On Strategy Showcase

When the QSR brand asked for a focus on quality, Preacher's Head of Strategy Marika Wiggan and Founder Seth Gaffney found a way to reframe it... For What it's Worth.  

It started with a dinner conversation. That led to Edelman's Tom Hehir, EVP, Head of Strategy, joining me to chat about trust as a strategic goal and why Edelman feels it should be the ultimate metric. 

Mark returns to share  his Top 10 Marketing Moments of the year and why they mattered. Happy holidays and New Year to everyone.

To celebrate the holidays, we're rerunning the stories behind 10 years of iconic John Lewis ads and the simple brand platform and inspirations that shaped them, with CCO Richard Brim and CSO Martin Beverley of adam&eveDDB, London

Not all reach is equal. In this final episode of the series, we talk about the importance of attention metrics in reach-based comms planning and its impact on effectiveness/efficiency. This series sponsored by our friends at WARC.

When it comes to generating effective work, it’s critical that strong relationships exist between account people, strategists and creatives. We talk about the various creative personalities and how best to work with each. This series brought to you by our friends at WARC.

The most critical episode in the series, we talk about two key documents:  strategy on a page and the creative brief. Examples can be downloaded on this episodes' page on our website. This series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

How a simple comment about the Frankfurt skyline unlocked German Rail's brilliant social media fueled idea that helped Germans Rediscover Germany.

Former Head of Sales Data Science & Analytics at Google, Harry shares the three types of metrics: Outputs, Outtakes and Outcomes, and the importance of having a Hierarchy of Evidence. This series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

Ep#2 focuses on performance vs. brand marketing and the blasphemous idea of both in a single execution. This series brought to you by WARC.

Ep#1 deals with setting direction and defining objectives. Mark Ritson shares tips on how to get from objectives to client brief and the mistakes too many are making. This series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

The brand historically known for its Pursuit of Progress has reinvented the way it expresses itself for a new generation of drinkers. From personal status to collective optimism, this is the story behind the latest "Keep Walking" campaign.

James Hurman and I talk about each of the 6 upcoming episodes and what you can expect from each guest. The series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

This week we pay homage to Dan Wieden of W+K. He was heroic because he made it possible for the creatives and strategists I’ve long admired to become the creatives and strategists I've long admired.  He made them possible. He created the culture that allowed them to be. And he loved it. Here's a speech he gave at Design Indaba in 2016. It's well worth a listen. R.I.P.

How, after World War II,  would you market to the American public, a strange looking, small, inexpensive foreign car associated with Hitler's Germany? Imagine that was your brief. 

Liquid Death is an irreverent brand that contradicts almost every convention of marketing. It’s simply drinking water, but packaged differently and marketed uniquely with the tagline “Murder Your Thirst.” 

In his latest book “Future Demand," James Hurman suggests we start using the language of business to build the case for investment in harvesting both existing and future demand.

The amazing planning story behind Fallon's win over Chiat Day for the Citi account: one that resulted in the best un-bank-like advertising ever. And it would never have happened if not for two guys on a speakerphone.

The first in our new series on classic campaigns. DDB used a comment from an AVIS employee to turn what many considered a weakness into a highly relatable strength. 

Coming out of lockdown, the convenience store brand, faced with a dramatic reduction in store visits, used products and subcultures as distinctive brand assets to expand its share among those whose idea of “convenience” had changed. 

The name change from Uncle Ben's Rice to Ben's Originals was a response to claims of racial stereotyping. The subsequent campaign is a masterclass in strategic thinking that grew household penetration 20%. Because doing what's right is also right for business.

Skinny Mobile, originally a youth brand, needed to explore a way into the general market to return to growth, but brand perception got in the way. ColensoBBDO and their client share the award winning strategy that flipped a negative, with "Skinny will do anything to keep prices low and customers happy."

After decades of “Choosy Moms Choose JiF,” how could a brand your mom served you as a kid now be the brand you choose for yourself? Publicis, New York shares the strategy story behind "That Jifing Good."

The New York Times was targeted as "fake news" by the previous administration. This was their award-winning response and what led to record breaking subscription levels.

With financial advisors resisting recommending the brand to clients, this is how an inventive idea reframed its value. A great B2B2C case.