AI is extraordinary. There’s no doubt about that.

It can write, analyse, design, synthesise, code, optimise and problem-solve faster than most of us on our best day. It can compress hours of thinking into seconds. It can surface patterns we would never spot. It can feel like a superpower.

And it is. Just ask my 70+ Year old mother. Growing up in a household where mum “knows best” just got worse… she’s got fucking Chat GPT backing her up.

So, even though Artificial Intelligence is awesome and all… it is also a temptation.

Not because it will replace us, but because it will seduce us into skipping the hard part. The thinking part. The wrestling. The reps.

The real risk isn’t artificial intelligence. It’s cognitive atrophy.

Your brain is a muscle. If you don’t use it, it weakens. We accept this in every other area of life. Athletes train. Musicians practice. Businesses refine. Skill compounds through repetition and resistance.

Thinking is no different.

Yet increasingly, people are outsourcing the very things that build their cognitive strength. First drafts. Frameworks. Research synthesis. Strategic direction. Even judgement. Before they have properly tried.

That is not augmentation. That is substitution.

We have been here before… Students once read to memorise rather than understand. They could recite the answer, but they could not apply it. They could not adapt it. They could not evolve it. The surface looked competent. The foundation was fragile.

AI risks amplifying that pattern.

You can generate an answer instantly. But do you actually understand it? Can you interrogate it? Can you challenge it? Can you sense when it is wrong? Can you connect it to lived context?

If not, you are not smarter. You are dependent.

Meanwhile, AI is levelling up. It is training on data, recognising patterns, improving at scale. Some humans, on the other hand, are thinking less, struggling more with complexity, skipping discomfort and defaulting to convenience.

Growth does not happen in convenience. It happens in friction. In the messy middle. In the moment when you are unsure and must sit with it. In the process of forming a point of view rather than copying one.

That is where neural pathways are strengthened. That is where judgement is built. That is where taste is refined.

You do not build cognitive stamina by avoiding the reps.

Now consider the next generation. Children growing up with instant answers to everything. No deep reading. No trial and error. No grappling with ambiguity. Just prompt, response, copy, submit.

Convenience is seductive. But development requires resistance.

If we remove resistance entirely, what are we building? Speed without depth. Output without ownership. Efficiency without understanding.

This is not an argument against AI. Quite the opposite. AI is one of the most powerful tools we have ever created. It can elevate thinking, accelerate iteration and expand possibility.

But it should be a sparring partner, not a replacement brain.

Bring a point of view first. Wrestle with the problem. Draft the messy version. Struggle through the ambiguity. Then use AI to pressure test it, expand it, refine it and sharpen it.

Harness its power to strengthen yours.

In the near future, everyone will have access to the same tools. The differentiator will not be who uses AI. It will be who can think independently of it. Who understands mechanics. Who can connect cultural nuance. Who has developed judgement through experience rather than prompts.

AI can generate patterns. It cannot generate lived wisdom. It cannot replace the intuition formed by years of making decisions, getting them wrong, and learning.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. And instant answers never built a strong mind.

Use AI. Build with AI. Experiment with AI.

But feed your brain. Train your judgement. Do the reps.

Because the real danger is not machines getting smarter.

It is humans choosing not to…

*mic drop*

—

💀 🖤

Cheers,

DANIEL JACOBS
http://www.thecreativestrategist.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denialjacobs/
Melbourne, Australia

xx

There’s this industry obsession with oversimplification.

We’re all about condensing, condensing, and condensing some more, as though brevity is always the soul of effectiveness… But what if, in our rush to simplify everything, we’re slicing away the very substance that makes strategy work?

Look, I get it… our job as strategists is to take the chaos and distill it into something that feels like clarity. To strip down the noise and keep things simple, actionable, and, dare I say, inspiring.

The ultimate goal is always to produce an output that’s brutally simple but majestically strategic, right?

Yet, here’s where it gets tricky. Lately, I’ve seen a growing trend of frameworks and “shortcut guides” that do more than just simplify… they fucking oversimplify. And in doing so, they’ve sparked a low-key civil war among strategists across the globe. A framework can be a powerful tool, sure.

But it’s just that: a tool. It’s not the whole workshop, and it sure as hell isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

As Ryan O’Connell, Chief Strategy Officer at Junior (ex Ogilvy CSO), once said: “What really matters is who’s using the tool, not the tool itself. Anything that stimulates great thinking can’t be a bad thing—as long as there’s great thinking behind it.”

The real magic isn’t in the framework, it’s in the strategist’s ability to look beyond the four walls of a template and see the full landscape. Sure, frameworks are fantastic for presenting complex ideas in a structured, digestible way, but when we start over-relying on them – especially the oversimplified ones, we lose the nuance. We lose the rigour. And let’s face it: sometimes the messy, arduous process is where the actual magic happens.

Let’s be honest here… our industry fucking loves hacking.

We love the idea of getting to the solution faster, trimming down structures, and finding ways to get to a “BIG IDEA” in half the time. In some scenarios, shortcuts are gold. Tight deadlines? Pitches? MVP startup launches? Sure, a hack might be exactly what you need to cut through. Being clever in a crunch can be a superpower. Sometimes. But not always…

But when it comes to long-term brand growth and creating something with lasting impact, hacks often become a fast track to nowhere. That’s where the rigour comes in. Sometimes, you need to let the process breathe. Let it marinate. There’s nothing wrong with taking the long road if it gets you to a place that’s both creatively explosive and strategically sound. You don’t have to find the end point in one brainstorming session. In fact, for more complex briefs, the real depth and clarity emerge only after you’ve waded through the mess.

