Planning for the Best: Why Jory Edmunds Loves the Customer Journey

Jory Edmunds is chief strategy officer at IPG’s data-driven creative agency network, Performance Art. He oversees global strategy for the agency, working alongside the agency’s diversely skilled team of strategists, data scientists and its performance analytics team, to serve the agency’s growing client base across North America and around the world. 

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

Jory> I think ‘planner’ has a more specialised connotation than strategist, especially in today’s agency world. Planners are a specific craft, often experts in mining for insights that unlock new brand beliefs that ultimately can create deeper connections between people and brands. They focus on questions like, “which parts of the brand are etched in stone, and which have malleability to evolve to be more relevant in today’s context?” and “what’s a new cultural truth we could lean into?” By contrast, for me ‘Strategy’ has a much broader definition that runs the gamut across Brand, Business, Experience, Technology, Innovation, etc. – often with practitioners possessing multiple superpowers. 

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

Jory> I am absolutely a strategist. I love and am grateful for my upbringing in brand planning. It helps me see the often messy world of marketing, especially in digital, through a focused lens. But today, my teams are so multi-faceted and wear so many different strategy badges, I would say strategist suits me best.

LBB> We’re used to hearing about the best creative advertising campaigns, but what’s your favorite historic campaign from a strategic perspective? One that you feel demonstrates great strategy?

Jory> Years ago, I had the pleasure of winning and working on the Dove brand, which was such an inspiring time for me strategically. The clients are incredibly thoughtful about finding powerful insights that fuel the work and intentionally splitting Masterbrand and product activations so they can each hold their own space in consumers’ hearts, minds, and actions. For nearly two decades now, Dove has been putting work out into the world that truly moves culture to a better place than it was before. They are a courageous client who bravely paved the way for other brands to stand for something more meaningful. 

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

Jory> I have never been led astray by talking to the real, actual people who buy (or might buy) the client’s product or service. See, there’s my planner brain talking! It’s such an easy and yet often lost art part of the strategic process. Believe me, I love data – but when we pair data (the what) with human insights (the why) – that’s insight magic! Some of the best insights in my career came from living in peoples’ worlds for a moment, sitting down and talking to them, shopping with them, etc. Nothing will ever replace humanity. 

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

Jory> I love helping clients discover some hidden superpower they didn’t know existed between their brand and customer – and then imagining the ways of doing something with that superpower that creates meaningful value for both customers and the business. Whether that’s using technology in a new or unexpected way to solve an age-old problem or creating a new brand interaction moment that inspires and helps customers effortlessly move through their journey – that’s the kind of work that keeps me going. Our recent work for BMW, 'Hofmeister Kink' is a perfect example of taking an iconic design feature found on virtually every BMW for the past 60 years – and turning it into a magically engaging experience for drivers.

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

Jory> I love a customer journey almost as much as I love chocolate (and that’s saying a lot). Journeys are such beneficial tools to us as strategists, because they allow us to dump data and insights out of our cluttered heads and put them into nicely organised little drawers. When done well, journeys give us clarity and conviction for where to focus creative teams and clients, where to prioritise, and how to move forward. But the trick is keeping them simple. Too often I see journeys overflowing with too many “bins” of information that feel like they’re only there because no one had the heart to throw them out. The best journeys are simple, clear, and easy to follow.  

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?

Jory> I love creatives who see strategists as the other partner in the relationship. Creatives who ask questions, inspire paths for strategists to dig into, have the patience to wait for a good brief, and who feel comfortable with our relationship to work the brief alongside us to get to a place that’s both strategically smart and creatively inspiring for them. The worst creatives (who thankfully have been scarce in my career!) think they know all the answers before the project kick-off. That leads to work that is largely based only on their lived experiences rather than real people – and that’s a trap, especially given the urgent importance of DE&I today. The client never buys that work, because they intuitively know it’s not coming from an authentic place. So, trust me: It’s better to partner up with your strategist.

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?

Jory> There’s no better insurance policy to ensuring ideas resonate than to let strategists do their magic at the beginning. Giving creative teams a thoughtful and intentional sandbox to roam around in – that’s why we’re here. It’s not to say that strategists can’t also help validate ideas too, but that validation is a lot more likely to succeed if you know where you should be starting in the first place. 

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

Jory> The biggest thing I’ve realised in recruiting strategy talent – and keeping them happily engaged – is understanding their special superpower during the interview process. Then, once they come in the door, you need to keep matchmaking them to the right clients and account teams that celebrate that unique gift. With so many forms of talent across the strategy spectrum, it’s worth it to align people with work that works for them – not the other way around. 

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 on how strategists work and the way they are perceived?

Jory> I’m approaching my one-year mark at Performance Art, and we absolutely live and breathe the agency’s vision, “to help brands make the highest performing work in the most creative way.” As a result, we place equal value on Lions and Effies – and I think the best strategists are equally excited about both. I love delivering breakthrough creative work. But doing that AND ensuring that the work works to deliver against objectives – that’s the real sweet spot.

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

Jory> Only that we continue to be under-scoped. It’s time for realistic scoping of strategists on projects and businesses beyond 'write the brief'.

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

Jory> If you’re an innately curious person and love distilling lots of information into clear and inspiring narratives, you should try it!