Freelance Brand and Creative Strategist / Strategic Planner and Fractional Strategy Director
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
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
I know that the future is looking wobbly for lots of Planners/Strategists at the moment and I personally know several who have already been made redundant. It must be particularly hard for Junior Planners to work out how to make themselves indispensable/employable as quickly as possible, especially if they’re already on furlough. So I’ve come … Continue reading A little advice for junior strategists & planners who are nervous about their job prospects
I've been working as a freelance for the last five and a half years and marketing agency types often sidle up to me on the quiet and mutter that they're thinking of going freelance and would I recommend it? I've always answered that it depends on your circumstances and here's why: Is there any work out … Continue reading Should I go freelance? Important questions for marketing types
1) We’re in the business of communication and persuasion, not putting-cool-stuff-on-screens (be they tv, pc or mobile). Making sure that the right message reaches the right people is what matters. Deciding which media is right for the job is vital – but the answer might just as easily be ‘supermarket car park experiential sampling’ as … Continue reading ten things everyone under 25 who works in agencies needs to know
We've been doing a mini-refurb at home so for the last 8 weeks we've had a house full of tradesmen - plumbers, electricians, joiners and so on. Which it turns out isn't terribly conducive to working half the week from home. But aside from that it's been a real eye-opener in terms of client expectations … Continue reading what I’ve learnt from being the client for once
I’ve written lots of posts with tips for wannabe Planners (here, here and here), but it struck me that I’ve never posted anything aimed at Junior Planners who are already in their first Planning post. If you want to get ahead, you need to get noticed. And these days being good at your specific Roles … Continue reading junior planners – get noticed to get ahead
I’m still being contacted regularly by aspiring account planners (thanks for getting in touch!) and it feels like my series of Straight Talking Advice for Wannabe Planners is due for another instalment (if this sounds like your kind of thing and you haven’t done so already, read part one and part two first). This time … Continue reading yet more straight talking advice for aspiring account planners (part three)
When I went freelance, one thing I hadn’t really considered was just how much technology and equipment I’d need. You take for granted grabbing a Dictaphone from the cupboard or hunting down an artwork bag from under someone’s desk. And there isn’t a handy Planners Shopping List you can download anywhere with a list of … Continue reading the Planner’s technical toolkit
I’ve been freelancing as a Planner for for nearly a year now and I’m doing a lot more qualitative research than I did as an Agency Type. I think partly this is because I no longer sit in a room full of quallies ready to head off to Milton Keynes with a discussion guide at … Continue reading Top Tips for Account Planners doing their own focus groups