Planning for the Best: Zunair Muzzafar on Nurturing Future Talent
LBB> What do you think is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one?
Zunair> Well, certainly, there's a difference between the two. In my opinion, they're two distinct mental states of the same professional, and it's not an either/or choice for anyone who works in brand strategy & planning because, given the versatility of our role, we must keep switching between the two while creating effective creative work.
Where the strategist approach is more overarching and sets the fundamentals in place, the planner's role is closer to execution, it's more immediate, ready to execute and can guide the creative teams to hit the ground running. However, without a well-grounded strategy, the planner won't be able to do much.
LBB> And which description do you think suits the way you work best?
Zunair> I'm both. I wear both hats. However, I find myself in the strategist's role more than the planning part. Given my interest in questioning cultural norms and learning how humans act and react to things in life, I feel I'm a better strategist than a planner.
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.
Zunair> One of my most recent favourites is Volvo's "The Ultimate Safety Test" by Grey London.
Contrary to the ton of brands who just speak about sustainability, Volvo has emerged as the one that brings sustainability to life. While other brands have made just ads about sustainability, Volvo has made an act out of it. What differentiates it from the many other sustainability drives is that this campaign is an extension of Volvo's brand DNA of safety and not just a random sustainability mantra.
I believe It's a strategy masterpiece in that it challenges the idea of electric cars being the ultimate sustainability move while showcasing the many other ways Volvo contributes to carbon neutrality. This is by far the only campaign that makes you feel the need for sustainability and not just the need to talk about it.
Packaging the idea in a shell of unpredictability is the perfect creative vehicle to carry a grave message and flex the unrivalled brand muscle of safety that Volvo has stood for since its inception. This campaign is a testament to how purposeful brands like Volvo can stay relevant across time intervals and be forever campaign-able with an effective and consistent brand strategy built on the perpetually present human need for "Safety."
Another is the Snickers- You're Not You, When You're Hungry campaign, by BBDO NY—a great example of strategic work. The objective of any strategic work is to make a brand matter to people across time intervals, and what better brand narrative than hunger, which is a perpetually occurring innate human condition. Snickers' masterpiece will continue to be relevant and campaignable for as long as humans encounter hunger.
This idea doesn't only make the brand a timeless one but also reflects a perfectly weaved-in business strategy as well. In a world full of chocolate brands that stand for enhancing moments, cherishing moments and offering a sweet escape, Snickers stood against hunger, which was most frequently happening compared to the other fairly happier moments used by other brands.
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?
It's a great strategy that is memorable, forever relevant and creatively campaign-able
Zunair>
1. Looking at and questioning pre-established business category codes, for example, 'why does butter have to be relevant in the breakfast hour in our culture?.' Can we re-look at the product's intrinsic properties to see if it can stir up any other emotions apart from its conventional role?
2, Investigating popular culture through the local vernacular. How do most people say this? How do they feel about it? Talking to people, reading headlines of local news, looking at verbatim from research as to how people have said stuff
LBB> What part of your job/the strategic process do you enjoy the most?
Zunair> Firstly, knowing how the human brain is wired, why people say what they say, what they think before they do something, and most importantly, understanding how messaging can impact their everyday behaviour
Secondly, the most interesting part is the versatility of briefs. "If the business world is a brick wall, then I get to touch most bricks that make up that wall". Getting to work on everything that can possibly exist in this world is very exciting for people who are wired like myself.
LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Why are they so useful?
Zunair> The basic logic for Today's many strategic frameworks is the same. Hence, I prefer using the base grade foundation models that work with Human Motivations, Category Gaps and Brand Context to get the basics right, which can later be morphed into templates of multiple frameworks. However, some of my favourite models are The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek, The Famously Effective Strategy, The Cultural Value tool & the Love Marks Theory.
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?
Zunair> With the sorts who can take mental notes only, those who can joke about ideas to raise the temperature in the room and see if the idea can work in stressed conditions, those who aren't afraid to be inspired, the non-conformists, I'd say are the best type of creative talent to work with.
They take the strategy information and use it to delimit themselves rather than as guardrails. They try to amplify the idea rather than validate it or re-manifest it in flowery vernacular.
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?
Zunair> Ideas are art, and art doesn't need to be validated!
Strategy is the bridge between the brand objective and the creative vessel used to deliver it. The misconception exists because Strategy is perceived to be the logical way to approach a creative idea. Whereas, the role of Strategy is not of the route to the idea, rather, it is the idea itself.
So when people start seeing the Strategy and creative as the strategically driven creative approach to achieving brand ambitions, this misunderstanding will be wiped out.
Remember, strategy is the idea – it is the creative strategy.
LBB> What have you found to be the most important consideration in recruiting and nurturing strategic talent?
Zunair> Diversity in background (Educational, professional, academic & social)
An understanding of the history and culture of the world
A people person, someone who listens and empathises, is a great talent
Inquisitiveness & resilience
Understanding the language of emotion, which is culture-agnostic
LBB> In recent years, 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?
Zunair> Awards are proof of great strategy. Award case entry submissions are strategic storytelling templates, where Strategy for ideas is declassified.
This has fuelled the need for better strategic planning, deeper and more insightful thinking and great articulation of the simplest of ideas. Today, every brand and brand strategy person wishes to get nominated for their work. However, the competition is tough, given that the world is fleeting at an unimaginable pace, for which it is imperative to investigate the cultural values that exist Today across multiple cultures.
Only meaningful and distinct strategies tend to have a competitive advantage in this hyper-paced world of brand communication.
LBB> Do you have any frustrations with planning/strategy as a discipline?
Zunair> No frustrations – I call them challenges, and that’s part of the fun – to overcome them!
I would say… to please repeat after me: "Strategy is the idea, it's not the route to the idea."
LBB> What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a strategist/planner?
Zunair>
#1, Join only if you want to learn to look at things differently
#2, Today is the best time to join, when the world is changing, ride the change now
#3, You'll hate it if you think you have to do it as a job, think about it as a passion project
#4, Keep getting inspired, as inspiration is like good Karma, it comes back to you in the form of great ideas tomorrow
