A STRATEGIC EPIPHANY

During my internship with BrandOpus I gained a vast amount of knowledge regarding agency life and the inner works of a global company, but, perhaps one of the biggest things I learnt was the importance of strategy and I am not ashamed to say there were many epiphanies along the way that has shaped the way I now approach projects.

Context, context, context…
By beginning a project with broad research into trends and cultural topics surrounding the category for the brand, you are able to frame the project within society and the wider field. This can prove that not only is the market sort after by consumers but also whether there is potential white space within the industry that your brand can occupy in order to gain as much awareness and success as possible. Everything within life is related and it is important to consider the wider field to learn from others successes and recognise the relationships your brand will have with others and culture. Ultimately the way your brand is framed will impact whether it is successful in the landscape of today and the future- is it meeting the demands of the existing and emerging consumer?

A consistent voice…
A strong strategy allows for a common thread to be felt across the whole of the brands/projects approach. Particularly within things like tone of voice. The overriding strategic angle should be simple and to the point but thought-provoking enough to allow all the aspects that make up a brand (values, personality, purpose etc…) to flow seamlessly from the master idea.

Presentation…
When it comes to presenting a project, whether that be the initial stages or the final pitch, a strong strategy can provide a solid platform from which the ideas stem. It allows the presentation to have grounding ensuring the potential to always revert back to the brief to ensure the problem is being addressed. Sometimes throughout a project, the excitement of new ideas and ways of visualising/speaking about something can mean the process railroads away from the fundamental question/problem that sits at the heart of the brief. By having a simple strategic angle that perfectly addresses the problem the project can always stay on track, no matter how weird and wonderful the solutions may become.

Everyone on the same page…
Whilst a strong strategy when it comes to presenting is important, it is of equal importance in the project stages beyond strategy. A universally understood strategy when it comes to the job of the designer and artworkers etc. means they have the basis from which, particularly designers, feed off when it comes to bringing a brand/project to life. In most cases, a project moves onto design once the strategy has been signed off and therefore, the designer’s decisions must be able to be justified against the strategy in order to produce a cohesive outcome, that meets the expectation of the client.

The inclusion of strategy within a project, in my opinion, to paramount to its success. A clear, rooted idea for a brand sets it apart from others and provides the emotional connection that, us as a consumer, desire in the brands we choose to part with our money for. Strategy frames and contextualises an idea that is born within an individuals mind and allows it to stand proud within a world flooded with personalities.