Pernille asked about the future of media planning and the presence of the right people in the business. This is a very broad subject and it makes us to face the questions about the roles media planners wants to play in the world of communication. Media agencies aspire to be the communication agencies but it demands the different mindset. It demands people who are curious and open-minded. People who are willing to explore the unknown and challenge the clients. People who are story-tellers and aren't afraid of the new ideas. But most of all it is all about enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the most important asset people should have (not only in work but also in life) as it brings out other positive features, curiosity, creativity and the will to challenge and change things. We can learn media planners how to plan media, we can learn them all about communication, etc. but this is just knowledge that isn't worth too much without engagement and the willingness to explore the world and to challenge the traditional media agency way of thinking.
I totally agree with Marc McGuiness' from Wishful thinking blog views on enthusiasm versus confidence.
Confidence is about you - enthusiasm is about your subject 
Confidence is about you (again) - enthusiasm is about others
Confidence is impressive - enthusiasm is infectious
Confidence is certain - enthusiasm is creative
Confidence is serious - enthusiasm is fun
Too much focus on confidence makes people being serious and professional, but to awake your audience attention and to 'take them with you', you need to be enthusiastic. Being enthusiastic about subject shows you believe in the things you are saying, it shows you are engaged. It makes you trustworthy!
In my eyes most of media planners sets confidence in the first place by hiding themselves behind big numbers, serious research, hundreds of power point slides with charts and bullet points, but it is not enough to become the architects of communication. In order to achieve that you need to be like this little fellow is enthusiastic about such a small and silly thing - ice cream.
Tags: media planning, communication, media agency, enthusiasm
