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Creativity is the ultimate strategic advantage

Yes, data science is critical to success, and my work relies on both my own quantitative research and the findings of data analysts far more skilled than myself. But in my experience, a strategist’s creativity determines the extent to which their services provide a true competitive advantage.

The reason for this is twofold.

First: data is ubiquitous. Every client of mine has access to both massive-scale market data and advanced product metrics — and their competitors do too. So data isn’t an advantage; it’s table-stakes.

Second: winning means changing people’s minds. It means creating products and marketing that command attention, drive meaningful engagement, and inspire brand love. And to do that, you need to understand people. You need to synthesize all that data with qualitative research, cultural trends, and behavior in ways that spark emotional connections.

And that is an art, not a science. It is the anthropological prowess, empathy, and rapier insight of a storyteller in the service of products and brands.

The competitive advantage I provide is the ability to interpret market, brand, and product research in light of what makes people human — their cultures, strengths, challenges, fears, peculiarities, and desires — and then to outline a story that activates their imaginations of what the product or brand makes possible for them, at the center of their world.