Why it Starts with Clarity
If you run a creative agency or fast-moving brand, you already know how valuable a good strategist can be. But here is the catch. Most teams are not hiring the wrong people. They are hiring the wrong kind of strategist.
Brand, comms, CX, growth. They sound similar. They even overlap. But in practice, they solve very different problems and bring very different strengths.
As a creative recruitment agency in Melbourne, we have seen the impact of great strategic hiring. It unlocks creativity, builds momentum and strengthens client relationships. But we have also seen what happens when it misses. You burn time, lose trust and spend the next six months untangling expectations that were never aligned in the first place.
This guide will help you get it right.
The Four Types of Strategists (and Why They Matter)
1. Brand Strategist
Think long term. Think narrative. Think positioning, purpose and personality. A brand strategist defines who you are, why you exist and how to show up across the market.
Typical projects: brand refresh, audience segmentation, tone of voice, naming, value proposition.
Best suited for: creative agencies, identity projects, founders rethinking brand direction.
Not ideal for: fast-paced digital campaigns or performance-led environments.
2. Comms Strategist
This is your creative glue. They turn brand thinking into actionable briefs. They understand channels, context and how to guide ideas from strategy through to rollout.
Typical projects: campaign strategy, message hierarchy, comms plans, briefing, ATL to social rollout.
Best suited for: integrated creative agencies, campaign work, brand storytelling.
Not ideal for: CX, UX or funnel optimisation.
3. CX Strategist
The customer experience specialist. They zoom out to map journeys, spot pain points and improve how people move through your product or service.
Typical projects: journey mapping, service design, onboarding flows, user testing, experience audits.
Best suited for: digital agencies, product teams, service innovation.
Not ideal for: creative or campaign thinking.
4. Growth Strategist
Sharp, data-savvy and commercial. These strategists live in the world of performance, conversion and rapid testing. They think in terms of funnels, CAC and media spend.
Typical projects: performance media strategy, CRO, landing page testing, channel planning, analytics.
Best suited for: tech startups, ecomm brands, DTC, media agencies.
Not ideal for: upstream brand thinking or campaign strategy.
Real World: When Strategy Hires Miss
Let us say you hire a brand strategist to run comms. The work sounds good in the room, but it lacks channel depth. Creatives struggle to make the leap from platform to platform. Clients ask why engagement dropped.
Or maybe you bring in a growth strategist to help with a rebrand. They are great at testing and tracking. But they lose interest in nuance, and the work feels thin.
Misaligned hires cost more than money. They slow down momentum, stretch your teams and chip away at trust. In some cases, they can derail a client relationship entirely.
According to research from the Harvard Business Review, mis-hires can cost between five and fifteen times the employee’s salary. Add in the impact on culture and output, and the damage compounds quickly.
Australian Case Studies That Prove the Point
Share a Coke
Coca-Cola’s personalised bottle campaign started in Australia. The insight? Young Aussies were craving connection. A brand strategist unlocked the idea of putting names on labels. The rest is history. Sales spiked 30 percent and the campaign went global.
Dumb Ways to Die
Metro Trains needed young people to take safety seriously. But fear-based ads were not cutting through. A comms strategist reframed the entire problem with a darkly funny animated video and song. It became the most awarded campaign in Cannes history and helped reduce train accidents by over 10 percent.
KFC Australia
Instead of apologising for fried food, KFC doubled down on what it does best. A brand strategy led the charge, reconnecting the business to its cheeky Aussie tone and unapologetic flavour. Penetration lifted from 35 to 48 percent.
Who Gives A Crap
A Melbourne startup turned toilet paper into a global purpose-led brand. How? A strategy that combined humour, mission and brilliant customer experience. Today they have donated over 11 million dollars to sanitation projects.
These examples worked because the strategy matched the brief. The strategist was hired to do the job they are best at.
What About Startups and Growing Agencies?
If you are scaling from ten to thirty people, the strategist you hire now will shape the way your team operates for years.
Here is what we recommend:
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For creative agencies delivering campaign work, hire a comms strategist first
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If you do identity, naming or upstream work, start with a brand strategist
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Do not try to hire one strategist to do it all
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Once you grow, layer in CX or growth strategy based on client needs
Trying to save money by hiring a unicorn often costs more in the long run. Burnout, low impact, poor fit. It is not worth it.
How We Help
At The People Place, we do not just find strategists. We decode what kind you actually need.
We take a deep look at the work, the team and the clients. We ask sharp questions. We translate the brief into a search that makes sense. Then we bring you options who are not only capable, but culturally aligned.
We have placed strategists into:
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Creative agencies who needed sharper campaign thinking
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Startups launching their first performance funnel
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Brands refreshing their identity from the inside out
The difference is always in the brief. And in knowing the market inside out.
If you are hiring in Melbourne, talk to a creative recruiter who has lived this from both sides.
Final Takeaways
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Not all strategists are the same. Know the difference between brand, comms, CX and growth
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Mis-hires are expensive. Align the role to the outcome you want
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Case studies like Coke, KFC and Metro prove the value of clear strategy
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Startups and agencies should hire in layers. Do not ask one strategist to do it all
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If in doubt, ask us. We will help you shape the brief before you hit the market
Looking for a Creative Recruitment Agency in Melbourne?
We help agencies and brands hire better. From strategists to creatives to client leads.
Talk to The People Place today and make your next hire the right one.
📩 Contact us at hello@peopleplace.com.au
🌐 Visit peopleplace.com.au
