This deck was made to share with junior planners and planning trainees at our agency to give them some sort of structure to what appears to be a hard nut to crack: writing The Strategy.

1. How to write a strategy Somerulesyouwillneverfollow

2. How to write a strategy This deck was made to share with junior planners and planning trainees at our agency to give them some sort of structure to what appears to be a hard nut to crack: writing The Strategy. I don’t know what it’s worth, who and how it can help, but if at some point in time somewhere in the world one of these slides helps to prevent someone lying awake at night like I did so many times, I will be a happy man. Tom Theys Head of strategy, Publicis Brussels

3. What is a good strategy? It’s a cultural logic Something that lives in society where your brand can play a (leading) role in.

4. The role of a tagline The true success of a brand lies within its ability to add higher emotional value to a true rational value. It’s lifting a rational benefit up to a higher level. 4

5. The role of a tagline

6. The role of a tagline

7. The role of a tagline 7

8. The overall intention: To lift the category from problem-solution to enriching discovery 8

9. The role of a tagline The overall intention: To lift a category from solving a problem to enriching one’s life. 9

10. How do i get there?

11. Some general rules and thenthrowitaway and thenthrowitaway and thenthrowthemaway and thenhold on to it and thenhold on to those words and then live up to that Use a model Come up with a briefing line Look at the researchaverages Findthe exception Tell youridea to yourpartner Look for the high ambition

12. And nowsometips & tricks A random list of entrances towards a strategic idea and how to bring it to life.

13. 1. Find the problem Ex: IKEA and swedish design in UK

14. 2. Find the 3rd way Ex: weekendesk / Bongo

15. 3. Find a bigger market Ex: Playstation isn’t a game console, it’s home entertainment

16. 4. Find a bigger meaning Aka: what does this say about me? Ex: Olive oil isn’t about oil, it’s about a healthy ‘ceasing life’-style

17. 5. Find the brand’s DNA Aka: is this really us? Bad ex: Harley Davidson perfume

18. 6. Revive the brand’s history Aka: this is where we’re based upon Ex: Puma, VW Beetle, Levi’s

19. 7. Look for ‘the other side’ Aka: what is surprisingly uncommon? Ex: Dove – real women, Ebay – unwanted presents

20. 8. Define what’s missing AKA: invent the unexisting need Ex: mobile phones, …

21. 9. Make your strategy a story Ex: The Book of Dreams by Honda

22. 10. Tell us what we know AKA: 10 billion flies can’t be wrong Ex: Mercator – women die older

23. 11. Tell us your mission AKA: « I have a dream » !: take on real challenges thatwillbring society forward Ex: Proximus – bringing people closer

24. 12. Solve the market tradeoff AKA: are you the first to bringa breakthrough solution Ex: Honda GRRR – the first quiet and ecological diesel IKEA – design furniturenowaffordable Ryanair – airlineflights for almostnothing

25. 13. Use a distant parallel AKA: stealgreatideas « the Rolls Royce of beers », … Ex: IKEA – shopwalkbased on MoMA New York

26. 14. Prove! Prove! Prove! AKA: illustrate your strategy in all possible ways Ex: pictures, newsflashes, research, Wikipedia, Google, Flickr, street interviews, …

27. 15. Deconstruct, reconstruct AKA: the question battery What, who, where, why, whoelse, why not, what if, when, how, whatever?

28. 16. Be curious. All the time. AKA: whathappens to the light when the fridgeisclosed? Ex: My 2004 Christmas dinnerafterwinning the Marie-Jo lingerie pitch

29. 17. Do the Post-It board AKA: stick every tiny little idea to a blackboard. Then start clustering.

30. 18. Bring it down to a point of focus. AKA: In twowords, what’sit about? Ex: DouweEgbertsis all about profound conversations

31. 19. Cherish the ‘account idea’ AKA: « Maybe I’m stupid, but isn’t it something like X? »

32. 20. Share & Check AKA: jee, thatsoundedbetter in myhead… AKA: kill your darlings

33. tom.theys@publicis.betwitter: @tomtheys