Wise Heads
Not Overheads

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What is strategy... really?

Most businesses think they have a strategy.

Ryan Sproull argues they probably don't.

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with commercial strategist Ryan Sproull to unpack what strategy actually is, why so many businesses confuse it with simply working harder, and how a handful of deliberate choices can completely change the trajectory of a business.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Ryan, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Rather than talking theory, Ryan breaks strategy down into practical ideas every business owner can apply immediately.

You'll learn:

- Why operational excellence isn't the same as strategy
- Why every business already has a strategy—even if it wasn't intentional
- The simple question that unlocks better commercial decisions: "What needs to be true?"
- How businesses create and capture more value
- Why sustainable competitive advantage is so difficult to copy
- How to stop competing on effort and start competing by design

Whether you're a founder, CEO, marketer or business leader, this conversation will help you think more clearly about how your business creates value - and where your next competitive advantage might come from.

About Ryan Sproull

Ryan Sproull is a commercial strategist who helps organisations uncover competitive advantage, solve complex business problems and make better strategic decisions. His work spans business strategy, commercial thinking and organisational growth.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps business owners make better decisions.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

#BusinessStrategy #Strategy #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #CompetitiveAdvantage #Founder #Entrepreneur #CommercialStrategy #SME #WiseHeads

Like what you heard? Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/0sOYgj72LJI

What exactly is positioning? And why do so many businesses get it wrong?

In this episode of Wise Heads, I sit down with commercial strategist Andy Mitchell, who has spent more than 20 years helping technology companies across New Zealand and Australia find, sharpen and defend their place in the market.

We unpack one of marketing's most misunderstood concepts: positioning.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Andy, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Andy explains why market positioning and brand positioning are two very different disciplines, why confusing them leads to poor commercial outcomes, and how businesses can become easier to buy simply by making better strategic choices.

Whether you're a founder, CEO, marketer or business leader, this conversation will help you think more clearly about how customers perceive your business—and what you can do to improve it.

In this episode we cover:

- What positioning actually means
- The difference between market positioning and brand positioning
- Why many businesses ask their brand to solve the wrong problems
- The warning signs your positioning is no longer working
- Why being "different" isn't always the goal
- How positioning affects pricing, sales and commercial performance
- A simple exercise every business can do today: "I am... for who?"
- When startups and established businesses should revisit their positioning

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

About Andy Mitchell

Andy Mitchell is a principal commercial strategist who has spent more than two decades helping businesses across New Zealand and Australia define their market strategy, strengthen their positioning and unlock commercial growth.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps businesses make better decisions.

#Marketing #Positioning #BrandStrategy #BusinessStrategy #MarketingStrategy #CommercialStrategy #BrandPositioning #Founder #Leadership #WiseHeads

Enjoy this? Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/taYcusFcek4

Why do so many brands struggle to stand out - even when they're producing more marketing than ever?

In this 15-minute episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with leading brand strategist Jerry Beale to unpack what actually makes a brand distinctive, memorable and difficult to confuse with the competition.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Jerry, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Jerry argues that in the rush to create more content, businesses risk confusing presence with connection. The answer isn't necessarily more marketing. It's being clearer about what your brand stands for, what makes it worth choosing, and building something distinctive enough to be recognised in an instant.

They explore the difference between being different and being distinctive, why brands need to identify the truth or idea they can genuinely own, and why consistency doesn't mean making every execution look and sound the same. As Jerry puts it: if you're simply saying what your competitors say “with different words or a different colour”, you're wasting your time.

In this episode:

- Why more content doesn't necessarily create greater connection
- The tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building
- The difference between differentiation and distinctiveness
- How to find the core truth your brand can genuinely own
- Why brands often tire of good ideas before their customers do
- Why consistency of idea matters more than identical execution
- Why every marketing channel needs a clearly defined role
- Why being interesting is essential to earning attention
- How AI could make genuine brand distinctiveness more valuable
- Where to begin if you've never properly defined your brand

Jerry's advice for businesses playing the long game is simple: invest in building a brand around a defined human need, or ultimately you're competing on who has the deepest pockets.

About Jerry Beale

Jerry Beale is an independent brand strategist with extensive international agency experience, including senior roles with Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy. His career has taken him from copywriting into strategy across the UK, United States, Australia and New Zealand.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps business owners make better decisions.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

#BrandStrategy #BrandBuilding #Distinctiveness #MarketingStrategy #BrandMarketing #AI #BusinessStrategy #BusinessGrowth #Founder #Entrepreneur #WiseHeads

Enjoy this? Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/mrEHy2dqleA

Why do some businesses grow on social media while others spend hours posting with little to show for it?

