A brand communications strategist is a dedicated expert who focuses on how a brand speaks to its audience. Rather than just creating a message, this professional builds the larger strategy behind that message – connecting it to what your audience truly values, feels, and believes. At its core, brand communications is about influence: how your brand shows up in the world, tells its story, and makes people care.

Unlike execution-focused roles, a comms strategist dives deep into your brand’s voice, its place in culture, and the broader consumer landscape. They don't just ask, "What are we saying?" – they ask, "Why does this matter to our customers?" and "How do we say this in a way that drives connection, loyalty, and growth?"

Key responsibilities of a brand communications strategist include:

• Understanding your ideal consumer – through research, marketplace listening, and insights-driven analysis
• Defining brand positioning – shaping how your brand is perceived across channels and experiences
• Crafting messaging frameworks – developing language and storytelling structures that align with your brand’s values and goals
• Mapping strategic communications plans – planning what gets communicated, when, where, and to whom

In pre-planning season, this level of thinking is especially important. A brand strategist helps teams move upstream – before any creative brief or campaign execution – to ensure your message is not only well-designed, but also well-informed, emotionally grounded, and rooted in a consistent narrative across channels.

For example, a fictional mid-sized food brand might assume its messaging should emphasize health and sustainability. A brand strategist, however, might uncover through consumer insights that the real driver is convenience without guilt – leading to a more resonant messaging strategy focused on emotional reassurance, not just features.

Ultimately, brand communication strategists translate abstract brand values into stories that work in the real world. And for teams who don’t have a strategist in-house, SIVO’s On Demand Talent solution connects companies with experienced professionals who can step in during high-impact planning seasons – with the skills to guide decisions before execution begins.

While both brand strategists and marketing generalists play important roles in driving brand success, the way they approach problems – and the value they bring during pre-planning season – is quite different. Knowing when to involve each type of professional can make or break your ability to shape messaging that connects with your target audience and delivers business results.

What is a marketing generalist?

A marketing generalist is a versatile professional who wears many hats. They often juggle different responsibilities ranging from social media and email marketing to content creation, PR coordination, and campaign analysis. Their strength lies in execution and adaptability – they help keep programs running, ensure deadlines are met, and distribute marketing output across multiple channels.

What makes a brand strategist different?

A brand comms strategist, meanwhile, works upstream. Their role is centered on clarity, consistency, and cultural relevance – long before campaigns are launched. Instead of building outputs, they define the roadmap: your brand voice, your audience’s emotional drivers, and how your messaging shows up meaningfully across touchpoints.

Key differences at a glance:

• Focus: Generalists focus on tactical execution. Strategists focus on directional brand storytelling and messaging alignment.
• Mindset: Generalists ask, "What do we need to produce?" Strategists ask, "Why does this message matter to our consumer right now?"
• Impact: Generalists keep the engine running. Strategists fine-tune the engine so it’s efficient, meaningful, and differentiation-driven.
• Timing: Generalists are often brought in during campaign execution. Strategists are most valuable during pre-planning or when brand clarity is needed.

During pre-planning season – when companies begin gathering insight to fuel next year’s strategic direction – the need for a strategist becomes more visible. While generalists can support hands-on marketing tasks, a strategist helps ensure your messaging platform, brand story, and audience connection are built on a thoughtful, insights-backed strategy.

For businesses that don’t have internal strategy resources or prefer flexibility, using On Demand Talent is a powerful solution. These seasoned experts can step in quickly to support your team with high-level brand thinking – without the overhead of hiring full-time or relying on traditional consultants.

Rather than filling gaps reactively, strategic companies are leveraging On Demand strategists to future-proof their messaging, using insights to ignite more meaningful communication in the year ahead. And when every consumer touchpoint counts, having a strategist in the room during pre-planning can elevate your work from informative to impactful.

Pre-planning season – typically during Q3 for most organizations – is the critical lead-in to the formal planning season that takes place in Q4. While it’s tempting to dive straight into brainstorming or campaign development, this early window is the right time to step back and build the strategic foundation. And that’s exactly where a brand communications strategist can make a lasting impact.

Unlike a marketing generalist, who may wear multiple hats across execution and channel management, a comms strategist focuses squarely on shaping the “why” behind your message. During pre-planning, this expertise helps ensure everything that follows – from budget allocation to creative briefs – is grounded in real audience understanding and clear business objectives.

