“If We Haven’t Nailed the Problem, We Likely Won’t Nail the Solution”
Samantha Cescau is head of strategy at Leo Burnett Chicago, where she joined during September 2023. Previously, Samantha held the same role at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, where she led a team of strategists to deliver disruptive solutions for clients. Samantha has also worked for BBH, JWT, Publicis, and consultancy Vivaldi Partners, where she advised senior executives in the areas of strategy, marketing, and innovation.
Samantha is wary of strategists’ obsession with ‘the insight’; without a stringently identified problem, no amount of sweeping intuition and creative thinking is likely to result in solutions for a client. She delves deeper into that and much more within the realms of her strategic expertise below.
LBB> What is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one? Which description do you think suits the way you work best?
Samantha> When I started in advertising, my job title was ‘planner’. Today, my job title is ‘strategist’. We could sit here and debate the respective definitions and nuances of ‘planning’ versus ‘strategy’. That would be a very planner-y / strategist-y thing to do. However, I’d argue that at their heart both roles are about drawing up a plan of action to achieve a desired goal. Whether you call me a planner or a strategist, that’s the work I do every day. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry reminds us: "A goal without a plan is just a wish."
LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic campaign from a strategic perspective -- one that you feel demonstrates great strategy?
Samantha> That’s a tough one. I’m a huge fan of reading case studies, from the APGs to the Effies, to better understand the thinking behind the work, so there are quite a few.
One that has stuck with me over the years is an oldie but goodie: Sainsbury’s (UK grocery chain) ‘Try something new today’. What I love about this case is how smartly and simply they redefined the problem. The APG paper has the full story but in short: Sainsbury’s goal was to grow revenue by a whopping £2.5 billion over three years. Through simple back-of-the-envelope maths, the agency figured out they could get there if people just spent an extra £1.14 per transaction. Their strategy and resulting work focused on inspiring sleep-shopping customers to buy just one more thing; like nutmeg for your bolognese sauce or mint for your lamb chops. Since this is an APG Grand Prix winner, it won’t surprise you to learn that their strategy worked.
LBB> When you’re turning a business brief into something that can inform an inspiring creative campaign, how do you find the most useful resource to draw on?
Samantha> While we’re trained to look to the consumer first for inspiration, I often find myself looking to the brand or product itself as a starting point. What is its origin story? How has it been advertised over the years? Is there something special about why it was created or how it is made? Why do superfans love it and detractors hate it? Practically, that means I’m reading a lot of ‘our story’ pages, watching old-timey ads, and reading through tons of reviews and Reddit threads. Over the years, I have found some great inspiration that way.
LBB> What part of your job/the strategic process do you enjoy the most?
Samantha> I enjoy so many parts of the job - getting a client to look at their brand in a new light or cracking an inspiring brief - but nothing beats seeing our work out in the ‘wild’, getting talked about and shared by many.
LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to repeatedly? Why are they so useful?
Samantha> I love Charles Kettering’s quote: “A problem well-stated is half-solved.” As strategists, we obsess over the insight. Is it really an insight or just an observation? I believe we should invest just as much time and energy into clearly stating the problem we’re solving, both in business and human terms (it’s often not the thing written down in a client brief). Creativity thrives when there’s a clear problem to solve. If we haven’t nailed the problem, we likely won’t nail the solution.
LBB> What sort of creatives do you like to work with? As a strategist, what do you want them to do with the information you give them?
Samantha> My favourite creatives are collaborative and generous in their approach. Your question implies that I’m handing something off to them, but that’s not how I want to work with my creatives. I like to finalise the brief with them, debating different ways in and be an active participant in identifying and nurturing ideas.
LBB> What have you found to be the most important consideration in recruiting and nurturing strategic talent?
Samantha> When I’m recruiting, I look for an innate sense of curiosity. Curiosity about people, culture, and brands. I want to hire strategists who are obsessed with what makes people tick, have delved deep into subcultures, probably spend too much time going down TikTok rabbit holes, and love brands. Craft skills can be taught. Curiosity can’t. I’m also focused on building a more diverse department. I want our agency to be representative of the world outside of our office walls.
I was lucky enough to benefit from great training and great mentors throughout my career. That isn’t always the case. Too often, it’s on younger talent to seek out instruction from their managers or worse, look outside their organisation for help. We should be actively nurturing our teams, and I’ve made that a big part of my job.
LBB> In recent years it seems like effectiveness awards have grown in prestige and agencies have paid more attention to them. How do you think this has impacted how strategists work and the way they are perceived?
Samantha> In an ideal world, it shouldn’t have had any impact on how strategists work and the way they are perceived. Our role is to help solve clients’ problems through creativity. Proactively engaging our clients on what success looks like, creating measurement plans, and finding opportunities to test and learn should always have been part of the job. In reality, the growing prestige of effectiveness awards means agencies have shown a greater commitment to building cultures of effectiveness. But that’s an all–agency job, not a strategy department-only job. And it also shouldn’t be about scrambling to find effectiveness results for awards submission but about proving that our ideas are building value for our clients’ businesses and brands.
LBB> Do you have any frustrations with planning/strategy as a discipline?
Samantha> I love what I do. My only wish is that we made it easier for people to find their way into this job I love.
LBB> What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a strategist/planner?
Samantha> Choose based on people. Don’t get overly focused on the prestige of an agency or an account. Go work with people who are good and nice, who are not just excellent at their craft but invested in your growth and development.