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with social media strategist Chris Asahara, who has spent more than 20 years helping brands including Adidas, Les Mills, Gatorade, PlayStation and Southwest Airlines build audiences across some of the world's most competitive markets.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Chris, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

In this condensed 15-minute edition, Chris shares the biggest lessons he's learned about what actually works on social media today - and the mistakes many businesses continue to make.

From followers and impressions to AI-generated content, influencers, paid media and content creation, this conversation is packed with practical advice for business owners looking to make social media work harder for their business.

In this episode we cover:

- Why followers matter far less than most businesses think
- The real role of organic social media today
- Why consistency beats both quality and quantity
- Why authentic content is outperforming AI-generated content
- Why B2B businesses shouldn't rely solely on LinkedIn
- Whether SMEs should spend more on production or paid media
- The difference between influencers and content creators
- Why impressions can be a misleading metric
- Why shares may be the metric businesses should watch more closely
- How challenger brands can use social media to build awareness
- The biggest mistake stopping business owners from creating content
- Why social media is a long game, not a shortcut

About Chris Asahara

Chris Asahara is a social media and brand strategist with more than 20 years' experience working across Tokyo, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Auckland. He has helped global brands build audiences, strengthen engagement and navigate the ever-changing social media landscape.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps businesses make better decisions.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

#SocialMedia #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #BusinessGrowth #ContentMarketing #SME #Entrepreneur #BrandBuilding #SocialMediaMarketing #WiseHeads

Like this episode? Watch the full chat here: https://youtu.be/fVta_IoTcEY

What happens when everybody suddenly becomes a copywriter?

AI can now generate competent business writing in seconds. But according to copywriter Helen Steemson, that doesn't mean great writing matters less. It means it matters more.

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with the founder of Words for Breakfast to explore why some messages cut through while others disappear into the noise, how businesses can write more persuasively, and why understanding the reader is far more important than sounding clever.

Together they unpack the psychology of attention, the power of specificity, why most brands talk too much about themselves, and what businesses should do in a world increasingly flooded with AI-generated content.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Helen, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Whether you're a founder, CEO, marketer or business leader, this conversation will help you communicate more clearly, connect more effectively and think differently about the words your business uses every day.

In this episode we cover:

- Why AI is making distinctive writing more valuable, not less
- Why clear writing is often harder than clever writing
- How words shape trust, relationships and brand value
- Why earning attention is harder than ever
- Why most businesses weaken their message by saying too much
- The importance of speaking to one person about one thing
- Why specificity is more persuasive than generalisation
- Why most AI-generated LinkedIn content feels the same
- Why personality and humanity matter more than polish
- Why useful content still beats gaming algorithms
- Why AI raises the floor but not the ceiling
- Why the best communicators think about the reader first

Helen argues that the future belongs to brands willing to be more human, more distinctive and more interesting - and explains why understanding people will remain more valuable than generating more words.

About Helen Steemson

Helen Steemson is the founder of Words for Breakfast, a specialist copywriting agency helping organisations communicate more clearly and persuasively. She has spent more than 15 years helping businesses develop messaging, content and brand voices that people actually want to read.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps business owners make better decisions and build better businesses.

#BusinessWriting #Copywriting #Marketing #BrandStrategy #AI #ContentMarketing #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #Communication #WiseHeads

Enjoy this episode? Watch the full chat here: https://youtu.be/Xv-Yknih7zQ

Why do so many businesses spend money on marketing that nobody remembers?

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with one of New Zealand's most awarded creative leaders, Peter Vegas, to explore why creativity remains one of the most misunderstood competitive advantages in business.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Peter, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow ua at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Drawing on more than 30 years in advertising, Peter explains why brands increasingly look and sound alike, how data and research can unintentionally create sameness, and why playing it safe is often the riskiest strategy of all.

From brand building and creative courage to AI and the challenges facing modern marketers, this conversation is packed with practical lessons for business owners looking to stand out in crowded markets..

