Twelfth Day

Let’s get one thing straight – creating strategy isn’t easy. Or to be moreaccurate, creating good strategy isn’t easy. By good I mean the kind of strategy that gives you a tangible advantage over your competitors.It seems curious then that so many marketers and their agencies make

the process so much more difcult by ignoring the simple principles that

underpin good strategic thinking – the principles followed by top strategicthinkers the world over.The following represents 10 core principles every marketer should considerbefore they get anywhere near a whiteboard marker or a PowerPoint deck.Many strategies go off the rails right at the very beginning because theircreators fail to spend enough time articulating precisely what the problem isand what success looks like.Importantly, you should also check your assumptions about the ‘facts’ of the situation as well as spending some time thinking about what is

not

theproblem (ie what is simply irrelevant or a distraction).Once you are clear on the objectives, prioritise. All objectives are not createdequal. If you achieve just one thing with your strategy, what should it be?Too many strategies are reactive – knee-jerk reactions to market events andperceived threats. Of course there is nothing wrong with reacting to themarket but it is far preferable to act than react. Your strategies should seekto drive the market and its agenda. If you have to defend a position, do soonly until you can go back on the offensive.

In war, they say, the rst thing that goes out of the window is the plan.

So plan for it.Hold fast to your broad strategic objectives (what military strategists call

‘the commander’s intent’) but be ultimately exible on how you achieve

them. Have a plan B (or at least have some back-up tactics ready to go).

Try stuff. Experiment.

Time. Is it on your side? How does this affect your strategy? What wouldit take to act so fast that no competitor could successfully counter?Alternatively, can you play a waiting game if you have to?

10 principles tobetter strategy

1: Principle of purpose2: Principle of initiative

3: Principle of exibility

4: Principle of time