Lingua Franca: Synthesising Data into Strategic Brand Narratives
For more than 50 years – since strategy became a creative discipline in the ad industry – strategists have revolutionised the way brands communicate and connect with their audience. When agencies talk ‘creative-ese’ and marketers talk ‘growth’, strategists serve as translators, bridge builders and connectors of dots helping both sides arrive at a lingua franca.
The critical role of strategists as catalysts will be the focus at 4A’s StratFest 2024 on October 1st. StratFest will be preceded by the Jay Chiat Awards on September 30th, a celebration of strategic excellence across 12 categories including three new categories introduced this year – Emerging Trend - AI, B2B, and Gaming.
Leading up to these separate yet closely related events, we asked some of the JCA head jurors to weigh in on the evolving role of strategists and why it’s important to celebrate bold, innovative and effective strategy.
Up today is Pele Cortizo-Burgess, head juror of the 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards and global chief strategy officer at Assembly.
Save your spot for the 2024 Jay Chiat Awards and StratFest to network with fellow strategists, gain fresh insights from industry leaders and explore all things strategy.
LBB> Why do you believe strategists are so adept at the lingua franca between creativity and commerce?
Pele> I think the ability to occupy two different spaces simultaneously while essentially being the conduit between the two has always been a key demand of the role – we’re not creating art for art’s sake, we’re building ideas and solutions to create or accelerate the positive trajectory of a business. That means you have to be steeped in understanding (and challenging) the business goals of a client - where they’re at, where they need to be - and then design a solution, a pathway, a springboard to make that happen.
LBB> How has this element of a strategist's role evolved in recent years?
Pele> The tools, the data, the resources available for a strategist to occupy and bridge creativity and commerce have erupted exponentially. When I started, you were lucky to get a few focus groups on the docket as a way of ‘understanding consumers’ (bleurgh). Now, we have technology that enables us to understand almost every nuance of a culture’s psyche and interact with it along the way. Our data and tech platform here at Assembly, STAGE, has 400 plus sources of data alone. That’s like Charlie entering Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! Be warned though – you can have all the feeds and data points in the world, but it means nothing if you can’t humanise them and synthesise them into a narrative. Enter, strategist!
LBB> Why is this element of their role evermore important in 2024?
Pele> The importance of lingua franca between creativity and commerce has always been there – I remember sitting in Jon Steele’s office at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners many (many x3) moons ago and he talked about the importance of that intersection then. It’s still important now… even more so given brand product parity, the continuously changing landscape of marketing and of course, the way people live their lives. But also the pressures placed on our clients in their roles have increased. You can’t afford to have creativity be disconnected from commerce – especially when our clients are being held accountable by their stakeholders to show returns for their actions.
LBB> With this in mind, what sort of creatives do you like to work with?
Pele> I’ve been fortunate enough, whether it’s been at Chiat\Day in the US, St Luke’s in the UK or Saatchi & Saatchi in New Zealand, to work with creatives that have a sense of appreciation of what the client/brand is being challenged with as well as an appetite to break or evolve category convention. They demand from strategists (or account planners – yes, I’m that old) not just insights, but a narrative that bridges creativity to commerce, and ultimately brands into culture.
"Well if you’re only using strategy to validate creative then you’re missing out on the incredible impact the craft has on creativity and its effectiveness. I actually think that Strategists can help refine and show the potential of the idea. But they need to be involved from the start; igniting, nurturing and yes, protecting the idea along the way."
LBB> As a strategist, what do you want them to do with the information you give them?
Pele> Eeeeew. I would be so sad if my creatives saw me as just giving them information – they can find that out on the interwebs themselves. I think what we should be giving them is the foundation (and parameters and goals) to be inspired and create from. And hopefully it’s not just on a piece of paper. We set up an experience that transports them from the creative department into the audience’s culture whilst still understanding the commerce needs of the idea being created.
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?
Pele> Well, if you’re only using strategy to validate creative, then you’re missing out on the incredible impact the craft has on creativity and its effectiveness. I actually think that strategists can help refine and show the potential of the idea. But they need to be involved from the start; igniting, nurturing and yes, protecting the idea along the way. For me, if I’m asked to validate creative, I look at it as ‘does this idea resonate with culture, with people’s lives?’… and unashamedly ‘will it help move product or create a better likelihood for that to happen?’ Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
But we also have to understand that we’ve asked our teams to stick their necks out to create the sometimes yet to be seen. So telling them, ‘naaah it’s dead based on the research’ versus ‘here’s what we need to overcome’ warrants the snarl-eye-roll-combo. I want creatives to take what we share with them and use it to guide the creative development whether it’s reflected directly in the messaging, the media buy, or used as part of proving why this campaign has meaning in people’s lives.
"I think lingua franca between commerce and creativity, and the need for it has always existed, but it has never been more vibrant, more ever-changing, more urgent given the times we’re in. It’s a good thing that it’s a strategist’s superpower!"
LBB> Beyond growth, what are marketers looking for from their agencies?
Pele> An extension of their team – I do really believe they want and need to be challenged to be fresh. To have a day-one mentality of what is possible, but also be grounded in what the business is being asked to achieve. I was trained that in a CMO’s day, the slither of time on their schedule that is allocated to advertising or media is very small – it’s on us when we have that time with them that we bring in the light to show what’s possible and how it drives their business.
LBB> The Jay Chiat Awards are among the rare recognitions for the strategic thought behind projects. How significant is this celebration of strategy and strategists as the builders of a lingua franca?
Pele> It deserves to be huge! It’s not easy to occupy two spaces at once and on top of that be the conduit. That takes a lot of skill. I love that we get to celebrate the thinking and the daredevils behind that. I think lingua franca between commerce and creativity, and the need for it has always existed, but it has never been more vibrant, more ever-changing, more urgent given the times we’re in. It’s a good thing that it’s a strategist’s superpower!
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This feature is part of a series in which we speak to 2024 Jay Chiat Awards jurors. Check out others from the series here.
Save your spot for the 2024 Jay Chiat Awards and StratFest to network with fellow strategists, gain fresh insights from industry leaders and explore all things strategy.