In this episode we cover:
- Why most advertising isn't remembered
- How data, research and measurement can kill great ideas
- Why creativity is a business advantage, not just an advertising skill
- The danger of looking like everyone else in your category
- Why playing it safe can be the biggest risk of all
- How great brands stand out without massive budgets
- Why distinctive ideas often come from business owners, not agencies
- The balance between short-term sales and long-term brand building
- What AI can and can't do when it comes to creativity
- Why the million-dollar skill is recognising a great idea
- Why every business should define what it stands for before it starts advertising
- How to build a brand from the inside out

Whether you're a founder, CEO, marketer or business owner, this conversation will challenge the way you think about creativity, differentiation, brand building and growth.

About Peter Vegas

Peter Vegas is one of New Zealand's most awarded creative leaders. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has created campaigns, built brands and led creative teams at some of the country's most successful advertising agencies.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps businesses make better decisions.

Enjoy this? Watch the full chat here: https://youtu.be/BEacq1KkgfU

How do you sell something that most people don't understand?

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with brand strategist Georgina Milne, who has spent the past 18 months helping Silicon Valley founders build brands for businesses developing everything from advanced AI and robotics to nuclear fusion and emerging technologies.

Together they explore one of the biggest challenges facing founders and marketers today: how do you turn complex technology into something people actually care about?

Drawing on her experience working with venture-backed startups, Georgina explains why customers care less about technical features than founders think, why the strongest brands are built around human truths rather than product specifications, and why technology should be sold through what it enables, not what it does.

The conversation explores why strategy is ultimately an exercise in sacrifice, why specificity is becoming more valuable in the age of AI, why the bigger the promise the bigger the burden of proof, and why businesses that clearly understand who they are and the value they create will continue to win, regardless of how quickly technology changes.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible – a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency.

If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Georgina, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow Art of the Possible ANZ on LinkedIn.

In this episode we cover:

• Why founders often overestimate how much customers care about technical features
• Why technology should be sold through what it enables, not what it does
• How to simplify complexity without dumbing it down
• Why "the bigger the promise, the bigger the burden of proof"
• How hype cycles can destroy promising businesses
• Why customer perception matters more than founder assumptions
• Why "you are not your customer" remains one of marketing's most important lessons
• The role customer insight plays in shaping strategy
• Why specificity is becoming more valuable in the age of AI
• How to build a brand that can withstand rapid technological change
• Why strategy is sacrifice
• The power of defining a clear what, how and why
• Whether businesses should optimise for being found or being chosen
• Why consumers are increasingly pushing back against ineffective AI experiences
• The growing value of human expertise in an AI-powered world
• Why founders must lead the strategic conversation themselves

About Georgina Milne

Georgina Milne is a brand strategist specialising in positioning, narrative and brand development for frontier technology companies. Working extensively with founders, venture-backed startups and technology businesses in Silicon Valley, she helps organisations translate complex ideas into compelling brands that customers, investors and markets can understand.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads is a series of practical conversations with some of the sharpest minds in business, marketing, strategy and growth, designed to help founders, business leaders and marketers make better decisions and build better businesses.

#WiseHeads #GeorginaMilne #BrandStrategy #Positioning #AI #MarketingStrategy #StartupMarketing #BusinessGrowth #BrandBuilding #FounderAdvice #Technology #Innovation #SiliconValley #ArtOfThePossible #Strategy #Storytelling #CustomerInsight #Robotics

Enjoy this chat? Listen to the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/tuSUrVq5Gfc

Why are so many businesses working harder than ever, yet still struggling to make meaningful progress?

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with strategic consultant Gareth O'Connor, who has spent more than 20 years working across some of New Zealand's biggest brands and organisations, helping leadership teams get to the root of business challenges, define clearer strategic direction and make better decisions.

Together they unpack one of the biggest challenges facing businesses: the difference between being busy and actually moving forward.

Gareth explains why execution problems often start with a lack of clarity, why businesses can be remarkably good at solving the wrong problems, and why understanding the root cause matters before jumping into action. He also explores why strategy should change decisions rather than simply create documents, why real strategy requires sacrifice, and why making the right decision often requires courage as well as knowledge.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible - a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to strategic thinkers and specialists like Gareth, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Whether you're a founder, business owner, marketer or leader, this conversation will help you think more clearly about where your business is going, what's actually getting in the way, and whether all that activity is genuinely creating progress.

