Hello, and welcome to 2017.
A new year which brings not only exciting new possibilities, but a new reality politically and socially.
A year where change has arrived banging on the front door - from Brexit to Donald Trump, AI-powered services like Siri & Echo, to self-driving cars, this is a different operating reality for clients and citizens around the world.
A year where transformation is not only omnipresent but omnipotent.
Where the challenges – and the opportunities - for our clients, for our industry and for us as strategists have never been greater as the line between thinking and doing blurs.
Where sharp thinking and smart entrepreneurialism can make a bigger difference than ever, faster.
Where our unique skills are more critical and valuable than ever as clients look to strategists to help lead the transformation.
There’s never been a more exciting time to be doing what we do.
But to demonstrate that leadership it’s vital we continue not only to prove and improve the skills our clients find most valuable, but that we continue to adapt.
The APG is excited to lead that change in 2017 with a series of initiatives designed to keep pushing our skills forwards to meet the new challenges head-on:
This year sees the return of the APG Creative Strategy Awards (in association with Google) where the best thinking out there is recognized and rewarded. Our theme is ‘Transformational Thinking’. And we’ve got two NEW awards, ‘Young Strategist Essay Prize’ & ‘Transformational Strategy Team’
- we’re launching a number of NEW training courses with transformation at their heart: on Leading Change/20;20 Strategy, on Brand Entrepreneurship and on Strategy in the Digital Age. We’ll also be re-running the hugely successful new Agile Strategy course.
- we’re launching a new competition hunting for the next generation of strategy stars, with a job at Droga5 for the successful winner
- we’re launching a new interactive book with Les Binet & Sarah Carter filled with hands-on tips and designed to be a ‘user manual’ for strategists.
- we’ve a shiny new slogan to sum up what we’re about: ‘transform your thinking’
So, there’s lots to look forward to.
Over the coming weeks there’ll be further details on all the above here on the website, in social and at our events, starting with the new Strategy Awards.
So, 2017 – a year of transformation. Bring it on.
Dom & the APG team