Planning’s new MVPs: Skills for the next 5 years
Opinion
The industry needs people who can think holistically, move fluently between data and culture, and bring a point of view. In the final part of this mini series, find out what else the future planner needs.
So, you’ve made it into media planning. You’ve joined one of the most fast-paced, fascinating and occasionally bonkers parts of the industry.
Now what? What skills will actually matter as the job evolves? What should you focus on learning, stretching, mastering?
Because here’s the thing: media planning is changing fast. Faster than a TikTok trend. Faster than the client lead changing their mind about the Q3 strategy.
And the best planners of the next five years won’t be the ones who just keep up — they’ll shape what comes next.
The good news: The future needs you
Forget what you’ve heard about planners being spreadsheet jockeys or PowerPoint gremlins. That version of the job is fading fast.
The industry is crying out for people who can think holistically, move fluently between data and culture, and bring a point of view — not just a media schematic.
If you’re curious, adaptable and not afraid to speak up in a room full of acronyms, you’re already halfway to being one of media’s new most valuable players.
Let’s talk about what else will set you apart.
1. Your brain needs to do the splits
Planners used to sit neatly in one lane: you’d learn the numbers, book the media, report on the results. Job done.
Now? You need to zoom out and zoom in. You might go from writing a strategic comms framework in the morning to decoding why CPMs spiked in one channel by lunch.
And, by 3pm, you’re analysing audience behaviours while thinking about how a campaign actually lands in someone’s real, messy, offline life.
The next-gen planner doesn’t just toggle between Excel and PowerPoint. You blend logic and imagination. Cultural curiosity and commercial thinking. You get excited about audience insight and auction mechanics.
This job now belongs to people who can juggle the technical with the human. And honestly? That’s way more fun.
From media planner to business advisor: The expanding role of planning
2. Rewiring your career (and the industry’s pipeline)
You probably didn’t go to school thinking: “One day, I’ll be optimising CTV impressions.” And that’s fine. Most of us fell into planning — and stayed because it turns out to be kind of brilliant.
But the future of planning depends on people like you making it better, more inclusive, more creative. That means asking more from the industry.
Ask for mentorship. Ask for training that teaches storytelling as well as strategy. Ask to be involved in the messy middle bits of planning, not just the final deck polish.
And agencies? We need to stop treating development like a side hustle. If we want planners who can lead, we’ve got to invest in growing talent from day one, not waiting until people are “senior” to stretch them.
3. Planning as a power position
One of the best-kept secrets in the industry? The planner often sees the whole picture before anyone else does.
You understand the client’s goals. You know the audience better than most. You see the gaps between media, message and moment. And you’re perfectly placed to pull it all together into something coherent.
That means your voice matters. Even if you’re early in your career, you bring a fresh perspective, a pulse on culture and a nose for nonsense that many senior clients desperately need right now.
So speak up. Ask why. Share the insight no-one else spotted. Planning’s value isn’t just in the numbers — it’s in the way you connect them to human behaviour and business outcomes.
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So what makes an MVP planner in 2025?
• You’re culturally curious and commercially sharp
• You love clarity — but can sit (reasonably) comfortably in the grey
• You don’t panic when things change (because they will)
• You get excited about audiences, not just algorithms
• You know that good strategy is part-logic, part-guts
This job isn’t always easy. But it’s meaningful. And it’s yours to shape.
The best planners aren’t just filling out frameworks. They’re future-builders. Sense-makers. MVPs who ask better questions, spot connections others miss and help brands show up in ways that matter.
If that sounds like you, then guess what? The next five years are bright.
Caroline Manning is chief design officer at Initiative