Some thoughts on the role of the creative strategist (instigator)

The Creative strategist can be a person employed full-time or else the role can be out-sourced. There are advantages and disadvantages both ways but the two options are worth considering in order to gain the best creative input for a specific firm.

Outsourcing means not having the employee overheads and yet working on strategy and creative approach with somebody outside the company can be a hurdle. Do they have the buy in that other employees have and furthermore, just how accountable are they really?

Business continuity is a phrase used in IT circles to describe the approach needed to keep a business running despite accidents and incidents that affect technology and communications.

Business continuity is something that also affects the creative process because it can stop and stall if it is not fed and fueled on a regular basis. It really boils down to building ideas then building more ideas and then building still more ideas.

Not every idea works but if you're not building any you're guaranteed to stall thereby allowing competitors past you. Brainstorm sessions or team outings are some of the mainstream methods that can maintain this creative process.

But it is about getting the right mix and just like a marketing mix there is no real scientific formula. Experience counts but so does guts because there is always a risk and uncertainty is a given.

When employing a creative strategist it is important to ascertain their abilities in keeping the engine running. Qualifications, experience, ideas and charisma are just some of the criteria for choosing whom to employ.

Media awareness, problem solving capabilities as well as speed in decision making all add up when calculating this creative mix.

Analytical ability as well as generating ideas out of nothing to restart a project or product roll out that has stalled can add to this critical position.

The bottom line in this employment decision is whether this strategist could be the trigger that starts or restarts creative and innovative thinking within the company. More importantly can they also monitor this process and keep the heart beating.

If the creative strategist cannot add creative value and manage the creative value added by other employees then he/she is a liability.