When I first joined Strategy over three years ago, readers were really clear on what they wanted to see more of, and that was attitude. You encouraged us to be a forum for controversy, and to make a call on what’s good and bad out there – as well as to continue to deliver the in-depth marketing features that earned us our ‘deeper read,’ ‘marketer’s bible’ props. So for three years we’ve evolved the brand based on your feedback, such as the addition of Strategy MEDIA as a separate monthly section in September 2002.

This September, Strategy turns 15. We fully expect cards, letters and cake. You can expect to receive something from us too. Next month we’re rolling out a new logo, a new tagline, and a new mandate.

For 15 years Strategy has gone deep, covering the trends and issues that Canadian marketers needed to know about, in a bi-weekly package. As of August, that package will change. We’ll still deliver career-advancing intel, but in an even more focused, fun and easy-to-absorb format. The next Strategy that hits your desk will be our debut issue as a glossy monthly, designed to be your go-to book for sourcing fresh ideas, and insight on common marketing goals and challenges.

To deliver the goods promised in the new tag – bold vision brand new ideas – we’re going to be pickier than ever about what we cover. The new strategy will devote more energy to identifying and championing the best of the best in Canadian marketing…the people who are doing it differently, and the newest tools and trends.

Criteria for content is simple. Brilliant marketing. We’re filtering through the specialist disciplines and categories to present innovative, broadly applicable and versatile solutions. The new strategy will give you the 411 on who to watch, what to worry about, and share ideas you’ll likely want to steal.

We’ll also be launching new targeted online products to deliver more up-to-date news, and developing a one-day Media conference in November on the hot-button topic of accountability.

The ongoing feedback confirms that you like Strategy’s approach to covering the industry, whether it’s our tendency to invite pundits to challenge the status quo, or spotting the next trend before the market has jumped on it. The new strategy will continue to cast a critical eye on the industry, and build on that subjectivity in terms of pointing out who’s getting it right.

Speaking of which, I’m delighted to turn the editorial space over to strategy’s feisty new editor, Lisa D’Innocenzo, whose engaging stories and eagle eye for spotting issues and trends have greatly contributed to building on Strategy’s standing in the industry over the last three years.

Anon, Mary Maddever, editorial director

I’m only feisty because I’ve met people in the industry who are feisty, and that behaviour is infectious. (Okay, so the truth is I was born feisty. In a multigenerational Italian family, you have to fight to be heard over all the intense conversations around the dinner table.)

Those who have shown the most guts have nurtured my passion for marketing over the years – whether it’s a brand manager trying to push the boundaries at a packaged goods company, or an agency creative who can convince his client it’s okay to offend some consumers, in order to make a better connection with a specific demographic.

Folks like this have kept me interested and reinforced my confidence that there is brilliance in Canadian marketing. They’ve also provided the assurance that, even when times get tough, smart minds will find new, effective ways to push the industry off the beaten path.

These are exactly the people Strategy is looking to champion in its pages going forward. (If you know someone like this, call me.) We’ll have a regular Who to Watch department, where we’ll highlight up-and-comers already making a difference in their respective fields and who we expect to do great things, and we’ll dig deep to find the folks behind the most ground-breaking initiatives and feature them throughout the publication.

We’ll also visually showcase the best-of-the-best Canadian work in a regular department. Our talented creative director, Stephen Stanley (sstanley@brunico.com), will be hunting for examples, so if you think you have a current execution that fits the bill, please get in touch.

Also we know that you are all busy and inundated with media choices – if you’re like me, you have a pile of magazines on your desk right now – so we want to make it easy for you to drill down to information that you can use. We won’t cover everything, just what matters, such as the most innovative business models.

We will continue to give you in-depth analysis on major business challenges and new market opportunities – the topics will cut across as many sectors as possible, so that there’s something for everyone. In our debut August issue, we’ll champion Canadian brands with attitude and for our 15th anniversary publication in September, we’ll outline the 15 most pressing issues facing marketers today.

Any questions? Give me a shout. Otherwise, I look forward to your feedback in August.

Cheers, Lisa D’Innocenzo, editor