And that’s the thing right – strategy often looks like a mess. But that’s because the path to clarity isn’t a straight line; it’s a tangled web of insights, thoughts, ideas, and counter-ideas.

The mess is the magic.

And honestly, the process isn’t something that should be explained to every peer across the agency or even your clients. That’s not their business. The only thing that matters? The final output. The recommendation. The quality of the thinking.

So, here’s a thought… let’s stop trying to turn strategy into something that can be hacked in a sprint session. Let’s embrace the complexity, respect the process, and have a little more faith in the rigour. At the end of the day, the best strategies aren’t the ones that were cut down and diluted for the sake of brevity. They’re the ones that stood the test of messy thinking and came out on the other side with a sharp, unforgettable edge. In the pursuit of turning chaos to clarity, let’s embrace the chaos more and use the best tool – our minds!

💀 🖤

Cheers,

DANIEL JACOBS
http://www.thecreativestrategist.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denialjacobs/
Melbourne, Australia

Stepping into a Strategy Director (or even Head of Strategy) role can feel like you’ve been thrown into the deep end of the pool. But here’s the thing: there’s no handbook that can truly prepare you for the reality of leading a strategy team. Sure, you might find a few craft skill sheets and expectations, but the real lessons? They’re learned in the trenches, under fire, and, more importantly, in the war rooms where decisions shape the future of your agency and the brands you steward.

There are a whole heaps of peeps who have had more experience in this realm, but I’ve watched and listened and observed from some of the greatest minds and along with my own – have attempted to create some words of advice…

Welcome to Politics

Strategy isn’t just about crafting brilliant ideas or influencing them; it’s about navigating the complex web of agency politics. As a strategy director/leader, you’re now the face of your team, the voice in the room, and sometimes, the mediator in tough negotiations. Hostage negotiation skills? You’ll need them. You’ll be standing up not just for yourself but for your team, ensuring their ideas and hard work don’t get watered down in the crossfire of conflicting interests.

Be BFFs with Clients

Your clients are your greatest allies and, at times, your biggest challenges. Don’t just let the account leads be the only ones with relationships; form your own damn bonds – and get jiggy with clients. Understand their business, their pressures, and their dreams. The deeper your relationship with them, the more they’ll trust you, and the more leverage you’ll have to push through brave ideas and fight for strategic inclusion. Don’t forget to keep it real. It’s your damn job. #Be_Objective

Learn to Talk Money

This one’s a game changer… Strategy isn’t just about ideas; it’s about knowing how those ideas impact the bottom line. You’ll need to speak the language of money i.e. how to use it, how to make it, and yes, even how to break it when necessary. Understanding budgets, ROI, and financial implications will allow you to not only sell your ideas but also to upsell strategy and defend its value when budgets get tight. Does your agency have a ‘Strategy Degustation Menu’ of some sort? If not, create one. Not only will it benefit selling in Strategy to clients, but it will help you sell it internally across other departments i.e. “What the hell am I paying for”?

Upsell Strategy, Fight for Inclusion

Not every battle is worth fighting, but some wars must be won. As you transition from doing the work (Senior Strategist) to managing it, you’ll quickly realise that strategy inclusion in every project isn’t a given… it’s something you have to advocate and fight for constantly. Yes, I use the word “Fight” because so often it feels that way – especially in teams that don’t get Strategy, or value it, or see the opportunities (once again – it’s your job). Pick your battles wisely, but always be ready to defend the importance of a solid and impactful strategic foundation. No one can fight common sense. Although, you know what they say about common sense right? It’s not that common…

Lead vs Manage

This is a subtle yet powerful shift. As a Senior Strategist, you’re knee deep in the work, crafting ideas and decks. As a Director/Leader, it’s about managing the work and people – not just within your strategy team, but across other internal and external teams as well. If you’re lucky (or unlucky, depending on your viewpoint) to reach Head of Strategy level, your role shifts again. Now it’s not just managing the work; it’s about leading the work, managing workflows, budgets, expectations, and people. You may not always be in the trenches, but you’re in the war rooms, planning and talking strategy at the highest level. Remember, people don’t need to see your decks; they need to hear your words.

No More Imposter Syndrome

You’ve made it this far. Imposter syndrome? Toss it out the window. You’re here because you belong. Now it’s time to impose your personal take and brand on everything you do. Leave your mark, make bold decisions, and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. #You_Fucking_Got_This

Learn How to Let Go

At the end of the day, remember: it’s only fucking advertising. While our work can be impactful, it’s essential to maintain perspective. Don’t lose sleep over a deck that didn’t get presented or a campaign that got killed. Learn how to let go, because tomorrow brings another brief, another challenge, and another opportunity to create something great.

NB: Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat. I’m always open to meeting new people, sharing knowledge and doing better for our industry, the work and our community!

💀 🖤

Cheers,

DANIEL JACOBS
http://www.thecreativestrategist.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denialjacobs/
Melbourne, Australia