Strategy Toolkit


The seven modules of the Strategy Toolkit will help you develop your skills as a strategic thinker. You can use them in three ways:

  1. Work through the modules as a 'course'
  2. Support existing training schemes
  3. Refresh your knowledge whenever you need to

Contact us for a demo


Modules

Marketing and brand strategy

1. How marketing works
  • Marketing and value creation
  • Buying patterns and brand growth
  • How advertising works
  • Strategic foundations

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2. The role of the strategist
  • Why are strategists needed?
  • Strategic approaches
  • How is strategy changing?
  • Emerging skillsets
  • Strategy across markets

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3. Analysing the brand
  • What is a brand?
  • Brand positioning
  • Brand analysis models
  • Brand types and semiotics
  • Assessing brand performance

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Consumer insight

4. Consumer behaviour
  • Decision-making
  • Behavioural economics
  • The role of storytelling
  • Influence through word-of-mouth
  • Loyalty and habit

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5. Generating insight
  • What is 'insight'?
  • Research techniques
  • Identifying target audiences
  • Understanding core audiences

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Campaign development

6. Building a campaign
  • Defining objectives
  • Writing the creative brief
  • Working with creatives
  • Pre-testing
  • Channel thinking

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7. Evaluating success
  • The basics of effectiveness
  • Short-term versus long-term
  • Modelling and econometrics
  • Making your case

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Test yourself: Dummy briefs

Kiehl’s: explain how marketing can help a brand

Can you advise a cosmetics brand considering investment in marketing? This brief asks you to define the role of communications.

Try this brief
H&M: decode a confusing client brief

Can you help a client understand the challenge they face? This brief asks you to decipher a confusing RFP and deliver a strategic response.

Try this brief
SoBe Vitamin Water: plan a campaign

Can you help a niche brand build scale through marketing? This brief tests your ability to set objectives and develop a communications plan.

Try this brief

Dummy briefs provided by A[P]SOTW


Test yourself: Strategy quiz

Take WARC's test to find out how well you understand the core principles of marketing strategy discussed in the seven modules.

The test consists of 40 questions, in three separate sections, and will test your knowledge of:

  • Theories of how marketing communications work;
  • Insight generation and theories of consumer behaviour;
  • Campaign best practice and effectiveness measurement.

Part 1: Marketing and brand strategy

Part 2: Consumer insight

Part 3: Campaign development


The Learning Path

You can use the Strategy Toolkit as a course in strategic thinking. It is perfect for junior- to mid-level strategists looking to build their skillsets.

The learning path below is our suggested route through the Strategy Toolkit. You can also download it as an interactive PDF.

Subscribers can enrol for the Strategy Toolkit, which includes:

  • Email alerts to guide you through the course;
  • Usage reports (for team managers only)

Contact us for a demo

Learning path


About

The Strategy Toolkit is designed to develop your skills as a marketing strategist.

We have worked with leading strategists around the world to develop seven different modules, each one focusing on a core knowledge area for a strategic thinker. Each module combines thought leadership, examples, tips and advice, plus video interviews with leading strategists.

There's also a chance to test your skills, with 'dummy briefs' and a multiple-choice test on key strategic principles.

You can use the Strategy Toolkit in three different ways:

  1. Work through the modules as a 'course' in strategic thinking, using the suggested Learning Path (above);
  2. Support existing training schemes within your organisation using the modules and the exercises;
  3. Refresh your knowledge around a key strategic skill whenever you need to.

Download the User Guide for more information.


About the Effectiveness Partnership

The Strategy Toolkit has been developed in association with the Effectiveness Partnership.

The Effectiveness Partnership is an award-winning effectiveness consultancy that facilitates more effective brand communications and helps clients plan and evaluate their marketing.

They are an independent team with a diverse range of backgrounds: former agency heads of strategy, econometricians, city analysts, academics and occupational psychologists, an established author and theatre-trained acting and presentation-skills Coach.

Contact The Effectiveness Partnership

The Effectiveness Partnership has four core beliefs:

  1. We believe in effectiveness. We believe that the purpose of effectiveness is to create commercial value for your business.
  2. We believe in creativity. We know that commercially-driven creativity, effectively applied, drives business results.
  3. We see opportunities for effectiveness everywhere. We see opportunities in your 'official' marketing communications. And we see them in the skills of your people, in the stories they tell and the way they tell them.
  4. We believe that effectiveness starts right now. Effectiveness is too important to be left to chance or left 'till later'. It's something that has to be built in right from the start.

The Effectiveness Partnership