The Scrapbook Trap

Let's talk about strategy.

Not the pristine, unread PDF you file away after the annual off-site. Not the five-year plan that's forgotten by the second quarter.

That’s strategy as an academic exercise. A ritual of producing a document.

And when strategy is treated as an academic exercise, it fails.

The main purpose of strategy is to provide a clear and useful framework for decision-making. One, to ensure that all daily activities add up to the outcome you want. And that those activities are the best way to achieve your goal, given your current resources.

It's about ensuring your tactics—like marketing campaigns, product updates, and sales calls—work together. That they push in the same direction. That they add up to something bigger than the sum of their parts.

A Lesson from the Battlefield

The modern idea of strategy is younger than you might think.

The term entered military language in the 1770s. But it was the French theorist, Comte de Guibert, who shaped it into the form we recognize today.

In his 1772 A General Essay on Tactics, he saw that winning a war required more than just winning individual skirmishes. He separated "elementary tactics" (actions on the battlefield) from what he called grand tactics. Grand tactics focus on coordinating big, semi-independent army divisions. Divisions that, even though working independently, aim to reach a single war goal together.

Grand tactics linked the army's daily actions to its long-term goals. It was the bridge between fighting a battle and winning the war.

What Guibert called "grand tactics," we now call strategy.

The Scrapbook vs. The Playbook

When this concept was brought into business, it was simplified.

Historian Alfred Chandler Jr., shaped by WWII usage, created a simple split based on time horizons. He wrote, “Strategic decisions are concerned with the long-term health of the enterprise. Tactical decisions deal more with the day-to-day activities.”

This split—strategy is long-term, tactics are short-term—is where things go wrong.

The real work isn't categorizing tasks into strategy and tactic buckets. It's ensuring you are consciously and consistently moving in the right direction.

Every organization, whether it realizes it or not, finds itself in one of two situations:

1. The outcome dictates the tactics.

2. The tactics dictate the outcome.

This is the most critical fork in the road. Most companies take the second path. They do what seems urgent or opportunistic. Their business becomes a scrapbook of disconnected activities. And their future is simply the accidental sum of those random tactics.

The best companies do the opposite. They start with a clear, defined outcome and build a strategic playbook to achieve it. They call the right plays based on the conditions on the field.

Strategy is the practice of using your playbook to ensure your goals drive your daily actions.

This is especially critical when building a brand.

Here are three examples of brands that traded their scrapbook for a playbook.

1. Volvo: A Playbook Written in a Single Word: Safety

Volvo highlights how focusing on one goal with dedication can build a strong brand.

For nearly a century, their playbook has been guided by one word: safety.

The Origin Story (The "Why")

The strategy began with the founders' mandate in 1927. A 1930s sales handbook declared: "Cars are driven by people.

Therefore, the guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo is—and must remain—safety". This was far more than a tagline; it was a "constitutional principle" born from necessity. Early imported cars struggled in Sweden's tough climate.

For Volvo, durability and safety were essential for survival.

Product as Proof (The "How")

The Three-Point Seatbelt: Before 1959, seatbelts had a flawed, two-point lap design. And itt often caused severe internal injuries. In 1958, Volvo brought on Nils Bohlin. He was an engineer from Saab's aircraft division, known for his work on ejector seat harnesses. In just a year, he created the game-changing three-point seatbelt.

The "Open Patent" Masterstroke: Volvo faced a choice. They either had to license the seatbelt patent for a fortune or give it away. In an act of "strategic altruism," they made the patent available to all manufacturers for free. They did this specifically to prevent another company from owning it and restricting its use. This choice turned a product feature into a legendary brand story. And secured Volvo's strong reputation for safety.

Data-Driven Vindication: The invention initially faced skepticism. The turning point came in 1967 when Volvo published its "28,000 Accident Report." It used data to provide irrefutable proof that the belt reduced fatalities and serious injuries by 50-60%. The data proved to be the ultimate persuasive tool and led to global adoption.

Marketing as Evidence (The "How It's Told")

The Authentic Message: Volvo's most powerful marketing is an extension of its engineering ethos. The "Volvo Saved My Life Club" functions as more than a traditional ad campaign. It’s a platform for testimonials from people who survived terrible accidents. It transforms technical jargon into tangible, life-saving outcomes. And it builds a level of trust that is nearly impossible to replicate.

The Cautionary Tale: The strength of this identity was proven when Volvo strayed from it. In 2011, the company sought to compete with German luxury brands. They introduced the "Naughty Volvo" campaign for their S60 sedan. On its own website, "Safety" was demoted from the first priority to fourth or fifth. The market reacted with confusion. Publications diagnosed Volvo with an "identity crisis". This episode serves as a textbook example of the danger of abandoning associations customers have with a brand.

The Modern Evolution: Today, Volvo has expanded its definition of safety to remain relevant. In 2021, it connected its heritage to sustainability. It reframed climate change as "The Ultimate Safety Test." arguing that no airbag can protect us from a collapsing ecosystem. This illustrates how a living strategy can evolve and relate a century-old belief to modern issues.

2. Graza: The Playbook for the Modern Home Cook

Graza’s success is a textbook case of a modern disruptor identifying a "gaping hole" in a stagnant market.

Their playbook had a clear aim: to make high-quality, single-origin olive oil an easy and everyday tool for home cooks.

The Strategic Pivot (The "Why")

The idea started with co-founder Andrew Benin's time in Spain. There, he noticed people using olive oil freely as a kitchen staple, not just as a fancy condiment.

