On Strategy Showcase: Live from Mischief in NY – "Has What Matters Most Ever Changed?"

Podcast: On Strategy Showcase
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Date: October 27, 2025
Panelists:

• Tom Morton (Founder, Narratory Capital, ex-RGA)
• Taskistopoulos "Tas" (Global Executive Strategy Director, Wieden+Kennedy)
• Emily Portnoy (Chief Strategy Officer, BBDO NY)
• Annabel Casso (NA Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy)
• Jeff McCrory (Chief Strategy Officer, Mischief)

Episode Overview

This episode explores a fundamental question in marketing and strategy: "Has what matters most ever changed?" Against a backdrop of rapid change, industry anxiety, and technological disruption, the panel delves into the unchanging core of strategic communications, the evolving role of planners, and how agencies can retain their relevance, creativity, and effectiveness.

The conversation is candid, energetic, and occasionally irreverent, offering a mix of big-picture insights and practical advice for strategists navigating today's complex marketing landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origins & Essence of Strategy

Timestamps: 08:03–13:11

• Roots in Human Understanding:
  Tom Morton traces the origins of planning to a backlash against purely behavioralist, quantitative research methods in the late 1960s, arguing the true job of strategists is to understand how people really live and think.

  • “The need for... a humanistic view and an understanding of how people really think, how people really buy... is actually a really urgent contemporary need. So I think, to that extent, it hasn't changed.” (Tom Morton, 09:43)

• Curiosity and the Generalist:
  Curiosity and generalism remain the lifeblood of great strategists. Narrow specialization is dangerous; "understanding people" is timeless.

  • “If curiosity isn’t still essential, the industry will just get a lot more boring.” (Tas, 12:18)

2. Reframing and Staying Inspired

Timestamps: 13:11–14:37

• The Power of Reframing:
  Emily Portnoy emphasizes “reframing” – seeing brands through the consumer’s lens, rather than the industry’s.

  • “Our focus is always on reframing... to find meaning in that for our brands.” (Emily Portnoy, 13:22)

• Learning from the Past:
  Exercises involving retrofitting iconic older campaigns with today’s strategy frameworks reveal the enduring power of classic creative thinking.

3. The Danger of Complexity – And The Power of Simplicity

Timestamps: 14:57–16:15

• Cut Through the "Cacophony of Shit":
  Simplicity enables creativity; endless platforms and tactics too often replace fundamental big ideas.
  • “We try to not be a cacophony of shit, as best we can.” (Jeff, 15:43)

4. The Value of Qualitative Research ("Qual")

Timestamps: 16:15–21:39; 18:44–21:39

• Slowing Down, Getting Original:
  Access to data is not a replacement for original insights. Qualitative research—genuinely talking to people—remains a vital strategic tool.

  • “Be a little more like an orangutan... actually have a moment to survey the forest.” (Emily Portnoy, 17:35)
  • “I would rather hire someone that's great at psychology than knows about NFTs.” (Tas, 21:22)

• Protecting Time for Thoughtfulness:
  There’s a current push to reclaim time for strategic exploration, rather than racing through briefs and execution.

5. Talent, Taste, and "Superpowers"

Timestamps: 21:39–26:25

• Talent is the Edge:
  The best agencies aren’t just well-resourced—they’re run by the best people.

  • “Give me the best talent and I’ll wipe the goddamn floor with anybody. So your talent is your gift.” (Jeff, 22:18)

• Taste and Craft:
  Taste is developed, not acquired—and is inseparable from the quality of work.

  • "The importance of caring, of developing taste... impacts the craft, not just strategy." (Annabel Casso, 23:02)

• Superpowers and Mindset:
  Recognize and nurture individual "superpowers" within small, mighty strategy teams; think beyond job titles, act at a higher altitude.

6. Benchmarks & The Fear of Mediocrity

Timestamps: 26:25–34:18

• Are We Doing Our Best Work?
  The crowd hesitated to say they were doing their best work, reflecting both industry cynicism and high personal standards.

• Benchmarks and Standards:
  A strong benchmark—whether creative brilliance or effectiveness—is essential for guiding and assessing great work. The panel worries that generational or organizational shifts risk losing these standards.

  • “The presence of greatness, an understanding in the walls of greatness, has always helped.” (Tom Morton, 30:15)

7. The Industry’s Obsession with Effectiveness

Timestamps: 48:02–53:03

• Effectiveness is Central, But Models are Flawed:
  Awards aside, actually driving business results is the only real test.

  • “I’ve never worked at a time where if you didn’t sell more shit, you weren’t in trouble.” (Jeff, 49:12)

• Meaningful vs. Measured Outcomes:
  Many present-day metrics (likes, views, clicks) are "fake efficiency." True effectiveness means growth—more customer value and share—not just fleeting digital stats.

  • “Their importance at this moment in time is greatly overstated.” (Jeff, 50:41)
  • “Does this client's brand have more customers than a year before? That conversation very rarely happens in our business right now.” (Tom, 52:27)

8. Business Acumen vs. Creative Bravery

Timestamps: 37:37–44:44

• Marketing Skills Over MBA Chops:
  Mark Ritson is cited approvingly: before learning corporate finance, master marketing itself.

