Gemma Teed

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜?

Posted on 01/06/2026 by Gemma T in AI, strategy

Like many people, I’ve been thinking a lot about AI recently. And experimenting with new ways of using it, because pretending it doesn’t exist is not a solid career plan. I’ve written before about how AI has picked up a lot of the entry-level work that Junior Strategists used to learn on the job by … Continue reading 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜? →

Are you leaving your strategy clients with needle and thread?

Posted on 23/03/2026 by Gemma T in clients

An agency head once called me the Nanny McPhee of Strategy and swore it was a compliment. I think he meant that I might ask challenging questions and poke around in awkward corners, but by the end of the project the clients wouldn’t want me to go. A Head of Strategy later said that I … Continue reading Are you leaving your strategy clients with needle and thread? →

The one thing every client needs to share with their strategist

Posted on 03/12/2025 by Gemma T in strategy

What problem are we actually trying to solve here? Think about it, the ultimate role of marketing is to attempt to persuade people to Think, Feel or Do something as a result of our communications (in which I include branding). With the ultimate outcome being that people’s Thinking, Feeling, or Doing has a positive impact … Continue reading The one thing every client needs to share with their strategist →

What I wish I’d known…about working with Creatives

Posted on 07/11/202510/11/2025 by Gemma T in advice, creative briefing, strategy

The Strategist-Creative relationship can be make or break for a creative project. Without mutual respect and excellent baton passing, followed by constructive feedback and supportive client sell-in, the resulting work is never going to be as good. And the client will wonder why they paid for strategy when they can’t see it in the final … Continue reading What I wish I’d known…about working with Creatives →

What I wish I’d known…about kick off meetings

Posted on 05/09/202505/09/2025 by Gemma T in strategy

So, you’re starting a new project, possibly even with a new client, and an email lands in your inbox marked ‘Kick Off meeting agenda’. Which is a bit of a surprise, seeing as half that meeting is supposed to be strategy-focused and led by you. Find out who booked the kick off meeting and extract … Continue reading What I wish I’d known…about kick off meetings →

Thinking Scrappy: Finding Strategic Gold on a Shoestring

Posted on 25/06/202525/06/2025 by Gemma T in insight, Planning, Strategist, strategy

There are strategic brand or comms projects where you’re given weeks and a generous budget to find the insight you need, but let’s be honest, for many strategists they can be few and far between. Whether it’s a pitch with tight timings, a low-budget bodge, or a time-sensitive response to something affecting the brand, an … Continue reading Thinking Scrappy: Finding Strategic Gold on a Shoestring →

Small and agile is beautiful – and necessary

Posted on 02/06/2025 by Gemma T in agencies

I’ve been having a few conversations recently about the future of agencies, especially the small to mid-sized ones. For a number of reasons, including the rise of AI, the complexity of doing full service without serious scale and the decline in fee-based client contracts, the good old days for agency founders of starting up an … Continue reading Small and agile is beautiful – and necessary →

Working with really senior clients – what I wish I’d known

Posted on 19/04/2025 by Gemma T in advice, clients, strategy

The more experienced you get as a strategist, the more, well, strategic your projects tend to be and therefore the more senior your clients and other stakeholders get. I’ve worked with all sorts of big noises, from ex-FTSE 100 CEOs to venture capitalists, silicon valley tech bros and Global Heads of Everything and it doesn’t … Continue reading Working with really senior clients – what I wish I’d known →

Why you need to build serendipity into work trips

Posted on 05/12/202405/12/2024 by Gemma T in strategy

I’ve done an awful load of road trips for work over the years, whether that was for qual research, client meetings, pitches or site visits. During covid WFH, I got really itchy feet for those road trips and I realised that it wasn’t the destinations or work interactions I was missing, it was the serendipitous … Continue reading Why you need to build serendipity into work trips →

Working with Qual researchers – what I wish I’d known

Posted on 21/10/202423/10/2024 by Gemma T in qualitative, research

I started qualitative research training very early in my career and I’ve moderated dozens of my own focus groups and hundreds of depth interviews since then. But the more experienced I’ve become as a strategist-who-researches, the more I’ve realised that there is qual…and then there is qual. Really, really good qualitative research, the kind that … Continue reading Working with Qual researchers – what I wish I’d known →