Bedtime read: Stephen King.

Known as the Godfather of Account Planning, he said:

Many managements have copied the most overt element of BMP's account planning, without fully understanding the depth of skill and breadth of interest involved, the very high ratio of planners to account managers and the great commitment to training. All they have seen, in fact, is account planners running group discussions. As a result a large number of qualitative researches have found themselves, after four years or so of slogging away at group discussions, translated overnight into instant agency Account Planning Directors. It was so much easier to find them than people with a thorough grounding in all aspects of brand building. - Published (reproduced) in 1989.

Wherefore art they, O'King? If not from research!

Fastforward two decades, and instead of research agencies, we see an influx of planners from account servicing. Some grew in love for strategies (but then again, that's a little vague), some grew in detest of clients (a hard truth, but a truth nevertheless). For us to really grow planning talent, I'm afraid they will have to come from media or marketing. Best if hybrid, but that's where they should come from. Preferably, the client's side. Someone who finds sole data crunching a little limiting to their growth.

And really Mr. King... it is too ideal to have 1 Account Planner to 1 Account Manager. My management will drop dead laughing at my utopian proposal! (On second thought, hey... may I should...).