When I started at Booyah a couple years ago, I was working as an Account/Project manager for one of our biggest clients. Things started off well, with my typical roles and responsibilities for this position. I understood my place, what was expected of me and overall, built client relationships and built the business. Then, someone asked me to put together a Point of View document; or what we in the industry call the POV.
Now, I’ve been working in the digital agency world for a while, so I fully understand the importance of POV documents. They provide key insights for both internal and external stakeholders, which will ensure that all team members understand the industry landscape, trends, new opportunities, etc. It’s a key part of the overall agency/client relationship. There’s even an ad agency in Egypt called POV! God bless these folks.
But, holy shit, I have POV documents coming out of my ears. I’ve done more POVs in the last year than I’ll do for the rest of my career. And the best (and by best, I mean worst) part, is that no one reads them. Ugh, unreal…
So, with all this knowledge, let me share with you my POV about putting together the POV. Seriously, once you get the basics, it’s a simple and completely un-fulfilling task:
- Background – definitely a necessity, since no one will remember it was ever requested
- Overview/Situation – this explains what the POV is all about, which will have changed by the time someone reads it
- Recommendation/s – most people reading don’t make it this far, so have fun with this section. Recommend which DMV has the shortest line, the best coffee shop in Nepal, or something way off base
- Timeframe – anywhere between 1 day to 3 years
- Key Benefits – these recommendations will save the company and make you millions. Too bad we’ll never implement
- Next Steps – start the next POV
If you’ve been in my shoes, you understand this process can be a bit frustrating. But, it’s a necessary evil we must endure. Maybe somebody will put a POV together about how to get people to read them…
