The future of strategy is at the top of the mast

Ahoy, there’s a problem on the good ship we all call 'advertising!' 

As expressed in numerous CMO surveys, clients are desperately looking for partners who will help them uncover new opportunities, create culture and drive growth. And yet, Strategy - the department that’s arguably best suited to meet this need - tends to be under-funded in most agencies, leading to strategists being stretched thin across more accounts than ever before. 

As a result, strategists are mostly confined in their quarters below deck, reading, writing and revising whatever document needs their undivided attention in that particular moment. This is a missed opportunity and a waste of planners’ unique talents.  

Strategists are in a unique position of knowledge. They understand the world of business and how their clients operate and generate revenue and profit. They have insight into the movements of the category and competitive landscape. They are tapped into the culture that surrounds their clients and the world at large. They have an empathetic understanding of their clients’ audiences and what makes them tick. And crucially, they understand the power of imagination and creativity. This immense knowledge is an often untapped opportunity for agencies to deliver what clients desire most - a pathway towards impact and growth.

Instead of being kept below deck, rolling left and right with the ship’s constant, unpredictable motion, strategists should be given the funding, structure, time, space and freedom to get up on deck, climb to the top of the mast and look towards the horizon. Because with all their knowledge, insight and instinct, strategists have the power to spot opportunities - big and small - before they’re visible to the untrained eye. And I'm not just talking about comms opportunities - I’m talking about growth opportunities that stretch across all facets of business, which - according to CMO surveys - is what clients are looking for. Evidently, when navigating the seven seas of business, we must consider all seven Ps of marketing, not just the one the industry often defaults to. Strategists can lead the way!

When given the opportunity to climb to the top of the mast, strategists’ superpowers kick in. With their eyes on the horizon, strategists can uncover new audiences that no one in the category had thought of engaging with before. They can pinpoint disruptive demand spaces that could lead to revolutionary product development, breathing new life into a flagging business. They can get a glimpse of a strong cultural current that might propel a business forward with twice the speed. And much more.

From the highest vantage point of the ship, strategists can help chart the direction of travel and become the true business partners and growth drivers clients want - and as a result, also bolster agencies’ bottom lines.

I’m lucky enough to work in an agency that leans into this and makes sure strategists have time and space to think and climb to the top of the mast. This creates the ideal conditions for bigger disruptive thinking. But I would like to see this be the norm in our industry, not just a TBWA thing.

So, dear industry, let’s ensure strategists are given the funding, structure, time, space and freedom to leave their isolated quarters and climb the mast. Because that’s where they belong - up there in the wind, looking towards where the sky meets the sea. That’s where the future of strategy is, matey. 

Jesper Norgaard is the strategy director at TBWA\London