Tell us a bit about yourself, what do you do?
I’m Head of Communications Strategy at Anomaly, which means that my job is to work out the mechanics - the ‘wheres’, ‘whens’, and ‘hows’ - of how we solve our clients’ business problems. I’m biased, but I’d say it’s the most stimulating job at Anomaly. I get to tackle briefs that range from the deeply executional (how do we gain more visibility for a utility-based YouTube channel?) to the wide-open strategic (how do we make Ally the bank that everyone loves to use and recommend?).
What did you do before your current role and what led you to where you are now?
I was interested in advertising long before I worked in the industry, but simply for the ‘art’ of the ads. That quickly changed with my first job, which involved running paid search and early biddable social ad campaigns. It was advertising, but very rarely ‘art’. That job revealed exciting questions that ultimately lead me to communications strategy - questions that I still ask today. What works? How do ads influence behavior? How can communications add value to a customer’s experience? Where’s the proper balance of cost and impact?
How would you define the role of a strategist in your agency?
Strategy’s role at Anomaly can be defined quite simply: to ensure that what we do works. The day to day of how we meet that mandate is where it gets fun. In that, our strategists must wear many hats. Researcher, moderator, analyst, ideator, writer, presenter, thought leader - often all on the same project.
How have you seen the role of a strategist been evolving since you first began?
In my experience, strategy has evolved to be less rigidly defined and more innovative for it. As agency strategy departments grew into new disciplines and agencies started to position themselves as leaders in those disciplines, internal conflict became more common. Conflicts like “who ‘owns’ social, between the digital, data, brand and media strategy teams”? The only way to push the agency’s work forward is to break down those walls and empower strategy teams to work collaboratively and cross-functionally. That’s what Anomaly really excels at.
In your opinion, what are the greatest barriers an aspiring planner/strategist encounters when trying to start their career?
I think the most common barrier that aspiring strategists encounter is lack of real business experience. How can you be a strategist if you’ve never crafted a strategy? In my opinion, the more substantial barrier is presentation skills and experience. Presentations are a huge component of our craft.
In your time, what have you noticed are the key skills and traits that separate great strategists from the mediocre?
Most of the great strategists I’ve worked with share two traits. First, the ability to identify parallels between seemingly disparate problems, to unlock unexpected solutions. Second, commitment to digging up insights through atypical sources, not just those easiest to grab. Both are powerful for the same reason: Innovation requires outside thinking. Returning to the same third party research or highly-cited effectiveness paper to crack a new brief may provide a solution, but that’s the same solution the competition is likely to arrive at.
How do you avoid getting stuck in a cultural bubble and stay informed on the needs and desires of everyday consumers?
One of my favorite resources for understanding the needs and desires of consumers harkens back to my early days in advertising. I love digging into search data. The queries that people type into a search bar reveal a lot about how they engage with or understand a product or category. Of course, I tap a lot of the usuals as well - go new places, meet more people, and browse media that isn’t targeted to you. You can learn a lot by picking up a tabloid now and then