As part of their hiring process, Jung von Matt asks junior planner candidates to answer a few questions. The answers serve as an indicator of the appliquant's analytical cognitive abilities, copywriting skills, and sense for brands and people. Here's my take on it.

1. JUNG VON MATT
PLANNER TEST
Jung von Matt planner test

2. EXERCISE 1
Instead of working on successful brands, it's
more fun to make brands successful.
Can you think of a weak brand that you would
like to revitalize? What would be your marketing
strategy?
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

3. Exercise 1 – The Resurrection
YELLOW PAGES
- Let’s face it: Yellow Page rhymes with old school heavy dusty paper directory.
- The brand used to be THE reference for enterprises and individuals but failed to keep up with
the Googles and Bings of this world.
- How could it regain its top of mind awareness in consumers’ heads?
- How could it (re)gain relevancy for the younger generation?
- Global trend: There are a decreasing amount of landlines to the benefit of mobile phones.
- What if Yellow Pages becomes the no1 ‘cellphone’ directory?
- This means the old school phonebook will be online with all the cell phone numbers in there.
- The brand could partner with leading mobile operators and networks such as Vodafone, T-
Mobile, O2, etc. to get access to these numbers.
- For the latter, this would mean an increase in cellphone usage, generating more income.
- It could also partner with Facebook, LinkedIn etc. and gather all the mobile numbers users have
already uploaded.
- Yellow pages would have it all: phone numbers of both businesses and individuals, and could
thus claim back its status of no1 telephone directory for anyone you wish to contact.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

4. EXERCISE 2
The car market is loaded with advertising. But what do
Mercedes-Benz and other manufacturers actually stand
for?
Your task is to clearly position these various brands:
Think of some clever axis endpoints and explain in
two sentences why you placed the individual brands in
a specific cluster.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

5. Exercise 2: Positioning 4 wheels
High-performance
Lighthearted Timeless
Seductive
Mercedes is about opulence, refinement. It’s a symbol of power. Jaguar is an emotional iconic brand
with a soul. While BMW is perceived as an older brand vs. Audi, they both are about combining
design and technology. With its ‘Creating Amazing’ campaign, Lexus stands for great driving
experience at all times. Lastly, VW is about the car and the people. It doesn’t focus much on the
driving experience but more on how the car impacts your everyday life.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

6. EXERCISE 3
In your opinion, which campaign (not from Jung
von Matt) exemplifies strategic clarity and
creative excellence?
Show us a sample motif and explain your choice
in three sentences.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

7. Exercise 3: The best in class
The Levi’s CurveID represents strategic clarity and creative excellence. Here’s why:
- Provided a purposeful solution to the universal (female) pain of finding a flattering pair of
jeans.
- The interactive measuring guide delivered on the challenging message that it’s not about size
but shape.
- Visually it’s bold and approachable, exactly in line with what the brand stands for. It dares you
to try them on.
Interactive measuring tool on the .com Print
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

8. EXERCISE 4
As a planner, you have a keen sense of which type of
person prefers which brand.
Place the following brands (see next page) in three to
five groups and characterize their typical consumers.
Describe the various persons and tell us about their
life motto, character traits, how old they are, where they
live and what they do for a living.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

9. JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

10. Exercise 4: Who likes what
GROUP 1: THE EARTH LOVERS
They are outdoorsy, in harmony with the nature. They enjoy hiking and gardening. They live a
healthy lifestyle and eat bio. Most of them are vegetarian and make their own muesli.
Life Motto: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Character traits: Respectful, wise, down to earth, open-minded, compassionate, honest.
Age group: 35-60 male and female.
Location: A suburb in Switzerland, Canada or Australia close to lakes and/or mountains.
Occupation: Geography teachers, oceanographers, searchers, yoga teachers.
Brands they like:
Greenpeace, Alnatura, Chiemsee, Landliebe, Salamander, Krombacher, Bionade.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

