Series 1 Episode 05: Diane Lurie

On episode 5 of Strategy Sheroes I speak to Diane Lurie.

Diane specialises in competitive advantage and brand value. She has been a Director at multiple agencies and has worked with brands such as Highland Spring, Unilever, Hilton and Scottish Government. 

I speak to Diane about -

• Client and audience empathy

• The role of agencies today

• Developing alternative strategies

• Marketing with authenticity

• Brand value and differentness

Read some of my favourite take-aways below, listen to my interview with Diane or subscribe on iTunes.

Having empathy

I do have high levels of empathy, a lot of that is innate but I think also strategists are naturally curious, they want to go deep and and want to go broad. We are capable of quite deep thinking so we can put ourselves into different peoples shoes; whether that’s the client, the target audience, a colleague or the brand itself. I think that humanity feeds us well. Agencies are good at providing that understanding and communicating that to the client, and it means the client doesn’t have to, they may not be comfortable doing this, but they are appreciative of having it brought to life for them. 

The role of agencies

There’s different sorts of agencies and different sorts of clients. And I think part of the trick as in all strategy is finding the right fit. I think it’s fine to acknowledge that not all agencies and all clients belong together. In the same way that all brands should acknowledge that not all potential users are for them. I think saying no helps sharpen who we are. I think the client firstly needs to know who they are, and I think agencies are good at that, that is the core raison d'être of an agency. To help clients understand the meaning of their brand, and what it is there to do for people, and clients often don’t do that for themselves. In my experience that really makes a difference. Agencies can also help clients be the best they can be. 

Marketing with Authenticity

Marketing with authenticity means to me in the first instance that brands need to be honest with themselves, tell themselves the truth of what it is they are actually offering, often so they can do it better. It’s also being being truthful about the audiences they are reaching out to so they  can be clear about who they can help best. 

Marketing with authenticity is for a brand to be true to ourselves because when we are, we have confidence, and can innovate around that different-ness. 

Authentic means you take the time to do something properly, which helps consumers make choices and they prefer a brand who is like that, and maybe pay more for it. It offers commercial value and goodness.