From one asian planner to other.

Born in Pakistan, pursued his Bachelors in Business and Computer Science in USA and Masters in Brand Planning in UK. Asad Shaykh is currently the Head of Planning at Kameleon, the Content Marketing Agency of the year. He stresses a lot on the power of storytelling and connecting with the people, after all that's what planning is all about.

One of his recent presentation 'Life of Pi' - Advice for planning interns, was full of valuable advice which I guess people working at all levels in the industry can relate to, especially the starting out planners. People talk about how to get there. Asad talks about how to stay there once you're in.

Here are some of the hacks from the talk. In my opinion, these are the ones whose importance is most understated.

1) Footprint your name in people's inboxes. Try to say hi and make your presence felt to the people in the office. Keep reminding them that you are there incase something comes up. Be the lifeguard of the agency.

2) Be a smooth talker. Talk to people to get insights. (Personally this is what I do in case of a creative block.) It can be really helpful to come up with good ideas.

3) Put out your work on the wall. Push your ideas in their face. Do things even if you think they are silly. In the end you'd regret the things you didn't do rather than the things that you did.

4) Never refuse a free pint of drink. This is the only time 'they' will be completely interested and willing to know you for you, apart from your work.

5) Always have your tool box ready. It could be the templates, brief structures, models, etc. that you got during university or other previous internships you've done.

True story - During my previous internship, I had to come up with a proposition to appeal to businesses to invest in ethical banking. I used the pen portrait template that I discovered during one of my university modules to justify my target audience. My boss liked it so much that I didn't just get brownie points, he actually asked me to send it over to him so that he could use it in some future pitches to the clients.

6) Digital + Analog = Dialog. Don't get tied up with the medium. One of my NAFA lectures used to say, "Your ideas should have legs." Campaigns like Nike - Just do it and Absolut Vodka: The Absolute Bottle are still adapted and put to use as it's the idea behind the campaign/ execution that counts more than anything.

7) Grow a moustache. Those who have met Asad, know about his passion for his moustache. Once, all he talked about in an interview was his moustache.

What he means by this is play to your strengths. Do things your (different) way. Highlight how different you are because difference is what the people might be looking for.

His portfolio covers brands like Honeywell, HP, Logitech, National Express, PayPoint, Sky,

Swarovski, TK Maxx, Whirlpool and YAZOO. I asked him about one really valuable lesson he's learnt that I should keep in mind as a planner.

He told me about this one time when he was working alongside UNIQLO. In lots of cultures, people like to celebrate, launch and showcase everything on a big scale. The bigger the better.

UNIQLO being a truly Japanese brand, refused to brag about their perfectly engineered clothes. They took pride in the product speaking for itself and using strategic media to advertise the brand. Asad said, that was the time when he was reminded of the importance of keeping the brand and audience in mind. One can easily get carried away by a great idea but for it to be effective, it has to resonate with the purpose and values of the brand/ service/ product.

A link to check out Asad's work - http://www.asadshaykh.com/work/.