This week’s IPA data on the agency workforce reported almost 15% decline in headcounts. What the data doesn't show is where that talent is going. Is this a decline or a reshaping and redistribution of the workforce?
As I’ve written previously, there's an explosion in people creating new businesses, consulting, freelancing, along with more and more new models, microstudios, collectives, indy agencies, and all sorts of different shapes of things.
There are three interesting things I’m observing within this though:
Firstly, theres more informality/fluidity in many of the models. They’re not following the rigid relationships of investing in building a businesses. People aren’t being asked to commit 100% of their time towards something, but be part of something. It’s more collegic and community-driven, and people are able to be part of more than one “thing”.
Secondly, they’re more often partnership-based over ownership-based. Less solo-entrepreneur, more trusted people joining forces to do something meaningful and bigger together. Discarding the idea of “self-employment” and replacing it with “peer-employment”. They’re creating a home for people, or a thing to come together around.
Thirdly. there are more and more systems being built to “find” these new models, businesses, individuals. From market places and platforms to communities and networks. A new infrastructure to power both business and support.
The industry is being rebuilt under our feet whilst we work, by people who are discarding traditional notions of how businesses should operate, whilst technology trends around AI are set to change what “work” or “business” even means.
This week, I spoke to Sally Skinner, Konstantinos Trichas and Darren Savage, who have joined forces to work together as one of these new models - Bonsai.
I’m excited to see what else you all create together.
Matthew
ps. I’d like to feature more of the things you’re creating. Hit me up and we’ll include what you’re doing in an upcoming newsletter.
Friend of the community, Springboards.ai is launching a new version of the platform and is offering free beta access to Outside Perspective members.
Purpose built for the advertising / strategy process it features top AI models (text + image) and creative tools to spark ideas and explore territories, not just provide average answers. The update includes a faster interface, fully customizable templates and workflows, shareable brand profiles, and team collaboration tools like shared workflows, commenting, and working from the same brief.
The beta is completely free with no strings attached but the team is very open to your feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see next.
Spots are limited, so sign up early to secure your spot.
» If you’re interested, sign up here.
Sally Skinner, Konstantinos Trichas and Darren Savage have come together to create a new offering, combining strategy, words and design.
Each week, we aim to profile a new member of the community, so you can get to learn a little more about your fellows. This week, we spoke to Paula Righetti, a Berlin based Creative Brand & Strategy Director.
I’m a senior creative strategist with 15 years of experience helping brands make sense of complexity and turn it into clear, creative direction. I’ve worked across global agencies and in-house teams, partnering with brands in technology, finance, healthcare, and consumer goods on positioning, brand systems, and campaign strategy, often in moments of change such as re-positioning, portfolio shifts, or organizational growth. I like bridging business objectives, cultural insight, and creative execution.
Right now, I’m focused on freelance and independent strategy work, supporting in-house teams and agencies with shaping briefs, creative springboards, and strategic frameworks that help ideas travel across channels. I’m particularly interested in work that connects brand and culture, simplifies complex propositions, and gives creative teams a more clear, inspiring direction rather than abstract theory.
A project I’m really proud of and still working on, is a brand and portfolio strategy for Henkel, focused on clarifying the role of LOCTITE across markets, channels, and customer types. I’m working closely with global and local teams to move the conversation away from individual products and one-off campaigns and toward a clearer brand story and a small set of practical creative springboards that people can actually use. The exciting part has been translating LOCTITE’s strong technical credibility into a more confident, coherent brand role. I’m proud of it because it’s already cutting through fragmentation, speeding up decisions, and helping creative work feel more focused and intentional.
Lately, the more hear myself preaching about brand consistency, the louder a small voice in the back of my head gets, asking whether consistency even means the same thing nowadays... Brands want to lock themselves into one polished, “final” version of who they are, while the people behind them (and the people they’re talking to) are constantly shifting.
Most of us are navigating hybrid lives, moving across countries, roles, and identities, learning in public as we go. I feel that tension personally, and I see it reflected in the work all the time. The most interesting brands right now have a clear point of view, but they allow themselves to evolve without losing their spine.
What I keep coming back to is whether brands should aim less to be fixed and more to be legible while evolving. I’m not trying to be in favor of the constant reinvention, rebranding, etc… What I’m saying is just that we should build systems strong enough to flex. I don’t think we’ve fully figured that out yet, but it’s the question I’m sitting with right now.
Watch: I’ve been consuming way too much social media lately (slightly shameful, I know). The upside is that my algorithm has figured out I’m about to run my first marathon, so now I’m constantly watching running content and “learning” not to obsess over my very slow pace.
Read: At the same time, I’m trying to read more. I’m building a book club (even though I’ve never actually been part of one) and buying more books in the hope of beating last year’s very sad total of ten. Right now I’m reading The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso.
Listen: I’ve gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with investing and saving, which for some odd reason, has led me to listening to pretty much all the Freakonomics Radio episodes…
» Connect with Paula or via the community
If you’d like to share a piece of work you’re proud of, something interesting you’ve seen, or get featured in the newsletter, drop me a note, or post in our community slack.
» It’s not too late to send the strategist in your life a valentines card. Maybe these from ?
» Adnan Habis on branded living.
» Put on some tunes from FreelanceRad.io
» has shared a bunch of handy examples of effective B2B creative
» Data that AI isn’t helping to reduce workload, but intensifies it.
» on when research becomes a blocker
» Alberto shared this piece from on The Sexual Collapse
» Research as pattern disruption from
» on the paradox of escapism
» Londoners, Feb 16 sees another Insights and Strategy Coworking Day
A digest of recent gigs found and shared via our community - plus things from our friends and partners. Want to reach 4k+ strategists for your next project? Drop me a note.
US/Remote: Brand strategist with exp of financial services and blockchain at Noves https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20260209-noves.html
EU/Remote: Mid-level comms strategist with DTC exp at You’re The Goods
https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20260213-yourethegoods.html
[US] Social Strategists Mat Cover
https://bit.ly/4qt9RNZ
[UK] Freelance healthcare strategist via Profiles
https://bit.ly/4rdQ2M1
[US:NY] Freelance Social Strategy Director at Leo Burnett
https://bit.ly/4qARB5r
[UK:London] Freelance Loyalty and Membership Strategist via Major Players
https://bit.ly/4rljyiP
[US:LA] freelance Senior Programming Strategist via Craft
https://bit.ly/4aa4n61
[US] freelance brand strategists at Interbrand
https://bit.ly/4avUu1t
[UK] Freelance Senior Strategist with FMCG exp via Clare Persey
https://bit.ly/46vTWHA
[UK:London] Freelance Strategy Directors with healthcare exp via craft
https://bit.ly/4qnWqPh
[UK] Freelance Social Strategist at asahi
https://bit.ly/4a8p821
[DE] Freelance Performance Manager / Media Strategist (Social Media) at KEMMLER KEMMLER
https://bit.ly/4bPSAet
Don’t forget, we share these in real time here:
» Web
» Telegram
» Whatsapp
+ and of course, our slack channel if you’re a community member.
That’s all for this week.
mk✌️
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