Strategic Planning Portolio

There is no way to accurately have a visual portfolio of strategic planning. How does one represent a strategic framework online?

To me, strategy is the amalgamation of logic and magic in advertising that provides the essential ingredient in communication - it provides a starting point and a clear finishing point.

It’s the science of conjecture.

In my undergraduate, I wanted to become a copywriter.
I wanted to create things – fascinating and new – experimental things.  

But, the more I read and learnt about advertising the more strategic planning became my passion. I became more interested in the framework against research and development took place.

The idea of creating a framework which advertising measurement and research can take place seemed interesting to me, and since then I have become obsessed with learning more about the approaches to how effective campaigns are run, what campaigns are trying to achieve and how to inform creative advertising development.

Strategy is the only way in which creative advertising development can really be judged – fundamentally if the ideas are on or off strategy. Not only that, but good strategic development defines what advertising is supposed to be delivering, hence you can track the effectiveness of communication.

 To me, essentially, strategic development is the best diagnostic tool that helps in the creative development of advertising and media.

That said, everything that I develop goes though a vast filter of strategic planning before I get down to sitting and creating something for my clients. Of course, theoretically anyone can write a decent communication strategy or plan – qualitative and quantitative research is not the most difficult thing to perform. But piecing this data together to create a broad vision is something that requires experience and unique insight.

I pay close attention to past case studies, closely align all my work with my clients’ marketing strategy to integrate my work with business performance, and attempt to link it all together with financial results for my clients. What this requires is a thorough knowledge of where the business stands today in terms of variables such as market share, sales, profit, customer base, product awareness and brand position.

Although strategic models change from market to market, I generally use a simple four step approach that covers the ultimate foundation of strategy development. I ask my clients the following four questions before I open illustrator.

1. Who do you want to talk to?

I want to know the target market – think like them – act like them – interact with them. Creativity for me comes from understanding and empathy for who you are trying to sell to. Perhaps this need comes from my short stint with social anthropology in my undergraduate. This stage usually goes hand in hand with quantitative research (AMPS is for winners), and for me some serious semiotic research, which produces an accurate map of target market, cultural and symbolic landscape, consumer behaviour and geodemographics.

2. What do you want to say?

Writing a brief is like conception. It defines the moment of creative trajectory. Everything depends on having a clear and concise brief that clearly states the message that needs to go out into the public sphere.

3. How do you want them to feel?

How do I want you to feel when reading this? How do I want to make you feel? Well, I sum it up as, “Hell, this kid is a credible maverick”. When you make a message, you have to add some emotional impact.

4. What do you want them to do?

Specifics, Specifics, Specifics. Nuts and bolts of communication and advertising strategy is benchmarked on knowing what your client really wants from his media investment. 

Right now my strategic planning portfolio is limited to purely contract work, and I’m really looking for a little luck to get a foot in the door in a good London agency where I can learn and learn and learn. If you know anyone, or anywhere, that might find some use for me get in touch.