Jessica Navas, Chief Planning
Officer for Erwin Penland is a polymath who studied communications, French and
psychology in college. Her career in advertising started as a receptionist at
Chiat Day. “I began my career in advertising not knowing which area I wanted to
go into. It wasn’t until I started working with planners that I truly
understood what they did – and I realized I’d actually been a planner my entire
life,” she confided.
Luckily she was taken under the wing of her idol, Jane
Newman, known at the time as “the mother of account planning.” From there, she
launched into an illustrious agency career moving from Merkley, Newman, and
Harty to Cliff Freeman & Partners to J. Walter Thompson and now as Chief
Planning Officer of Erwin Penland.
Charlene Weisler: Jessica, describe your
planning and marketing journey.
Jessica Navas: I learned the rigors
of strategic planning from Jane Newman in a very pure way. And while it’s
fascinating to see how planning’s application has evolved, the essential core
of the discipline still holds true: identifying the real business challenges
and creating an authentic and compelling brand platform – and have course,
communications - that can help to take on those challenges. Though Account
Planning was pioneered in the UK, I’m also an impatient, pragmatic American –
so I was well-trained in hunting, gathering and analyzing insights while also
very much in the camp of uncovering news I can use. Ultimately my training at
Merkley Newman Harty was terrific, and the work I helped create was solid, but
after a few years I was looking for new challenges.
My next stop was Cliff Freeman
& Partners. In the late 90’s, early 2000’s, the agency was a hotbed of
creativity and served as a finishing school for me. Here, take your strategic
chops and now here’s how to refine and put them into action. There I worked
with some of the smartest creative brains in the business – they truly
challenged my strategic
thinking and we all arrived at a better place because of it. Plus, I think
Cliff Freeman the man is
one of the unsung heroes of our business. Eventually,
at that point in my career, having been at small agencies, I wanted to
experience a larger agency with big brands and global impact, so I went to JWT, where I worked on
JetBlue, Lean Cuisine, Rolex, T.Rowe Price and Puma. Around us, the media
landscape was exploding and many of our clients had several agencies on their
roster, each with their own lane of
responsibility. And while we created work in a variety of channels for our
brands, I was often envious of the opportunities smaller agencies were given. Shops
that were kind of reinventing themselves intrigued me, defying expectations of
being a traditional ‘agency.’ A former co-worker had moved to Erwin Penland,
which I’d never heard of, but then when I checked them out, I was blown
away. Yes, they are an up-and-coming
agency but more like this ninja brand that came out of nowhere, doing all sorts
of interesting things - clever brand communications and experiences in every
channel – not to mention social media dynamos.
What I really love about EP is
that we aren’t focused on just marketing or advertising; we’re helping our
clients define – and even re-imagine – their categories in actual behaviors and
experiences. But it all begins with a meaningful, confident brand story.
Clearly the media landscape has evolved, and that’s where my role has stayed
true, in uncovering the brand story and ensuring it comes to life in acts,
gestures and demonstrations. Some of our clients may arrive with a brand story,
but we make it work harder. This is how we build trust with the consumer, based
on delivering on the brand promise and then growing the relationship.
Charlene Weisler: How do you do that?
Jessica
Navas: True brand missions have to be felt and embodied internally and
externally. Denny’s is America’s Diner. Califia Farms is all about
plant-powered innovation. Whether we come up with or we inherit it, the brand story must be felt
inside and out to be believable. Certainly there is so much more opportunity to
connect with people nowadays but that doesn’t mean that a brand should be doing
absolutely everything just because they can. It comes back to being rooted in a
brand story that inspires the RIGHT brand behaviors. You now have amazing
test-and-learn opportunities, but there is also a sense of pollution – if
actions aren’t meaningful then there is
the risk of tune-out.
Charlene Weisler: Do you use data for
analytics and if so how?
Jessica Navas: We’re constantly
gathering data – of course we always have, but now there’s so much more, with
so much based on real world behavior, rather than ‘reported’, so it’s more
truthful. And of course, there’s
data about everything: consumer behavior, media usage, brand
perceptions. We have never had more tools and inputs, and everything happens simultaneously.
Today we need to find ways to connect the dots, to uncover stories that serve
not just our brands, but also our consumers, helping to bring them closer to
how they view and ultimately brand themselves. There is a great quote our Social
Media Director always uses: “People don’t buy your product because they like
the product. They buy the product because they like themselves.” It’s true! We
are humble and explore how our brands can be in service of what consumers want
for themselves.
Charlene Weisler: How do you achieve work /
life balance?
Jessica Navas: I think the word
balance is overused and not necessarily at the core of what makes people happy,
so I don’t really hold it up as a goal. Do what makes you feel good and excited
and alive, which could be ‘unbalanced’ living, but who cares? I don’t have
children but we all have our own juggling to do. I have strong relationships,
friendships; I get involved in charity and volunteering. How much energy do we
have to give? Certainly like everyone, there are times when I feel out of
balance and need to take a breath. If you don’t feel good and centered, you
won’t have much to offer. I feel grateful that my female and male co-workers
are very supportive of balance, meaning the pursuit of whatever makes me feel
most energized.
Charlene Weisler: What are your views of
mentorship?
Jessica Navas: I feel very lucky
that I’ve had great mentors throughout my career – both female and male role
models who have always been great supporters and champions. I love that they help
me feel confident and I try to pass that on to my team – I want to help them
shine by supporting them and pushing them forward. I also believe that we learn from the next
generation. Certainly I have 20+ years of experience, but I also learn from the
kids every day. It is important to learn both up and down. There is a favorite Malcolm Gladwell
quote I love: “Change your mind about something important every day” – for me, staying open minded
is everything.
Charlene Weisler: What advice would you give
a college student interested in a career in media?
Jessica Navas: Know yourself. Of
course I look for someone who is studied - but also open and receptive to the
world. The most critical thing is curiosity. I always want to know what they
read, listen to, and watch – what intrigues them. I want someone who
understands where we’ve been and is fascinated how that impacts what is
happening now and how it may impact us in the future. Curiosity is key.
This article first appeared in www.MediaBizBloggers.com
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