Rethinking the Basics of Strategy

Key takeaways from our hands-on strategy workshop with Mark Pollard.

Learning is part of how we grow and something we nurture every year, together with our clients.

This time, we took a deep dive into the real challenges of strategic work: unclear language, overcomplicated thinking, generic insights, weak briefs, and ideas that don’t stick. With the guidance of international strategist Mark Pollard, we spent the day unpacking these problems and practicing how to solve them through clarity, emotion, creativity, and sharper use of words.

Here’s what we took away.

Brand First, Sales Follow (In the Long Run)

Strong brands are long-term assets that drive future sales.
Emotional, image-based brand campaigns outperform short-term sales campaigns over time.
Memory and emotion are deeply linked. Great brand work haunts the memory.

Strategy Is a Creative Act

Strategy isn’t a checklist or a vague goal. It’s a clear, informed opinion on how to win.
It solves a problem and plants the seeds of a creative idea.
Use this structure to bring clarity to your thinking:

Problem → Insight → Advantage → Strategy → Idea → Tactics

Insights: The Heart of the Idea

Great insights reshape how we see life.
They spark emotion, revealing truths we didn’t know we knew. Their job is to provoke, surprise, and connect.
Get there by digging deeper. Ask ‘why’, then ask again.

Think Differently: Lateral vs. Linear

Linear thinking follows logical steps. It's structured, sequential, and essential for solving defined problems. Lateral thinking breaks patterns, makes unexpected connections, and sparks original ideas. Both are crucial in advertising.
Linear thinking is useful. Lateral thinking is powerful. We need both.
Unexpected insights often come from lateral thinking. They unlock creative leaps and help us get unstuck.

From Diversion to Conversion Thinking

Diversion thinking explores options, sparks ideas, and opens up new paths.
Conversion thinking narrows the focus, turning ideas into strategies that lead to action.
A great strategy needs both modes of thinking. The goal isn’t just to wander; it’s to land somewhere that matters.

Talk Like People, Not Like PowerPoints

Use street-level, TikTok-style, everyday language.
Strategy should sound like someone you’d sit next to at a coffee shop, not a university thesis.
Say smart things simply without losing depth, and simplify your writing and presentations, without dumbing them down.

Say More With Less: Choose “Pineapple Words”

Choose words with sharp, specific meaning (“Pineapple Words,” as Mark calls them) rather than vague, ambiguous ones that blur interpretation.
These words are sticky; they stay in people’s minds, like distinctive brand assets.
Replace foggy, ambiguous language with vivid, ‘monogamous’ words that carry one clear meaning.

Emotion Moves People

Emotion stirs memory and gives meaning to messages. People remember how you make them feel.
We’re wired to respond to stories of conflict, kindness, or awe.

Make Work That’s Worth Sharing

A good strategy leads to work that is relevant, distinctive, bold and shareable.
People spread content that moves them emotionally or intellectually.
Make meaning through stories with awe-inspiring truths about us or the world around us.

One of our client participants put it best:
“This was a unique opportunity to question and rethink the assumptions and language we often overlook — both in daily life and in strategy. It inspired a real shift in perspective and encouraged more intentional communication and thinking.”
— Senior Account Executive, Cyprus, Visa

Learning Together, Every Year
This workshop was a reminder that sometimes, we need to challenge even the basics. The habits, definitions, and methods we’ve relied on for years.

Through stories and hands-on exercises, we were pushed to rethink how we write strategies, redefine what strategy truly is, and reshape how we’ll approach it from now on.

This kind of learning isn’t one-off. So, if you ever join us — as a collaborator or a partner — be ready to keep learning, keep questioning, and keep evolving.