This was inspired by a conversation with Dominique Monet and others in the 4As Jr. Strategy Collective about what it really takes to be a strategist creatives trust—and want in the room. It’s a distillation of what I’ve seen work—and not work—when trying to build real partnerships.
1. They’re not the intimidating beings you think they are.
Not to state the obvious but creatives aren’t mythical creatures with secret powers. They’re just people. People who are used to having their ideas constantly critiqued. That kind of feedback loop can lead to defensiveness, armor and (sometimes) sharp edges. So come in with empathy and resilience. You don’t need to pander or pedestal—just partner. Care about their ideas as much (if not more) than they do. You’re a co-conspirator, not a critic.
2. Know thy audience (yes, that includes creatives.)
Strategists are trained to decode human behavior—but we sometimes forget that creatives are part of that behavior set. If our job is to help sell ideas to the outside world, we first need to inspire the people bringing those ideas to life. That means knowing how they think, what they hate and what gets them excited. You can learn this over time—or just ask.
Different creatives need different things:
- Some are visual learners—a Word doc alone won’t land. Think about how they present a script: it’s not just words, it’s a vibe, a key visual, a reference that unlocks a feeling. If we only operated in text, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs as strategists. We trade in stories—stories that live in both words and images.
- Some are suckers for a sexy sentence – don’t underestimate a well-written line. Give them a sharp turn of phrase or a line that nails the tension. Try writing the sections of your brief out in headlines first.
- Some love information—your job is to organize the chaos into something inspiring (do NOT show them your raw data dump). You’ve done the research, so now make it sortable, cherry-pickable, snackable. An appendix is your ally.
- Some hate information—they need you to subtract. Get clear, get reductive. Precision over piles.
- Some love choice— AKA being backed into a corner makes them itchy. Show them some interesting paths before you polish them up.
- Some hate too much choice —they want the 90% polished version with 10% room to play. They want one sharp hypothesis they can either tear down or build on for their teams.
3. Conviction > preciousness.
You know that moment when you’re in a creative review and you see something born of your brief that you didn’t expect? That’s THE best part. At least for me. I want to be surprised. That “I never would’ve thought of that” feeling? Chase that.
I’ve heard strategists complain about having to do “reverse strategy” when creatives don’t follow the brief exactly. But sometimes that’s not a miss—it’s a move. Maybe the brief was off (we’re all human). Or maybe they drifted on purpose and found something better. If you can still see the thread—the intention, the insight, the spark—then who cares how they got there?
Your brief doesn’t need to be the thing they follow to the letter. It just needs to be the thing that gets them there. Creatives will often pick one line—maybe not the strategy line, maybe just something buried in the audience section—and that becomes the seed. That’s still a win. Because then, you get to help shape it. Help them jiu-jitsu it into something that clients fall in love with.
If the work’s wildly off and doesn’t serve the objective, that’s a different convo. But if it’s just different, and it still solves the problem you’ve identified—lean in.
4. Selling is just as important as briefing.
Creatives are close to the work. Like… up-late-nudging-a-pixel, fighting-for-the-right-joke, sweating-through-200-hours-of-reviews, nerding-out-over-edits kind of close. That obsession is what makes the work great. But sometimes, in all the detail, the story gets lost. Especially with younger teams. That’s a huge opportunity for strategists. Don’t sit back, lean in.
You can help shape the narrative. You can be the set-up or the wrap-up—the framing that helps the work sing. Help them articulate why this idea works. Not just to justify it, but to sell it.
Don’t just be the rational one in the room. Be passionate. Show you care. The coolest thing you can do is to not play it cool. Your energy counts. Get excited about their ideas and help them romance the heck out of them. Don’t regurgitate research—wield it. Help them tell a story their client can’t say no to. Be the partner that makes the work stronger, not just the one who “keeps it on strategy.” That’s how you earn trust. At Arnold, we define this as making it safe to be brave.
5. Yes, AND.
I stole this phrase from one of Mischief’s values—be an angel advocate. And I love it. Our industry is full of devil’s advocates. People who poke holes first. Who are trained to spot what won’t work before they even consider what might. In my experience, there is nothing a creative hates more.
Sure, sometimes that’s needed. The work might be bad and in need of serious poking. But it can also crush momentum. Make everything feel like a “no” before the idea’s even had a chance to breathe. The idea is rarely perfect out of the gate. It needs time to marinate. Let it.
We forget sometimes: what we’re doing is supposed to be fun. Creative. Inventive. Joyful, even. And yet so many of us have been bruised by too many legal reviews, too many client rewrites, too many compromises. We get cautious. Jaded. Defensive.
Fight that. Instead—yes, AND. Build. Add. Expand. Help ideas grow instead of shutting them down. If something feels off, don’t just say “this won’t work.” Say, “what if we took it this direction instead?” or “tell me more about this choice.”
There will be plenty of time to stress-test the idea. But in those early moments? Protect the play. Nurture the weird. Encourage the wild. That’s how the good stuff makes it out alive.
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Madison is like the ultimate creative cheat code (or so she’s been told). She loves uncovering hidden opportunities that others miss — constantly interrogating, analyzing and digging for insights, trends and gaps that will help make great work a reality. A strategist with the soul of a creative, Madison has left her mark on brands like PNC Bank, Kim Crawford, Corona, Modelo, Meiomi, Maybelline New York, among others.
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Related Resource:
A Helpful Guide to Selling Through Your Ideas, for Jr. Strategists by Strategists
