“Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face” Mike Tyson, and Covid-19 is obviously the punch that we all received as humans, citizens, agencies and clients earlier this year.
WARC's 2020 Future of Strategy report takes the point of view and temperature of the industry with specific views from senior strategists with creative, media and freelancing backgrounds, covering four broad themes – the value of Strategy, the next generation, budget cuts and short-termism.
It’s both encouraging and particularly important to be at the top of our respective strategic games, in the year that the Gartner CMO Study saw brand strategy go from the bottom of the ladder in 2019 to the number one vital strategic capability they anticipate needing in 2020.
For what they are worth, here are the 5 main things that I am taking from this report, in some cases to hone and others to explore further.
- Strategists solve problems and Covid is a humongous one (opportunity) for us to get our teeth into.
- Make sure we are (recognised/needed as) part of the conversation at the top table as Clients discuss how to navigate these unchartered waters.
- Be unashamedly aware of our expertise and experience and how we can help.
- Brands with purpose navigate difficult times with greater clarity and focus (ref: IOD/IAPI Branding – Vital for Ireland’s Economic Recovery seminar Aug 2020), how do we make sure our clients and businesses are ready for future ‘punches in the face’.
- How do we walk the short-term/long-term strategic tightrope in months when it’s hard to predict what the next week will bring with it.
You won’t necessarily agree with all the points, nor will all of them be relevant but it is definitely still worth a read.
Strategists are in more demand than ever as a result of the pandemic, WARC’s 2020 Future of Strategy survey finds, though amid a looming recession, the purpose of the strategist is changing.
Key themes include:
- The paradox of the increasing value of strategy against decreasing headcounts
- The opportunities presented by the crisis including brand building and redefining purpose
- The threat to the next generation of diverse talent
Subscribers can read the full report here, or you can download a sample here.
