THOUGHTSTARTERS
What is a brand?
Before we can talk about Brand Strategy, we need to agree on what a brand is. Wikipedia says “a brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other...
A new brand called Starbucks
The first time I needed to deliver insights on demand, I had no idea what I was doing. That's because I wasn't a strategist yet; in fact I didn't...
The Creative Hierarchy of Needs
You may have noticed that when I talk about the work Creatives do, I prefer to say “tackling a challenge” rather than “solving a problem.” Creatives...
Where Big Brands Go Wrong With Consumer Insights
A multi-billion dollar client of mine was struggling with the performance of a new product extension and commissioned their in-house HI (Human...
Consumer v. Audience
We need to talk about the word “consumer.” I hate it. I think it makes human beings sound like flesh-eating bacteria. Or maybe post-apocalyptic...
What are Creative Strategists?
In his article For All You People Who Have No Clue What A Strategist Does, Harry Innes explains that Creative Strategists “tell the creatives what...
What is strategy?
Want to hear something crazy? Most strategists I've worked with on both the brand and agency side don’t have a working definition of strategy. They...
Calling all strategists
It seems like everyone’s a strategist these days. Take a look at this list from CX Strategist Emily Vernon: Account Strategist - Develop strategic...