Why Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden’s New Head of Strategy Is Excited to Organise Around the Work
Forsman & Bodenfors has appointed James Thorpe as head of strategy in Sweden. With a remit to bring all strategic services across Forsman & Bodenfors together under one singular offering, combining brand strategy, design and communication, he has the potential to make a big imprint on the creative agency.
Although born and educated in the UK, James has spent his whole career up to this point in the US. Most recently he was based in San Francisco as global head of strategy for YouTube. For the past six years, he has been part of the Alphabet family, helping build and lead world-class in-house creative teams at YouTube and Google. Prior to YouTube and Google, James spent much of his career in creative agencies in the US, such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
To get an idea of what James’ return to Europe and to the agency world means to him, and to hear his plans, LBB’s Alex Reeves catches up with him.
LBB> How did you become a planner?
James> I feel like every day I am still trying to become one.
LBB> You grew up in the UK, but you've spent your career in US advertising. How do you think that's shaped you as a strategist?
James> So far, yes. I’m hopeful I still have a few chapters left in my career. :)
This one will ideally bring plenty of new perspectives.
The USA has definitely shaped my life immensely, probably the biggest being I’m now American.
From a work view, I guess I don’t really know much difference.
Or you could say any better.
I’ve read, studied, met and learned from some of what I guess you would say are ‘the UK planners’.
But I’ve never seen myself as a ‘UK planner’, even though a lot of folks tend to assume I must be, or must come from working in London etc... because I’m not, and I haven't worked in the UK, yet.
And while all my career to date has been in the USA, the places I’ve stopped along the way have all been filled with a mix of eclectic folks with not just geographical differences but also a vast array of different skills.
You’ve probably heard plenty about the US and how it might be different to the UK, I guess for me it’s been the cliched land of opportunity.
LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic campaign from a strategic perspective?
James> One that you feel demonstrates great strategy?
Oof history. Now we’re talking. I’m definitely guilty of not looking back often enough at the great people and work that came before.
Some days it feels like the whole industry is happily avoiding the past, yet it offers such clear and wonderful examples of what can happen when you do the basics well.
I stumbled across this blog post last year sometime, and not only is it a great blog, but the video shows David Abbott recapping arguably one of the most iconic UK campaigns ever for BT, in the most thoughtful, humble and clear manner. It stands for itself.
An utter masterclass. Our industry at its best. Watch it. 45 minutes of time well spent.
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?
James> I was just talking about this the other day with [group strategy director] Gabriella Dishotsky here in our team, and it’s probably not all that helpful of an answer, but my own state of panic at not knowing what to do is my most useful resource.
For me, every project and every brief starts with a healthy period of panic; anxiety of having no fucking clue of how to even think about stuff.
At Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, I was lucky enough to spend plenty of time with Jeff Goodby, and he would always encourage us to embrace our ‘beginner's mind’ and to think almost like children, ask all the questions, not be stuck on preconceived notions.
While it’s not an actual resource, it’s a fantastic way to embrace the fact that we must be open to the possibilities, and help others be open to them too.
So, long answer, but the inspiration comes from the pressure of my own personal anxiety to do great work, and help others do great work.
LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Why are they so useful?
James> Can I be the person that hates strategic frameworks?
So a couple of things that have helped me on a daily basis.
1: Get, To, By: Literally so simple and clear, and whenever you are stuck or have something complex just try this a few times.
2: At Google we lived by the maxim of ‘Know the User, Know the (product) Magic – Connect the Two’.
[It’s] not always super easy to stay in this place. But if you are really on top of people, and really on top of what your product does or could do for them, then connecting them typically leads to good stuff.
3: Be the Open Mind, that Opens Minds.
Gareth Kay brought me to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners… and this was his mantra. Our role inside arguably one of the best creative agencies going, was to literally be open to anything and help open others up to the path forward.
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?
James> Good ones, ideally great ones. And hopefully the best work of their lives.
LBB> You've worked both agency and client side. How has that affected your perspective?
James> Honestly, I think it’s such a gift. Like seeing more sides of an issue. [It] obviously broadened my perspective, I learned a ton, and realised how organisations work - or don’t.
But specifically, the original thing that got me interested in trying out being inside of an organisation like Google and YouTube was the immense challenge.
I sort of knew how creative agencies worked, and how it was to work with a few hundred-odd people who all cared about making great work.
To then ratchet it up to working in a place with 100,000 people who are all motivated in different ways - and you could argue aren’t all there for the creative work - well that was, and is, daunting.
In my mind, it was an ultimate test of whether I could show the power of great strategy and creativity. And to be clear, I’m not sure I was always able to do that but it was a huge learning curve filled with incredible opportunities and people.
LBB> What drew you to Forsman & Bodenfors and to Sweden from sunny San Francisco?
James> Sunny SF? I think you forget about Karl The Fog.
My life is pretty Swedish, my sambo is Swedish, and we’ve long talked about living in Sweden and working in Sweden.
Forsman & Bodenfors has always been on my radar. The creative nerd in me has followed them from afar, admired their work, and their ways of working.
It’s interesting to me to interrogate and adopt new ways of working, and the collective notion of solving problems, teams holding the decision making, flat structures, great work, etc… all hold such appeal.
I don’t personally give a shit about titles. I know that's easy to say for someone that is the new ‘head of’ but really, it’s all meaningless if you don’t help make things better.
So in simple terms, being part of a place that organises around the work, and works in ways where it doesn’t matter who you are or how senior you are, and it’s all about what you bring to the table, is deeply appealing.
LBB> What are you most looking forward to making your mark on in your new role?
James> Helping everyone make their best work.
We’ve got a talented bunch of people here choosing to spend their time and energy to do great things. And to me it’s all about how I can support them in the journey they are on, and help them thrive, grow, be happy, better, smarter… whatever they want, I’m here for them.
