The title “brand strategist” has become so broad it’s almost meaningless. A quick scan of LinkedIn turns up thousands of people with the title–but their skills and backgrounds range across a variety of creative and business disciplines.

And in some cases, no discipline at all. But strategists and definitely not all the same.

So if your organization finds itself in need of brand strategy leadership or support–or if you’re looking to improve the quality of strategy talent you work with–here are some thoughts to match your need with the right person.

1. Think about skill set (creative vs. corporate): 

Most of us in the marketing industry typically divide brand strategists into two camps: 1) creative brand strategists who oversee idea development, messaging and campaign management 2) corporate brand strategists who define brand positioning, architecture, measurement and help navigate identity transformations.

These two types of strategists operate VERY differently. Creative strategists are typically trained at advertising or digital agencies. They are focused on finding and communicating a big idea. They’re typically more right-brained and divergent thinkers. Corporate strategists are focused on defining the brand’s strengths and organizing the entire portfolio to drive preference. They’re typically more left-brained and use both divergent and convergent thinking.

2.  Think about the challenges you’re solving for (straightforward vs. complex):

Creative brand strategy is by no means easy, but it is pretty straightforward: understand your customer, find an insight for your brand, and communicate it relentlessly in an inspiring way. Corporate brand strategy is rarely straightforward: it requires understanding the complexities of an entire company, its culture, its multiple brands, divisions and products, and its business strategy.

3. Think about who they work for (agency vs. independent vs. in-house):

If you have repeatable brand strategy challenges that require teams of people, creative or corporate agencies can work well. If you’re looking for a partner to quickly give you a fresh, objective perspective that’s not tied to agency billing, an independent brand strategist like me can work with you on a project or retainer basis. 

Lastly, if you have significant ongoing needs to oversee brand strategy, you can hire a full time head of brand. But keep in mind that creative and corporate strategists often struggle in in-house roles. Strategists are problem solvers by nature who thrive when they are focused on developing recommendations. In my experience, companies are typically looking for corporate marketers to facilitate decisions about brand, and they are not looking for a true strategist, so keep this in mind before you hire full-time.

4. Think about visibility and presence (behind the scenes vs. in front of c-suite): 

Agencies are particularly good at providing junior talent to support CMOs and marketing leaders. If, however, you have complex brand challenges that require buy-in from your c-suite, it’s important find a partner who can help you navigate the complexities of exec level decision making and, in some cases, help you make the case in front of your c-suite. You can look to your agency for this need. That said, independent brand strategy advisors with in-house experience are often best positioned to support you in this role and help you stakeholder major brand decisions.