Planning for the Best: Emelina Nyqvist on Why a Planner’s Strength Is in Understanding the Perspective of Others

Emelina Nyqvist is a senior strategist at Ogilvy UK. Fluent in multiple languages, she brings a unique and rich background with her that fuels her bespoke approach to brand strategy. With a degree in sociology and MBA in brand strategy, Emelina has a keen interest in how the human mind works, specifically what draws individuals and society to certain vices. This leads her to push boundaries and question the status quo, which creates impactful results for her clients, pushing them to think in new ways and allowing them to explore and expand their brands. 

Emelina has worked across tech and FMCG, starting her career at BBDO Barcelona and also brings with her six years of consumer insight experience from her time at HP.Inc. Taking a closer look at her approach to strategy, she discusses a Nike campaign that stays in her mind, the eureka moments that come after self-loathing and grounding creativity in strategy.

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

Emelina> Oh the chicken and the egg. In my view, we’re thinkers who are paid to ponder about the little and the big stuff and somehow distil that into a point of view. I have days where more tactical work is needed, then you have the long-term caring of a brand where you need a deeper dive into culture, trends and what’s going on in the world. Ultimately it depends on the day and what type of hat I wear. Personally, I have a soft spot for ‘planner’ but use ‘strategist’ mostly because it’s more explanatory to people that don’t really know what we do. 

I say let’s just agree on ‘strategic planning’ and call it a day.  

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?

Emelina> There’s this old ad for Nike Destroyer I keep coming back to. A Dutch production I believe. 

It was at the beginning when the whole running movement took shape. You know, before running was deemed cool. It was a one-man thing, the typical American Beauty dad having his ‘alone time’. This campaign was the start of a global movement and turned running into a social activity, talking about belonging to something. It was a great example of a brand’s strategy tapping into culture and sub-cultures of running groups in London and Amsterdam, which are still active today. 

Effortless aspirational is how I’d describe it. There’s a running gag (no pun intended) amongst my friends that I never run, I just walk slightly faster. But even I felt a tingling curiosity around how it’d be to put on a pair of trainers and hit the streets.    

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

Emelina> Reddit. It’s a great place to feel the pulse of what’s going on, no matter the topic. Especially when you’re trying to understand an audience that might not be within your personal network. You get direct access to how real people talk and resonate. It’s also killer for fun quotes to prove your point. 

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

Emelina> That moment where you start seeing a pattern and feel like the ‘aha’ is just around the corner - which usually comes after massive doubt and self-loathing. That’s when I sleep on it, and usually the next day I have another look and think ‘damn, I might be on to something’. 

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

Emelina> KISS (keep it simple stupid) and ELI5 (explain like I’m 5) - unless you’re in a room filled with planners, people might not find it as fascinating as you to talk about how gen z feels about the past and what drove that reminiscing about their childhood. Let’s not get carried away, it doesn’t matter how brilliant the insights you’ve discovered are if no one understands what you’re trying to say – or is willing to sit through a massive presentation of 300 slides. Do that with your strat buddies.  

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?

Emelina> I enjoy working with people who are good at their jobs. Now, that might sound banal, but I can get really impressed by seeing others in a role that is right for THEM, doing things I could never do (that goes beyond creatives and strategists). We all pull our weight and I like working with people who value that. It’s teamwork at the end of the day. Good ‘feel-it-in-the-gut’ creativity needs to be grounded in something and if I’ve done my job right, I bring that ‘something’.  

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?

Emelina> It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. You can validate ideas in hindsight all you want, but it won’t make the insights true. Jumping to validation is sloppy and what you’ll end up with is biased, ungrounded work that lacks insights of depth. In terms of methodology, qualitative and quantitative each has their time and place and it’s important to educate on the difference. I do understand the need for ‘hard facts’, but quantitative should be used to validate, not explore. To create truly creative work, we need to discover. I’m often asked by qualitative sceptics, ‘but what are you expecting to find?’ That’s exactly it, I’m looking for something I don’t know yet.  

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

Emelina> Remember what it was like. Remind them of the importance to talk with others and not just shaping a strategy based on their own thinking. As with creatives, strategists should come in pairs. Tell them about the importance of sleep and to walk away for a moment when you’re stuck. 

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 how strategists work and the way they are perceived?

Emelina> I think it’s healthy with competition, I don’t believe there’s any agency that isn’t striving for creating effective campaigns. I don’t think it’s changed the strategy work necessarily, if anything, it might have spurred the creation of ads built for the industry rather than consumers, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.   

LBB> Do you have any frustrations with planning/strategy as a discipline?

Emelina> Not letting go. It can be mentally draining sometimes because your brain is constantly on (oh such a blessing and a curse). I find American reality TV really helps when your brain needs a little holiday to get rebooted. 

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

Emelina> Join communities, I’ve never met a planner who isn’t willing to help. Strategy groups are basically Comic Con where you meet others who’re just as obsessed. Sweathead is a good one. I try to consume a lot of series/podcasts/books mainly to understand what’s going on, even though it might not be a personal interest of mine. The strength of a planner is to understand the perspective of others, which you can only do if you widen your horizons.