• Creativity Needs a Place Upstream:
  The panel argues for creative thinking at the business problem stage, not just as an afterthought.

• Don't Over-Professionalize:
  “You need to understand your client’s business... but then not one ounce more, because then go work there, man.” (Jeff, 41:06)

  • Panel consensus: Know enough to be credible and add unique value, but don’t try to become the client.

9. Preserving the Integrity & Value of Strategy

Timestamps: 45:02–48:02

• Make Strategy Useful:
  Avoid “un-useful planning”—overly dense, theoretical, or self-important decks.

  • “Is it an input into outputs that people love?” (Jeff, 46:01)

• Be Interesting Over Being "Right":
  Take bold stances. Kill fear. Support creativity with insight, not just correctness.

  • “It's more important to be interesting than to be right.” (Tas, 46:01)

• Return to Gut Instinct:
  Fostering instinctual, decisive insights matters more than ever in a noisy, over-quantified world.

10. Modern and Practical Takeaways

Timestamps: 54:44–60:44

What the Panelists Want to See Less/More Of:

• Annabel Casso:

  • Less: Overthinking, overexposure, overinformation; “back to the gut.”
  • More: Humanity & kindness—towards teams and clients.

• Tom Morton:

  • More: “Getting paid for strategy.” The business model for planners is at risk.

• Emily Portnoy:

  • Less: “Playing defense” (rigor for rigor's sake).
  • More: Playing offense; “ask for forgiveness, not permission.”

• Jeff McCrory:

  • Less: Fear.
  • More: Fun, risk-taking, dream big in supportive environments.

• Tas:

  • Less: Focus on transient change (“changing man”), ads for ad people, lower-funnel obsession.
  • More: Focus on enduring human truths (“unchanging man”), real people, upper-funnel brand building.

11. Responding to Industry Cynicism, Complexity, and Fear

Timestamps: 61:08–75:42

• Radical Transparency & Over-Communication:
  The best antidote to industry cynicism and burnout is open, candid communication about business realities and personal expectations.

• Nurturing Taste and Gut:
  In a noisy world, curate your inspirations; carve out intentional time for reflection and gut-checks before being swayed by hot takes and algorithmic feeds.

• Collaboration and Vulnerability:
  The lone genius model is obsolete. Bring your rough thoughts to the team, ask for help, and leverage group creativity.

  • “You have to be directionally correct and then surrounded with people that will help you be 100% right.” (Jeff, 73:06)

• Leaders Must Model Vulnerability:
  Share your own doubts and struggles to foster a culture where others feel safe to experiment and fail.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“We try to not be a cacophony of shit, as best we can.”
— Jeff McCrory (15:43)

“Be a little more like an orangutan and hold on to the wisdom and the patience... survey this forest so I can actually understand what I'm doing here.”
— Emily Portnoy (17:35)

“Give me the best talent and I'll wipe the goddamn floor with anybody.”
— Jeff McCrory (22:18)

“Taste... impacts the craft, not just strategy... caring about developing taste.”
— Annabel Casso (23:02)

“At the end of the day, our value... is you came in and taught me something in my business that I never would have thought of and I never would have seen. And that's the value of creativity as applied to business.”
— Emily Portnoy (42:06)

“Less fear, more fun.”
— Jeff McCrory (59:06)

“It's more important to be interesting than to be right.”
— Tas (46:01)

“If you want safe bets, you're not going to get exponential.”
— Tas (46:28)

“We have to punch bigger and heavier than our weight.”
— Emily Portnoy (24:31)

Important Timestamps by Segment

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---------|-------------------------------------------|----------| | 1 | The origins of planning and its relevance | 08:03–13:11 | | 2 | The enduring power of reframing briefs | 13:11–14:37 | | 3 | Simplicity vs. modern complexity in strategy | 14:57–16:15 | | 4 | The renaissance of qualitative research | 16:15–21:39 | | 5 | Talent, taste, and mentoring in strategy | 21:39–26:25 | | 6 | Benchmarks, standards, and mediocrity risk | 26:25–34:18 | | 7 | Effectiveness: what’s measured vs. what matters | 48:02–53:03 | | 8 | The business of creativity and marketing | 37:37–44:44 | | 9 | Preserving integrity, being "interesting" | 45:02–48:02 | |10 | Practical "more of/less of" round robin | 54:44–60:44 | |11 | Leadership: addressing cynicism & fear | 61:08–75:42 |

Final Takeaways

• The essentials of strategy—understanding people, nurturing curiosity, crafting benchmarks, and making space for creativity—haven’t fundamentally changed.
• Balance rigor and intuition. “Gut” and “taste” are invaluable, but must be developed and defended in our hyperconnected, hypercritical industry.
• Effectiveness isn’t about digital quick wins—it's about real business growth and lasting impact.
• Fear and cynicism are industry constants, but radical transparency, collaboration, and supportive cultures can overcome them.
• Never forget the importance of fun, risk, and the enduring human truths that make brands—and strategists—matter.

For strategy & marketing leaders: This episode is a potent reminder to nurture what endures, bravely question the new, invest in people and craft, and fight for environments where creativity and effectiveness are not in tension, but inextricable.