Building the Strategic Blueprint Before Tactics Begin

Think of your brand strategy during pre-planning as the blueprint for the year ahead. A strategist brings sharp focus to:

• Clarifying brand positioning in light of market shifts
• Reframing messaging to reflect new consumer expectations
• Aligning internal brand goals with external storytelling

Rather than reacting during planning season, companies that bring in a strategist early are proactive. They create space to interrogate assumptions, explore new cultural tensions, and tune messaging for relevance and resonance.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Annual Planning

Without strategic input, organizations often move forward with messaging that's tired, generic, or out of touch. Pre-planning helps avoid:

• Campaign ideas lacking emotional connection
• Misalignment between brand voice and current audience needs
• Wasted resources on tactics that miss the mark

In short, bringing in a brand strategist early can prevent the “fix-it-later” trap that many teams fall into mid-campaign. With the right thinking upfront, your marketing strategy becomes not just a set of deliverables – but a cohesive brand story that stands out.

To truly connect with audiences, brands must go beyond demographics and channels. Brand communications strategists lean into something deeper: consumer insights and cultural context. Together, these two tools help shape messaging that feels tailored, timely, and emotionally resonant – not just clever or catchy.

Translating Data Into Actionable Messaging

Consumer insights are more than survey stats or purchase behaviors. They uncover the motivations, values, and emotional drivers behind decisions. A comms strategist interprets these insights to pinpoint what truly matters to your audience – what they fear, dream of, or aspire to.

For example, a fictional CPG brand targeting first-time parents might uncover that their audience feels overwhelmed by inconsistent online advice. Instead of leading with product specs, the brand strategist could shape messaging around “confidence in the chaos” – a positioning rooted in empathy, not assumptions.

Weaving in Cultural Understanding

What’s happening in the world – socially, politically, digitally – shapes how your message lands. Cultural context gives a strategist the lens to filter your brand communications against larger trends, shifting moods, or cultural conversations that influence perception.

Strategists ask:

• What stories are people engaging with right now?
• How are values and norms evolving in our space?
• What cultural tensions can we speak to authentically?

By embedding brand messaging in context, comms strategists help brands avoid tone-deafness and find their place in the conversation. This is especially key during high-stakes moments like product launches, rebrands, or campaign refreshes.

From Insights to Impactful Storytelling

Ultimately, a brand comms strategist translates insight and culture into streamlined, effective messaging – whether that means taglines, brand narratives, or campaign pillars. Because the message isn’t just what you say – it’s how and when you say it, and to whom.

By bringing all these dimensions together, strategists don’t just improve brand messaging – they make sure every word reflects a bigger, bolder story the audience is ready to hear.

Great brand comms strategy requires the right expertise – but not every organization has a strategist on staff. That’s where On Demand Talent comes in. Instead of hiring a full-time employee or bringing on a generalist, brands can quickly tap into fractional experts who bring both strategic depth and real-world marketing experience.

Why Choose On Demand Talent Over Traditional Hires

Hiring an in-house strategist often takes months and significant budget. Freelancers or junior hires may not have the experience to guide high-level messaging work. By contrast, On Demand Talent gives you access to seasoned brand communications professionals who are ready to make an impact – fast.

• Matched to your needs in days or weeks
• No long-term commitments or onboarding delays
• Immediate contribution during strategic milestones like pre-planning

SIVO’s On Demand Talent network includes hundreds of insight experts across industries – from branding and communications to strategic marketing and storytelling. Every individual is vetted to ensure they can hit the ground running, even on short timelines.

Support When and Where You Need It Most

During pre-planning season in particular, having the right strategist in place can change the course of your planning framework. Whether you're shaping next year’s brand message, evaluating new market opportunities, or rethinking your brand voice, On Demand Talent lets you:

• Bridge temporary gaps in your strategy or insights team
• Bring in fresh perspective on audience behavior and trends
• Scale your team’s capacity without expanding headcount

And these professionals aren’t agency junior staff or freelancers juggling multiple gigs. They are experienced strategy thinkers who integrate directly with your team, offering dedicated focus, clarity, and execution when it matters most.

So if your brand needs sharper messaging, faster insights integration, or stronger pre-planning alignment, On Demand Talent can help you get there – without the wait.