Hot take: The fundamental job of a strategist is effectiveness.
If we take this point to its logical conclusion– Strategy should also be the final word on iterative feedback post approval to make sure the feedback doesn’t interfere with the function of the communications.
This also means Strategy should be on the hook for proving the work actually worked.
With great power comes great accountability
Aim for Good and Different.
And remember those first two bullets are a feature of high caliber of work. Difficulty getting approval and testing poorly can be markers of future success.
This is why it’s important to be explicit and pedantic early on in the process
Things written for something else but are actually relevant to Strategy:
Copywriting advice that applies to Strategy as well:
“If you want to be a well-paid copywriter, please your client. If you want to be an award-winning copywriter, please yourself. If you want to be a great copywriter, please your reader.” Steve Hayden
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“Write to please just one person.”
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Don’t write what you know, write what you believe to be true
A good way to think about briefings:
DOWNLOADS
IDEO Tips on Conducting Ethnographies (I really enjoy reading things that somebody has already annotated. Completely changes the experience. Makes it feel like a dialogue. I’d love an online library of annotated/marked up texts.)
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“Writing that Works: How to effectively communicate in business”
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“Writing your way ahead in advertising”
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Be aware of which you are doing at any given time.
WEEKLY MONSTER
an oldie but a goodie