His initial plan was to import high-end oils. But a pivotal meeting with the executive chef of Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern, Mike Anthony, changed everything. Anthony's blunt advice was, "Don't start another boutique luxury olive oil company ... we need good olive oil for everyone".

This course-correcting directive focused the company on the massive opportunity of creating a "palatable premium" product for the mass market.

Simplifying the Complex (The "How")

"Sizzle" & "Drizzle": Graza skipped the confusing terms of olive oil, like "first cold pressed" and "extra virgin." Instead, they made it simple with a clear choice based on use. "Sizzle," made from mature Picual olives, is a mellow workhorse for cooking. "Drizzle," made from young, early-harvest Picual olives, is a punchy, peppery finishing oil. This act of "consumer education disguised as branding" sold confidence and encouraged liberal use.

The Squeeze Bottle Masterstroke: The brand's most potent weapon was its packaging. It was inspired by professional chefs who transfer their oil to squeeze bottles. It offered a genuine functional improvement. It solved frustrations like messy caps and overpouring. And it acted as a "Trojan horse" for the brand's entire philosophy. The playful act of squeezing encouraged home cooks to use it more freely. And visually, it signaled that Graza represented a modern and approachable brand. This unique design made the bottle a "status symbol" on social media. It turned every user's kitchen counter into a quiet advertisement.

Community Tactics for an "Everyday" Brand (The "How It's Told")

The "Home Cook" Influencer Strategy: Graza’s well-known organic blitz boosted its unpretentious image. They didn’t seed their product to elite, Michelin-star chefs to build a top-down brand. Instead, they chose a curated list of nano and micro-influencers. These creators felt like real, relatable home cooks. Their outreach was disarmingly simple, often starting with a DM like, "How much easier would life be if olive oil came in a squeezy bottle?". This "no strings attached" approach built real excitement.

Transparency as an Unpretentious Act: The way Graza handled its 2022 holiday fulfillment crisis was a powerful reinforcement of its brand. A stuffy, corporate brand would issue a formal press release. Graza’s CEO, Andrew Benin, instead sent a candid, direct, and heartfelt email to over 35,000 customers. He took full responsibility for the failure in a human way. This "redemption through honest storytelling" turned a failure into a chance to build trust. It strengthened its image as a simple, unpretentious brand.

3. Mailchimp: The Playbook for the Underdog

Strategy is relative to the competitive landscape.

Mailchimp started as a bootstrapped side project and grew into a $12 billion giant. Its success came from a clear plan focused on one goal: empowering the underdog.

The Strategic Context (The "Why")

To understand Mailchimp's genius, you must look at the email marketing landscape of the late 2000s.

The market was mainly controlled by AWeber and Constant Contact. Users often found their tools "clunky" and "outdated." This made it hard for micro-entrepreneurs, artists, and bloggers to connect. They felt the software wasn't designed for them.

Mailchimp’s strategy grew from the soil of these customer complaints.

Personality as a Moat (The "How"):

The Voice of a Partner: Mailchimp’s brand voice was a radical departure from the B2B-speak of its rivals. Their official goal was to "speak like the experienced and compassionate business partner we wish we'd had." This plainspoken, witty tone made intimidating concepts feel approachable.

Designing for Emotion: This approach is best shown in the product's user experience. The most famous example was the animated "high-five" that appeared after a user sent an email campaign. This choice was both empathetic and strategic. It turned a stressful moment into a shared celebration.

The Freemium Gambit (The "How it Won"):

A Mission-Driven Business Model: For eight years, Mailchimp was a paid service. In 2009, the company launched its "Forever Free" plan, a move uncommon at the time. The move, called "Power to the People," showed their mission to empower the underdog.

Explosive, Profitable Growth: The market's response was staggering. Within a single year, Mailchimp's user base grew fivefold, from 85,000 to 450,000, and its profits doubled. Mailchimp built customer success into its revenue model. The goal was to help free users succeed, so they would eventually move to a paid plan.

A Framework for Action: How to Build Your Playbook

Moving from a scrapbook of tactics to a strategic playbook requires a shift in thinking. Instead of a document you write once, strategy becomes a framework you use to call the right plays every day.

Here's how you can start to build that playbook:

1. Define Your Goal Line: What is the single, non-negotiable outcome you are trying to achieve? Go beyond revenue targets. Define what winning looks like in one clear, simple sentence. (e.g., For Volvo, it was: "Become synonymous with safety.")

2. Audit Your Current Plays: Look at your team's top three priorities this month. Can you draw a straight, undeniable line from each activity back to your defined outcome? Or are they running plays for a different game?

3. Identify "Scrapbook" Projects: What current activities use phrases like "it's a good opportunity" or "it's a quick win"? These are often tactics in search of an outcome and the first sign you're building a scrapbook, not executing a playbook.

4. Create Your "One-Question" Filter: Based on your outcome, what is the single question every new initiative must answer to get a "yes"? This becomes your most powerful tool for deciding which plays to call. (e.g., For Graza: "Does this make high-quality oil more unpretentious and effortless for home cooks?")

The real work is to obsessively use that filter to align every action with your intended destination. The result is a powerful, compounding force. One that uses strategy to turn tactics into a focused, undeniable outcome.

That is how you build a brand that endures.

Onward,

Aaron Shields

P.S. Is your team's hard work adding up to a clear destination, or is it just filling the pages of a scrapbook? It's easy to get caught in a cycle of executing good tactics that feel productive but ultimately lead nowhere. If you're struggling to connect your daily activities to a single, powerful outcome, reply to this email. I’ll set up a free 15-minute call to help you start turning your scrapbook into a playbook.