“Strategy Should Always Lead”

The intellectuals of the industry, planners arm their creative colleagues with the human insights and hard data to make sure their ideas are founded in truth. In ‘Planning for the Best’, we celebrate the planners and strategists and pick into their processes and thoughts about the evolving discipline.

With decades of experience as a creative professional and a highly developed eye for insight, Cary Murphy specialises in helping brands find and create strong connections that translate to sales.

LBB> What do you think is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one?

Cary> That’s a tangled web. ‘Planner’ was the original term that defined the role, but ‘strategist’ is the more recent title that largely describes the same thing. 

The original account planners who established the discipline, like Stanley Pollitt and Stephen King (a different Stephen King, dear reader), were pioneers of introducing consumer insights into the creative process. They created a bridge between creative teams and the target audience. 

That hasn’t changed much, but the discipline has splintered into specialised areas like comms, brand, and content strategy (to name a few). The focus remains the same: connecting work to the audience using research, data, and insights.

LBB> And which description do you think suits the way you work best?

Cary>  I align with the original planner role—digging into the audience, uncovering connections, and bringing insights that inspire the creative process. Running a creative agency for 20 years gave me the instinct to think like a creative and translate data into something actionable and exciting. 

But for the last few years, I’ve been obsessed with brand strategy, blending classic frameworks like the 4Cs with agile, first-party research. Frameworks help kick things off, but the magic happens when experience and talent take over.

LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic campaign from a strategic perspective? One that you feel demonstrates great strategy?

Cary> Oh, there are so many. I gave a presentation last year that breaks down some of the insights behind two of my favourite campaigns—Snickers ‘You’re not yourself when you’re hungry’ (featuring the late, great Betty White) and the Burger King mouldy whopper campaign.

Both are connected to really interesting insights, but great strategy and creative blur the lines. I think that is the sign of a great team.

But strategy is also about exploring the what-ifs. I heard Craig Allen from Callen share a brilliant example with Lone Star Beer. They were launching a new seltzer and trying to secure more tap placements across Texas. The client’s playbook? Start with standard bar signage.

But Callen asked, “What would actually make Texas more enjoyable and refreshing?” Someone joked, “Getting rid of mosquitos!” And instead of laughing it off, that became the (neon) light-bulb moment: A Lone Star sign that doubled as a bug zapper. I love that story.

LBB> When you’re turning a business brief into something that can inform an inspiring creative campaign, do you find the most useful resource to draw on?

Cary> Advice: Don’t rely on second-hand data to build a creative strategy. That’s a trap too many strategists fall into. I’m a huge advocate for agile, first-party research—fielding surveys, talking to consumers, and observing them in the wild. That’s where the best stuff comes from.

Platforms and syndicated data are helpful, but they can make you lazy. You need to go beyond regurgitating ‘insights’ that everyone else is using. Real inspiration comes from listening to the people you’re trying to reach.

LBB> What part of your job/the strategic process do you enjoy the most?

Cary> That moment when you’re combing through a pile of data, and then—bam!—the narrative hits you. That’s the good stuff. I love figuring out the tension between a consumer’s problem and the solution we’re offering. Or better yet, just figuring out what the consumer’s problem is.

I also love brand strategy and messaging. Crafting positioning and messaging that ties everything together feels like putting the final piece in a puzzle. It’s the hardest work, but that’s what makes it rewarding.

LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Why are they so useful?

Cary> Frameworks are great to get things in motion. They give you a clear place to start and logical steps to follow so you can just jump in and start working without being overwhelmed by the size of the challenge. The framework won’t solve the puzzle for you, though. You can’t just fill in the blanks and be done. It does help you get all those pieces organized and sets you up for success.

I still love the 4Cs to start digging into brand strategy, and I love some of the lightweight tools from folks like Mark Pollard and Julian Cole to tackle a tough creative brief.

LBB> What sort of creatives do you like to work with? As a strategist, what do you want them to do with the information you give them?

Cary> Creatives who say, “Yes, and….” Those are my people. It’s amazing to work with someone who can take a thought starter and immediately start building on it.

I’ve worked with creatives who could finish my sentences (and vice versa), but I don’t need that. What I value most is someone who has fun with the process and doesn’t take it all too seriously. If they’re inspired by what I give them, I’ve done my job.

LBB> There’s a negative stereotype about strategy being used to validate creative ideas, rather than as a resource to inform them and make sure they’re effective. How do you make sure the agency gets this the right way round?

Cary> Honestly, I don’t understand that. Strategy should always lead. We’re out front digging up the info and insights that help the rest of the teams do better work.

That said, inspiration can go both ways. Sometimes, creatives come up with an idea, and strategy steps in to connect the dots. But at its core, strategy is about defining the narrative, connecting to the audience, and making it stick.

LBB> What have you found to be the most important consideration in recruiting and nurturing strategic talent?

Cary> I’ve had the opportunity to visit multiple university classrooms and have been encouraged by the next generation’s interest in strategy. They seem to have a better understanding of the role than many people in the industry today. 

When looking at talent, curiosity is non-negotiable. A great strategist loves digging into different topics and asking questions. I’m also biased toward creative thinkers—analytical skills are important, but creativity is what elevates strategy. I’ve had multiple creative directors tell me that the most creative person they ever worked with was a strategist. 

LBB> In recent years it seems like effectiveness awards have grown in prestige and agencies have paid more attention to them. How do you think this has impacted on how strategists work and the way they are perceived?

Cary> Advertising effectiveness is a lifeline for the traditional agency model. I think performance-based marketing, ad tech, and obsessions with ROAS (return on advertising spend) threatened the foundations of advertising. This broader study of effectiveness has reminded the marketing world of how brands grow with tons of data to prove it.

I think advertising effectiveness is something that everyone across the agency should study. We should all read the ‘modern classics’ from Byron Sharp, Binet & Field, and Daniel Kahneman. I think it’s not unusual for the strategy or planning team to own this cause within the agency and work to spread the word.

LBB> What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a strategist/planner?

Cary> The majority of my long career was spent producing and delivering the creative product—the campaign, the design, the tagline—the tangible stuff that everyone celebrates. Creatives will work endless nights and weekends to make magic happen, and they deserve all the praise they get.

But strategy is once-removed from the product. You will put a ton of time and energy into your work, but you’re like that old BASF campaign: “You don’t make the product, you make the stuff that makes the product better.”  The number of people who understand and appreciate what you do will be fewer, but you do it because you love it.  

I recently heard Greg Hahn say, “The person who loves walking will go farther than the person who loves the destination.” That’s good career advice.