In this episode we cover:

Why being busy isn't the same as making progress
Why execution problems often start with a lack of clarity
Why businesses are often good at solving the wrong problems
How to get closer to the root cause of a business problem
The six areas where business problems often sit: value, memory, preference, access, experience and consistency
How to tell whether your business is genuinely moving forward
Why strategy should change decisions, not just create documents
Why “insight without consequence is just trivia”
Why good strategy requires sacrifice and saying no
Why trying to be everything to everyone isn't a strategy
The difference between the knowledge gap and the “courage gap”
Why being known isn't the same as being chosen
Why human judgement becomes more valuable as AI makes producing things easier
Why the quality of your decisions depends on the quality of your diagnosis
Why businesses are built through thousands of good decisions pointing in the same direction

Gareth shares practical thinking drawn from more than two decades working across media, creative, full-service agencies and strategic consultancy, helping businesses understand what's really holding them back and make better choices about where to focus their time, money and attention.

About Gareth O'Connor

Gareth O'Connor is a strategic consultant who helps leadership teams get to the root of business challenges, define clearer strategic direction and make better decisions.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps businesses make better decisions.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

#BusinessStrategy #DecisionMaking #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #Leadership #Strategy #SME #Entrepreneur #WiseHeads

Enjoy this chat? Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/nQWh1BaTJbM

Why has marketing become so complicated – and are businesses actually better off because of it?

In this episode of Wise Heads, Adam Brami sits down with experienced marketing leader Lizzie Parker, who has spent more than 30 years building and growing brands across FMCG, dairy, food and other categories, with experience spanning New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.

Most recently, Lizzie spent more than eight years leading marketing at Westland Milk Products, helping build Westgold into an international brand and leading a growing marketing team across brand, digital, B2B and corporate marketing.

Lizzie explains why getting the foundations right matters more than chasing the latest tactic, why brand becomes even more important when you're competing in a commodity category, and why challenger brands with smaller budgets need consistency rather than constantly reinventing themselves. She also explores the pressure marketers face to demonstrate ROI, the importance of staying close to customers, how to use data without becoming overwhelmed by it, and why sometimes experience and judgement still matter.

And with more channels and tactics available to marketers than ever before, Lizzie makes the case for greater focus: don't spread your budget across everything simply because you can. Pick the things that matter, do them properly and have the confidence to leave some things out.

Wise Heads is proudly brought to you by Art of the Possible – a network of experienced senior specialists helping ambitious businesses solve growth challenges without the overhead of a traditional agency. If you'd like access to experienced marketing leaders and specialists like Lizzie, get in touch at adam@artofthepossibleagency.com or follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/art-of-the-possible-anz/

Whether you're a founder, business owner, marketer or leader, this conversation is a useful reminder that marketing doesn't need to become more complicated simply because marketers have more tools, channels and data available to them.

In this episode we cover:

- Why marketers have more choices than ever – but not necessarily more budget
- Why the pressure to demonstrate ROI can push businesses towards short-term activity
- Why brand matters even more when you're competing in a commodity category
- How challenger brands can compete against businesses with much bigger budgets
- What the foundations of a strong brand actually look like
- Why businesses rush into campaigns, channels and tactics before getting the basics right
- Why consistency matters particularly when your marketing budget is limited
- How close marketers really need to be to their customers
- Why marketers need to remember that they aren't necessarily the target customer
- What changes – and what doesn't – when taking brands into different international markets
- When a business might be ready to consider international expansion
- Why having more data doesn't necessarily mean having more insight
- Why the most valuable question isn't just what happened? but why?
- When experience and judgement can matter as much as the data
- Why marketers shouldn't spread their budgets across too many channels
- Why doing fewer things properly can produce better marketing
- Why good agency work starts with a good client brief
- Why consistency becomes more important with experience
- Why knowing who your brand is should underpin everything else you do

About Lizzie Parker

Lizzie Parker is an experienced marketing leader with more than 30 years working across FMCG, dairy, food and other categories in New Zealand and internationally. Her career has included brands such as Mainland and Heineken, before spending more than eight years leading marketing at Westland Milk Products and helping grow Westgold internationally.

Her experience spans brand building, international growth, FMCG, customer insight, marketing leadership and working across brand, digital, B2B and corporate marketing.

About Wise Heads

Wise Heads brings experienced specialists into the conversation to share practical thinking that helps businesses make better decisions.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who'd find it valuable.

#MarketingStrategy #BrandStrategy #Marketing #BrandBuilding #FMCG #BusinessGrowth #MarketingLeadership #CustomerInsight #WiseHeads