Whilst we were in India, we visited lots of temples. In Hindu temples you have to take your shoes off when you enter the main temple area. Depending on how big the temple is and how long you spend there, this can mean that you walk around for about 2 or 3 hours without shoes on. In one case, the Rock Temple in Trichy, the temple started at the bottom of a huge rock and extended up about 300 stairs to the top of the rock.
At first I have to admit you feel a bit exposed but after a while you remember what it feels like to walk barefoot, to feel contact between yourself and the world and to feel connected to the people around you. It is an unmediated experience. And it feels good.
I know that shoes are necessary in a lot of cases and they can be helpful. But I do feel that we have forgotten the benefits of going barefoot.
What does all of this have to do with planning? Well, it feels to me like shoes and brand positionings share some inherent similarities. In some cases they are necessary but they should only ever be seen as a tool. The most important thing you can do to help understand a brand is to experience it without shoes, in an unmediated natural way, and to feel how you are connected to this brand (or not).
I guess I am pleading for that old conker. Get out there, out from behind your desks and get back to experiencing life. That is where you understand things and believe me, it feels good.