A strategic wake-up call for creatives and brand professionals. Creative Circle presents Martin Weigel, who over nearly four decades (including 14 years as Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam) has guided brands such as Spotify, Instagram, Heineken, Dyson, Ray-Ban and Booking.com to find their direction. He now launches his new book Strategy is a Verb, built on a fundamental insight: strategy is not something an organisation has — it is something it does.
Weigel argues this morning that good strategy is fundamentally a creative endeavour — not an exercise in frameworks, optimisation or proceduralism. He unfolds his thesis by pointing out how strategy has gradually diminished over the years without being outright killed, but merely quietly shrunk. What then stole it away? Precisely the image of "professionalism", "maturity" and "growing up" that has undermined the discipline.
Expect sharp criticism mixed with refreshing clarity — and yes, a few ideas worth borrowing. The talk addresses creatives, strategists, brand and marketing professionals, students and really anyone who has ever stared at slide 73 in a strategy deck and thought: "Get to the fucking point."
Practical info: The event takes place at Empire Bio in Copenhagen. The book Strategy is a Verb is available at a special event price of 125 kr.
