15: Measuring what matters and moving beyond social media Related articles: Beyond the black box: The case for anti-ultra-processed planning Media for planners who give a shit Templatisation and automation: Is planning losing its edge?