Planners are involved and integrated in the creation of marketing strategy and ads. Their responsibility is to bring the consumer to the forefront of the process and to inspire the team to work with the consumer in mind. The planner has a point of view about the consumer and is not shy about expressing it.” – Fortini-Campbell

Though the concept of Account Planning was first defined in the UK in 1968, the statement “I am an Account Planner” is still met with a tilt of the head and a questionable look among folks in the land of Advertising. By definition, we Account Planners are curious – we ask questions, we study human behavior, we are constantly wondering what makes those around us tick!

Planning is about discovery. And that thirst for answers about our consumers is what led me to an evening of palate discovery last night. Sponsored by the Left Coast Bartenders Guild and hosted by Ciro’s Speakeasy & Supper club, the 2012 Zubrowka Vodka Drink Competition provided a front row seat to the Account Planners’ dream market research. All three key consumers were present for the event, the vodka aficionados (the drinkers), the voice (expert judges) and the artists (the cocktail creators).

Directly in front of me, West Florida’s leading mixologists creating ZU cocktails with stories that stretched well beyond the glass. Each mixologist crafted a specialty ZU cocktail utilizing local ingredients, brand history and learned consumer preferences. The cocktails ranged from the “I’ll Smoke Anything”, a cocktail that featured vodka-infused bacon and applewood smoked ice, to “The Traveler” which seamlessly incorporated spirits from all around the world.

My bar mates were esteemed judges ranging from a local news personality, Remy Cointreau marketing representatives to the Global Brand Ambassador for ZU Vodka, Daniel Undhammar. The competitors were judged on many things including performance, taste and cocktail presentation.

The audience, a crowd of drinkers who could not appear more different from each other – on the outside. Their common ground – a true passion for a carefully crafted cocktail with fresh ingredients, a colorful story and a punch line as smooth as the cocktail itself.

So now comes the fun part, how do you position a spirit brand in a saturated market to a multi-tiered consumer audience?

Stay tuned to find out! And while you’re waiting, stop by Ciro’s Speakeasy for their in-house ZU cocktail, the East 8 Hold Up! – Amber