The Work

2 - CAN I DO THIS IN AN AGENCY?

No. Probably not. The sausage factory isn't made for this type of thinking or work.

03 / The Narrative Engine

What ongoing story does the brand tell; about the category, the culture, the self? Is it linear, cyclical, mythic, speculative?

This isn't about taglines or campaign themes. It's about story architecture. The deep narrative structure that governs how the brand understands its place in time.

Linear stories: progress, innovat

You're not here to outsource your brain. You're here to expand its field of play.

Climate collapse, institutional breakdown, technological disruption, cultural fragmentation - these challenges require strategic intelligence that's regenerative, not extractive. Collaborative, not competitive. Long-term, not myopic.

The transformation is already happening. In the margins, in the experiments, in the quiet rebellions of strategists w

This isn't about making strategy heavier. It's about making it more intelligent:

• Not just what's the idea? but what kind of world does this idea help build?

• Not just will it work? but what does "working" cost us in trust, attention, ethics, precedent?

• Not just what's the objective? but what system is this strategy living in and reshapi

The Fundamental Mismatch

This approach requires:

• Extended uncertainty

• Iterative development

• Systemic perspective

• Ethical deliberation

• Cultural immersion

• Temporal patience

Agencies optimise for:

• Rapid certainty

• Linear delivery

• Tactical focus

• Neutral positioning

• Conference room isolation

• Deadline urgency

For too long, we've treated strategy like a board game: static pieces on a flat surface, governed by logic and turn-taking.

But the real world isn't orderly. It's dynamic. Interdependent. Shaped by weather, mood, emotion, timing, attention, trust.

The strategist of tomorrow won't be the smartest person in the room. They'll be the person who knows how to shape the room. And that room will include machines.

Signal shows how values clarity creates strategic optionality. When privacy became culturally important, they didn't need to pivot or rebrand. Their ethical operating system was already optimised for the cultural moment that competitors scrambled to address reactively.