This week saw a gaggle (is that the collective noun for strategists? A ponderance? A disagreement? A noodle?) of strategy folk come together to join ’s Camp Thrive, a day long curated experience of some of the most briliant people talking on their work, the context, the challenges, the shifts and the future of strategy. Was it thrive, or survive?
I only managed to watch for a paltry 7 hours (3pm to 10pm in the UK) of content... so I’d do it a disservice to try and distill what was shared into a few pithy thoughts, but I did want to surface a few of themes which felt really powerful and common across many of the speakers.
Disruption, redesign and regaining control - many of the conversations were rooted in the context of how much change we’re in the midst of. Changing models, changing societial systems, changing definitions - and how the age of being handed a career path is over. Whether you’re self-employed or not, it felt like there’s a need to design your work with intentionality.
Getting closer to clients and their business - a number of the talks highlighted the importance of skipping past the frameworks and fame, and getting right to the heart of what matters most for clients, their business growth. And forgetting this would be to forget why we do what we do.
The importance of saying no - whether it’s because work doesn’t align to your personal values, your goals, your skills,, doesn’t deliver against your commercial targets, or doesn’t deliver positive value for the world - being selective in the work we do is essential for our wellbeing, for our bank balance, for our souls, and for the benefit of others. Whilst being able to say no is a privilege for many, even just being aware of why, where and when we’d say no is powerful.
Being a strategist is only part of the story - we all need to have a little more business sensibility, as delivering ‘the work’ is only a small fraction of the work we need to do. Whether it be stakeholder management, pitching for new work, thinking out loud, or mentoring and supporting others, there’s a whole load of stuff beyond the core craft which we need to deliver.
Passion to find new paths to deliver great work - no matter the challenges and hurdles we might be facing, what was clear in every individual talk was the deep passion and motivation for the work, and a desire to see it continue to be impactful and sustainable. It’s easy to feel cynicism at times, but this felt like a celebration and reminder of the energy which still exists, despite the chaotic context.
I asked Ed for a few rapid observations upon the day:
“A day when the global community of strategists came together - from Morocco to Maryland, and good to make that happen. Focus on the positives as an antidote to self doubts, practical advice vs repeating what a creative brief is. Recognition that the game has changed. You are on your own and this is not strategy as usual - so you need to work out how do this solo, and what “this” is... at the same time. Being practical and pragmatic about clients: you have to be useful, you have to make what you do useful, and you have to be clear about your role and the difference you make. Find your YOU, it’s all you have.”
» You can see Ed’s longer take on the day here and here. Sign up to StratMonday for future talks, events and goodness here.
Community Member Emily Penny will be hosting this month’s huddle, sharing some of the (perhaps surprising) data she’s gathered on her approach to new business as a microstudio over the past years. The session will be a little bit of sharing, and a lot of discussion as a group. Register here.
And we’re looking for future huddle hosts - do you have something to share and discuss with the group? Drop me a note.
Outside Perspective is part of the Independency Community Coalition - and we’re hosting a webinar on Making Tax Digital - an introduction to everything you’ll need to know to prepare for the changes in April 2026. If you’re a UK sole trader, this one is for you. We’ve invited HMRC to answer your questions. Register here.
Every week, we introduce another member of the community, so you can find collaborators and inspiration from peers. This week, Nicole Pilcher, UK based researcher, strategist and facilitator.
👋 Hi, I’m Nicole, a freelance qualitative researcher, strategist and facilitator.
I specialise in leading brand and innovation challenges from deep customer understanding to front end innovation and creative development. Whatever the challenge, I’m motivated by delivering meaningful impact that creates change.
I’m now working with a range of agencies and working on developing my direct to client proposition and services.
A recipe box business had spent very little time with consumers. While the team knew that fast-changing food trends and advice were influencing how people cook and eat at home, they had limited insight into how these shifts were shaping recipe box usage and expectations.
We ran a series of in-home ethnographies with both customers and prospects, spending three hours inside people’s homes alongside their families to understand real cooking behaviours.
The research uncovered deep audience insight and several key opportunity territories for innovation. We then brought cross-functional teams together, using immersive video to bring customers to life and workshop these opportunities - leaving the session with clear innovation territories to take forward into NPD.
Is experiential insight the antidote to AI?
We’re seeing the rise of synthetic moderators, synthetic participants and the increasing flattening of research into datasets and decks. There’s undoubtedly a place for this type of research, but too often it’s becoming a shortcut to understanding people’s lives.
Experiential insight feels like the counterbalance to this. Spending time in people’s homes, chatting around the breakfast table, hosting dinners or house parties - bringing stakeholders directly into the lived reality of their audience. When insight becomes something people experience rather than just read about, it lands differently. It stops being ‘research’ and starts shaping how people think, feel and ultimately make decisions.
Reading: No Bullsh*t Strategy, Alex M H Smith
Reading: Heart Lamp, Banu Mushtaq
Stretching: Yoga for Resetting the Nervous System, Tiffany Cruikshank
» Connect with Nicole in the community, or via Linkedin.
» East Asian Graphics Archive - tasty design archive from Brand Strategist & Copywriter, Makisa Bronson
» For the data viz crew - thanks Rob
» Saucony’s latest ad - The Runners - thanks Alex
» IPSE’s latest data on freelance finances - thanks Nick
» Angie Meltsner on the rise of clown culture, and an additional take from Lauren Wallett
» Selicia Richards-Turney is hosting a free brand strategy workshop on March 26th.
» Ana Grigorovici is hosting a soft networking events for women and non-binary people currently shifting inside the creative industries. London, March 27th.
» Community member Nick Bain and Martina O’Sullivan are hosting an evening of sharp, affectionate standup comedy that will enable anyone to claim their very own Irish passport. London, March 15th.
» Rob Estreitinho is hosting an event on selling comms strategy. Online, March 23rd
» Mark Pollard is hosting a London Sweathead Strategy Masterclass on April 30.
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.
[UK] freelance social media strategist
https://bit.ly/4lft3Of
[UK] Freelance Social Strategist via Salt
https://bit.ly/3PkguoQ
[UK] Freelance Social Strategist at Pull London
https://bit.ly/4sa8gP3
[UK] Freelance Performance Creative Strategist via Profiles
https://bit.ly/4rdFpIj
[UK] Creative Strategist via UNKNOWN
https://bit.ly/4tYGohU
[US] Freelance Creative Strategist at Airpost
https://bit.ly/47k1sph
[SE] freelance strategist with culture and audience focus at More Digital
https://bit.ly/3PcnnZm
[UK] Freelance Strategy Director 12mo FTC at RAPP
https://bit.ly/4bi3SHs
[AU] Freelance Junior Creative Strategist at Koala
https://bit.ly/4l37bWd
[SE] Freelance Creative Strategist at Almost Studio
https://bit.ly/3MI82PE
[UK] Freelance Senior Brand Strategist at coolr
https://bit.ly/4r03nGN
[CA] Freelance Creative Strategist at Everist
https://bit.ly/3P46IXO
[UK] Freelance Strategist for Retail Sprint with sportswear exp at Household
https://bit.ly/46uuJNT
[UK] Freelance Brand Strategist/Data Analyst via DMCG
https://bit.ly/4cgqJ7h
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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