November is a funny time in brand building.  ‘Next year’ looms on the horizon, whether that means January or April.. and ‘next year’ means new priorities; new initiatives; new budgets…. and with it, the need to write new plans.

At this point, here at Crow we say, *pause* and *breathe*. Before you start deciding what to do, there’s a more fundamental question: what has actually changed?

Ask yourself:

• What’s different about your customers?
• What’s different about your category?
• Your competitors?
• Your business or organisation? Your brands?
• What have you learned this year that you didn’t know last year?

Just as importantly – actually, more so – what hasn’t changed?

Without that pause and breathe, you’ll find it’s remarkably easy to build a new plan without thought. To redo everything from scratch – situational analysis; insight audit; the whole shebang.  But first it’s worth establishing whether the world really requires one. Or indeed, whether your brand or business needs one.

It’s easy to react to what’s happening now (it’s natural; it’s recency bias). And it’s easy to feel the need to respond to voices in the business calling for change. They might be right; they might have an agenda. But what’s clear is that the latest trend isn’t necessarily a change in your market. A competitor launching something new doesn’t necessarily mean you should respond. And a disappointing trading period doesn’t automatically mean your strategy is wrong.

To have a good plan; to deliver the results you wants means starting with a good diagnosis. Understand the current reality before you decide what to do about it.

So, before the you commence planning, ask yourself four simple questions.

• What has changed?
• What hasn’t?
• What have we learned?
• What does it mean?

It won’t take long and it’s a far, far better place to start than a blank PowerPoint slide.

To get the benefit of a consistent creative and commercial dividend you need to keep a level head. And business or brand planning is essential, but to be successful you need to plan for the world as it is not the world you (or others) assume it to be.

 

David Preston is founder of The Crow Flies, a research, strategy, innovation and brand planning company that helps brands find a direct route to long lasting success. Talk to us if you need a strategic diagnosis of your portfolio and an action plan that will drive meaningful commercial change. david@thecrowflies.co.uk; +44 (0) 1889 725670;  www.thecrowflies.co.uk; @crowflieshigh. © The Crow Flies, 2026.