Do companies value having a creative strategist (design & advertising background) in-house? Or are all strategists now required to be managerial and / or technical? Please give examples.
From what I’ve seen, it’s only the larger companies that have those sorts of roles and even then, they are experimenting with the value of that person. If they aren’t driving quantifiable value, those roles are the first to go in a rough economy or when the company stumbles.
I’m a jaded as a Creative Strategist at my company. Maybe any of my story will give you some room to negotiate pitfalls for yourself. I worked for a small-medium sized beauty company as their Creative Strategist. Because we don’t have a Creative Director, it was essentially implied that I would be doing the responsibilities of a CD, without the title or pay. If you can make some sort of clause or have awareness of when something like this could creep in and expand your job role, you can set some goal posts so you can discuss possible promotions if that is in your path. In terms of managerial and technical responsibilities, I don’t do as much design anymore, just problem solving, idea and professional development, and help my team troubleshoot. In terms of being valued, it depends on the company. If you’re at a Design-led company, you will find a great amount of recognition and support for what you provide. If it’s a conversion-led company, you’ll have to fight to prove the value of what you do in a tangible marketing way, which is difficult.
Do you do a lot of handwaving or can you produce something of value?