It is oddly appropriate that marketing commandeered a word born on the battlefield.

Strategy was how wars were won. It has been said that strategy requires thought while tactics require only observation.

Brands as diverse as Adidas and AT&T have benefitted from my strategic thinking. But so too have smaller companies and agencies that needed to temporarily boost their existing strategic capabilities.

As I say when teaching strategic thinking, “If you ask yourself, Why will this work? And you have no simple answer. It’s because you have no strategy.” Strategy, not just creativity, is most likely to ensure success. Only when your strategy is rock solid should you harness creativity to communicate it.