Planning for the Best: Being a Storyteller with Jenni Schaub

Jenni Schaub is a senior strategy director at Performance Art. She translates human insights into meaningful consumer experiences. With a deep understanding of the connected journey, she is passionate about meeting customers in their moment of need, understanding the motivations behind meaningful engagement and how the creative application of data can drive real business impacts. 

LBB> What do you think is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one? 

Jenni> To me, strategists tell us what to do and planners tell us how to do it. Strategists chart the vision for the team. They are responsible for developing a deep understanding of the client’s industry and business goals and then marrying that understanding with the goals and needs of the customer. They have experience across all aspects of strategy and the ability to collaborate closely with planners and channel experts to chart a strategic POV and north star that everyone can rally around. Planners are also strategic, but they excel at going deep within a channel or business unit. They are masters at mining for insights and identifying opportunities for deeper connection across the customer journey. They explore how the brand platform can flex to meet emerging cultural trends and they develop actionable, focused briefs and roadmaps that inspire purposeful executions. 

LBB> And which description do you think suits the way you work best?

Jenni> I was lucky to start my strategic career with an amazing planning team and over the years I’ve flexed my muscles in experiential, social, brand, content strategy, data orchestration and the connected customer journey. These experiences are all chapters of my story that allow me to see the forest through the trees and have made me the strategist I am today.

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?

Jenni>  The campaign I always look to as beautiful strategy is the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s 'Imaginary Friend Society'. After speaking with patients and families that the foundation supported, the strategy team uncovered two unique insights: that fear and anxiety inhibit the healing process and that there were no resources available that explained cancer and cancer treatment in a way kids could understand. Those two insights led to translating medical-speak to kid-speak through 'The Imaginary Friend Society', a video series in which fantastical friends addressed scary issues, like “what is an MRI?”. Since launch, the series has been translated to multiple languages across multiple countries. It has not only raised awareness for the foundation but brought a little joy to the millions of families affected by the disease.

LBB> When you’re turning a business brief into something that can inform an inspiring creative campaign, what do you find the most useful resource to draw on?

Jenni> I always find inspiration by exploring the challenge through the audiences that sit on the periphery of the experience – the minorities and the often under-represented. They introduce new tensions to explore and things we wouldn’t see when we focus solely on the core audience. The rich perspectives you can gain through diverse conversation are gold. And when we can pair real human perspectives with data – that’s when the magic happens!

LBB What part of your job/the strategic process do you enjoy the most?

Jenni> I love getting to be a storyteller. Finding the red thread amongst multiple disparate data points and weaving it into a story that sets the direction for creativity and innovation. 

LBB> What strategic maxims, frameworks or principles do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Why are they so useful? 

Jenni> For me, I always go back to the customer journey. Whether it’s a product journey, a lifecycle journey or a 'day in the life' journey that unpacks all the reasons someone might like to eat yoghourt over 24 hours – the journey to me is the ultimate tool. It helps us to put ourselves in the customer’s shoes, helps us identify opportunity areas, and even allows us to measure lift over time. 

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?

Jenni> I hate when I brief a creative team and I’m met with silence. I want to work with creatives who see strategists as true partners. Creatives who will pressure-test the strategic direction, who aren’t afraid to ask questions, and who build upon a brief by introducing potential new paths of inspiration. I think the smartest work is born when we both walk away from a briefing having had an 'ah-ha' moment and are energised to continue working together to create something beautiful.

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?

Jenni> Developing a strategic path forward at the onset is always the best bet. While this is often a missed step due to tight timelines and competing priorities, going without will typically end up costing the team more time and more money. Having an established direction ensures that creative ideation is purposeful. That the idea or campaign will appeal to the right audiences, intercept in culture, fill a category whitespace and, of course, is measurable.

LBB> What have you found to be the most important consideration in recruiting and nurturing strategic talent? 

Jenni> I truly believe that the best strategists are pressure-tested. They come from diverse backgrounds, have overcome hardships, have travelled the world, worked across industries, or studied psychology. Their journey is full of life experiences that shape the way they see the world and the way they approach their work. I love when someone tells me their story in an interview and their passion and strategic superpower (the unique skillset that is uniquely theirs) becomes crystal clear. It then makes it easy to find opportunities for them to work on clients or projects where they can flex those muscles as well as identify and nurture adjacent skillsets that will make them even stronger.

LBB> Do you have any frustrations with planning/strategy as a discipline?

Jenni> Time. Often strategy is still under-scoped, and it makes us have to work fast and do more with less. Those are never optimal conditions. 

LBB> What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a strategist/planner?

Jenni> Be curious and trust your gut. There will always be more than one possible direction, but do your research, trust your intuition, and have the courage to place the right bet.