How would you describe what you do?
I spend my days researching people, culture and brands to reveal fresh perspectives that shape advertising campaigns and brand strategies.

When you see or hear ad campaigns on TV, billboards, on socials, radio, or in a store, you might wonder why certain brands just have this ‘it’ factor. There’s likely a planning team behind each one who has done loads of research and storytelling to inspire these creative ideas.

I see my role as creative problem-solving. When I’m not sticking my head in research, I’m probably writing a creative brief or attending briefing sessions with the account and creative teams.

What's the difference between a job in strategy and a job in planning?
In my experience, they're basically the same! It's an industry thing where some people say planning, and others say strategy. At my current agency we use the term planning.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
My inspiration and influences range from sociology and psychology to pop culture, art, and visual platforms. Since my work involves researching and understanding people, it’s always interesting to do deep dives into how people interact with the world around them and examine how culture changes.

I enjoy being on Pinterest or looking at what’s happening on TikTok for visual inspiration. I was recently working on research for a premium soft drink brand and Pinterest was a good resource for creative thinking, while TikTok showed me people’s drinks rituals.

DonYé Taylor is also really cool creative consultant who just constantly blows my mind. You just never know what could spark an idea for a brief you’re working on! Also, my manager and planning director Neil Caffery and senior planner Emma Chaplin at Drummond Central inspire me to push my thinking, encourage me to take on challenges and teach me the value of collaborative work.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
Yes, I’d say some form of training is important, especially to help you better understand research processes, helpful tools and ways to write effective strategies.

I transitioned into my current role from a master's in marketing and brand management, but some people definitely crossover from other roles after developing a passion for planning or strategy. I’m also constantly taking courses from organisations like the APG and IPA – training definitely provides practical takeaways to make you a better planner.

I also love storytelling, and I’d say that to thrive in the role, you need a curiosity and passion for storytelling.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
I’ve had so many exciting projects in my nine months at Drummond Central, it’s hard to pick a single project. I’m currently working on a global brand positioning project which will launch across four continents, so that’s a major one.

For a project that’s already living out in the world, I worked on the brief for National Sausage Roll Day (yes, that’s a thing!) for Greggs. It had a quick turnaround and Greggs is such a fun brand to work on. The idea was based on tapping into that feeling of having a Greggs for the first time and sharing with those around you.

What was your journey like when you were first starting out?
I felt confused for a while about the specific role I wanted to pursue. I explored roles in PR, social media and content earlier on, but I realised that wasn’t what I wanted long-term.

Finding strategy came out of my fascination with brand, storytelling and how you can take little concepts to connect people around them. I did a lot of trial and error with areas of interest, but connecting the dots of my passions and strengths led me to this wonderful and wacky world of planning.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
While I was freelancing, I explored Upwork early on, then LinkedIn and recommendations from my community. Before then, I had worked at a digital agency in Lagos and many in-between projects, from a social media strategy for a flower shop to concepts for an interior décor accessory company.

I found out about my current role with my agency through a recruiter. I had only been applying to London agencies because I kept hearing: “London is where all the opportunities are.” Based in Newcastle, I was attracted to what Drummond Central stood for and its approach to ambitious work, culture, and range of clients.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
LinkedIn helps me share how I think and approach work, so I’d say it’s a good outlet to show your thinking. Planning isn’t a role like graphic design where you can show your designs. It's very thinking-based, so people need to see how you can connect dots and tell stories.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
There are jokes in planning about going down Reddit rabbit holes, so Reddit is one of them. You never know what conversations you’ll drop into!

Similarly, I could go from watching video after video with TikTok hashtags. It’s not always about things directly related to the work I’m doing, but keeping curiosity alive gets my head into different ways of seeing things.

I’ve also found newsletter subscriptions very useful, from adland-related ones like Campaign to creative and cultural inspiration newsletters like It’s Nice That, CULTIQUE and Aeon.

I recently read the Ways of Seeing book by John Berger, as recommended by my planning director, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

Have there been any courses or programmes you’ve found helpful or would recommend to get into your sector?
The APG and IPA are great for resources, courses and connecting with people at different levels. My agency supports my training and learning, so I took the APG Night School programme a few months ago. We were given practical takeaways with some easily applicable tools, which makes it great for people at a junior level.

Also, Julian Cole, Brand Master Academy and Baiba Matisone have valuable resource banks for people trying to find their feet in the industry.

If you can, join community groups. For example, BlackStrat is an online community focused on uplifting Black people interested in working in strategy that encourages transparency in resource-sharing and inspiration. There’s also Group Think, a community for strategists of all backgrounds.

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Read, watch, listen and consume widely…and weirdly.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Know yourself and understand the unique perspective you bring to the table, then network hard. Planning and strategy can sometimes feel like a sticky one to get into, but knowing, owning and sharing your story helps.

Also, build some form of portfolio to show how you think and approach challenges. If you don’t have past experience, you can work on mock briefs.

Finally, there’s life outside of London – explore your options!