Strategy Sessions

Tarek Sioufi is Grey’s Chief Strategy Officer. He has led brand strategy for adidas, The Financial Times, Sainsbury’s, Iceland, Netflix, Cadbury and Coca-Cola.In this episode we discuss:The power of imaginationWhy strategy is simpleDo ideas just ‘find’ strategistsAre strategists the smartest people in the roomThree modes of thought for devising a brilliant strategyThe most debated Christmas ad of all timeThe UK’s super bowlPromoting Iceland – the country, not the supermarketTaking on Google for Iceland (and Sweden)Stella’s new campaignTarek Sioufi  Tarek is a multi-award winning strategist with over 20 years of industry experience. He has held senior roles at some of the world’s most entrepreneurial and creatively awarded agencies including: Media.Monks, Wieden+Kennedy, The Brooklyn Brothers, Fallon and Sid Lee.He joined Grey in 2023 as Chief Strategy Officer and leads some of the agencies key accounts including, Etihad, Sky Bet, Haleon and Vodafone Ireland. Tarek’s work has been celebrated both for its creativity and effectiveness by Cannes Lions, The Effies, D&AD and Contagious Pioneers.And in 2022, Tarek was recognised by Campaign Magazine for outstanding contributions to the industry in their 40 over 40 category and by BIMA (The British Interactive Media Association) as one of the nation’s top strategists and consultants.Find Tarek on LinkedInShow NotesFull show notes, including a transcription andlinks to everything discussed can be found here.

Joe Rampley is the Creative Brand Manager at Forest, London’s homegrown ebike company. He joins the show to talk about their new campaign.In this episode we discuss:Why perfection is overratedThe insight behind Forest’s new campaignWhy they rebrandedHow ad placement is as equally important as creativeHow you measure success when building a brandWhy Ritson’s Mini MBA is worth the moneyFull show notes, including a transcript, links to everythingdiscussed and contact details can be found on the episode page.Joe RampleyJoe leads Forest’s Creative Team, shaping the brand’s voice across everything from campaigns to positioning. He began his career as a freelance designer and illustrator, always with a keen interest in cycling culture. After a design internship with Deliveroo, he moved in-house and now serves as guardian of the Forest brand, overseeing all things creative for Forest. Find Joe on LinkedIn

Tim Donald is the Creative Director at Sneak, the cult energy brand known for its disruptive campaigns, chaotic storytelling, and fiercely loyal fanbase.In this episode we discuss:Why you shouldn’t chase seniorityBuilding from DTC to retailThe power of design for SneakSatanic cults for marketing activationsBuilding a brand around gaming cultureFinding the sweet spot between nerd culture and popular cultureThe creative pressure to stay true to the brand heritageThe impact of price promotion on brandBuilding communities for marketing while not “selling out”Full show notes, including contact details and a transcript can be found here on the show page.

Paul Makaya is the Founder and CEO of Bergast House, one of Zimbabwe’s most progressive integrated advertising agencies, that produces work that fuses insight, design, and purpose to drive both business growth and cultural impact.In this episode we discuss:Being authentically yourselfClients using AIRadio being the dominant media platform across AfricaShooting for greatnessWhy diverse teams perform betterTalk To Your Customers ResearchI'm running a survey at the moment to find out how frequently marketers speak to customers and what they learn if/when they do.All the details and the survey are on this page.A full transcription, contact details and enhanced show notes can be found here: https://eximomarketingstrategy.com/never-average-with-paul-makaya-strategy-sessions-podcast/

Chloë Davies is a multi award-winning founder, a transformation consultant, chef and creative visionary whose work sits at the intersection of creativity, culture and social.In this episode we discuss:Understanding what matters and what doesn’t Reflecting on how culture shapes usHow It Takes A Village Collective came aboutUsing social impact to change the world The story behind Virgin’s ‘See The World Differently’ campaign Why real relationships are essential to the agency / client magic Creating a ruckus in Ad LandThe continuation of poor male behaviour in the marketing industry The challenges of trying to change an industry perspective of Black womenHow you can support It Takes A Village CollectiveTalk To Your Customers ResearchI'm running a survey at the moment to find out how frequently marketers speak to customers and what they learn if/when they do.All the details and the survey are on this page.Show NotesThe full show notes, transcription and links to everything Chloë talks about can be found on the episode page here.