More Strategy Leaders articles

The way people shop has stretched and shifted. H2 is a series of distinct retail rhythms, each with its own audiences, behaviours and opportunities that brands must understand.  

In part one of a three-part series, Initiative’s Caroline Manning explores how the role of media planners has grown to encompass more consultative work.

We are missing an opportunity to create work that truly appeals to the flesh and bones and beating hearts of the human.

LLMs build trust and relevance by citing external sources. Every high‑authority site you do not yet occupy is an invitation to shape how LLMs perceive your brand. 

Media planners need to use data, analysis and good old-fashioned common sense and judgement as a trusted advisor to advertisers, not as a credulous spinner of the established narrative or for commercial gain.

Every media channel is seemingly a Swiss Army knife that can do everything now, but we’ve forgotten that channels have their own special set of superpowers. Let’s look at OOH to understand the problem.  

The agency turned to propensity modelling to refine its media plan in its ambition to create “emotional and personal relevance”.

Agentic AI and social commerce have reshaped visibility and transaction, turning media into a storefront. Fashion and beauty brands are rethinking their advertising approach in this new world.

Brands have pivoted towards projects when it comes to creative work. But media agencies should not assume they are safe. The seeds of a more transactional mindset are already visible.

How do you create a long-term strategy when everything is changing almost daily? This is how marketers can future-proof themselves, whatever happens.