11. Exercise 4: Who likes what
GROUP 2: THE SHARKS
They work hard and expect the very best. They climbed up the ladder during their 30s. They are
at the top of the food chain and intend to stay there. They have experience. They have
knowledge. They have power.
Life Motto: “I deserve the very best.”
Character traits: Individualistic, direct, power-hungry, talented, materialistic, relentless.
Age group: 40-50, Alpha male and female.
Location: A design condo in downtown Frankfurt or on the Upper East Side of NYC.
Occupation: Investment bankers, lawyers, marketers, consultants, entrepreneurs.
Brands they like: Alfa Romeo, Hugo
Boss, Swarovski, Breitling, Burberry, Jura, Rodenstock, Arte, BlackBerry, Deutsche
Bank, Polar, Kärcher, IBM, Persil, Bosch.

12. Exercise 4: Who likes what
GROUP 3: THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
They have 5 years of work experience. They are successful at what they do, they enjoy life, have
many friends. They travel to trendy places and go out in the right locations. They are social
butterflies every body naturally gravitates towards.
Life Motto: “Do your absolute best, and have a good time.”
Character traits: Social, ambitious, connected, confident, charismatic, curious, witty.
Age group: 25-34 male and female.
Location: Flat in a city like Melbourne, Amsterdam, San Francisco.
Occupation: Admen, musicians, socialites, sport professionals, chefs in a restaurant.
Brands they like: Mini, Starbucks, Yamaha, Häagen-Dazs, Citybank, Nike, Apple, Lätta, Ray
Ban, Edeka, Balisto.

13. Exercise 4: Who likes what
GROUP 4: THE STUDENTS
End of college, beginning of Uni. They eat lots of pasta and enjoy house parties and rock concerts.
They travel to Barcelona during the summer where they do pub crawls every night.
Life Motto: : ”YOLO!” (You only leave once).
Character traits: Carefree, social, lighthearted, easygoing, positive, resourceful.
Age group: 15-24 boys and girls.
Location: A student residence in Maastricht or Bologna.
Occupation: They study and have a part-time job at a restaurant or at a clothing shop.
Brands they like: MTV, H&M, Converse, Beck’s, Ikea, Motorola, Ryanair, Emily the
Strange, Nintendo.

14. Exercise 4: Who likes what cont’d
GROUP 5: THE PARENTS OF A MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILY
They are the young parents of 2 to 4 children. They represent the middle class. They put their
family first and seek harmony and happiness.
Life Motto: “Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
Character traits: Reliable, humble, joyful, responsible, stable, warm, devoted.
Age group: 30-50 parents.
Location: Residential areas of Munich with a park and a school nearby.
Occupation: Kindergarten teachers, engineers, GP, nurses, real estate agents.
Brands they like:
RTL, Tchibo, Opel, Crocs, Colgate, Hornbach, Hanuta, Quelle, Bild, C&A, Aldi, Sparkasse, Knorr, Cla
rks.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

15. EXERCISE 5
Good ideas are our most precious asset. The
world is waiting for something you created.
What is it?
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

16. Exercise 5: My invention
• When the cold days of autumn arrive, many people feel cuddlier and want to stay inside
• Watching movies or playing Backgammon are activities more enjoyable when shared.
• What if you are single but find it too cold/grey/rainy out there to go bar hopping ?
• What if dating sites are not your thing simply because its promise of finding true love is hard
to fulfill or you don’t want to have all the burden of a relationship on your shoulders just yet?
• Here comes the PILLOW BUDDY™ app.
• It connects other people just like yourself. Find them on a map. Look at their profile. Learn
about their interests: Is it watching a movie? Playing chess? Cooking?
• By removing the pressure of a dating site, this location base service allows people with
common interests to connect more naturally, develop new friendships, become pillow
buddies for the winter or maybe even more.
JvM Planner Test by Karine Pierre-Louis

17. THANK YOU