The Strategic Advantage: Why Strategists Can Spark Growth in 2025

We sat down with one of our Directors, Joe Faulkner, who is committed to connecting our clients with leading Strategy talent in Europe. 

Why Agencies Should Prioritise Hiring Strategists

A Strategist's expertise is crucial. Ideation flows from insights that can allow brands to reach new and lapsed audiences, enter new markets, connect with culture and in some cases develop entirely new propositions and products.

Each Strategist will bring different strengths, whether it’s an innate understanding of culture and communities, nuanced research frameworks and methodologies or simply an instinct of bravery to correctly challenge the status quo. Joe explains, “We are seeing more agencies acknowledge that hiring specialist Strategists is no longer a luxury, but an imperative function within their agency.” A Strategy department is no longer the preserve of the bigger, legacy agencies, but increasingly commonplace in specialist agencies who recognise their value. The reason? Growth. 

The Secret to Unlocking Growth

In 2025 and beyond, growth will be the top priority for nearly every agency client. But where will that growth come from? This is where a talented Strategist can truly shine. A good Strategist doesn’t just focus on the task at hand – Joe recognises that they also have the foresight to “spot opportunities beyond the brief.” They are constantly gathering insights, connecting the dots, and identifying untapped markets or emerging trends that could be game-changers for their client.

“We are seeing a steady trend, where ambitious agencies want Strategists to become more consultative with clients. There’s an opportunity to step slightly back and use their skillset to identify growth opportunities for a brand, away from a live brief or BAU work.” 

Every brand CMO is looking for innovative growth opportunities and a Strategist can uncover them. “The benefits to both brand and agency in doing so is obviously significant, it’s now about having the right talent and empowering them to do so.” 

A Strategist doesn’t just fulfil the brief – they can help open new avenues for growth.

The Game-Changers for Winning Pitches

Ingenuity’s Redefining The Pitch Report perhaps further highlights the need for a skilled Strategist:

• 98% of brands plan to initiate new pitches in the next 12 months

• With over 30,000 agencies in the UK, choosing the right one has become a complex and competitive process

“Our data has shown an uptick in the demand for specialist Freelance Strategists to specifically impact pitches and briefs” Joe explains. In an increasingly saturated agency market, the investment in hiring a Freelance Strategist to help win a lucrative pitch is one more agency leaders consider worthwhile: “We have developed talent pools of Strategy candidates who have pedigree in winning pitches and expert subject matter knowledge. They’re becoming increasingly in demand with a variety of agencies hungry for success.”

Reframing the Strategist Role

Across the creative recruitment agency landscape, Joe believes that the recruitment of Strategists has historically been “underpowered” compared to other roles. A focus of his and Profiles Creative is to address this. It’s our belief that a Strategist, in all its many guises, can now be essential drivers of commercial growth – at a time when it's needed most.  

If you're an agency and would like to schedule an exploratory conversation with Joe about your hiring plans for 2025, don't hesitate to reach out at joe@profilescreative.com.